Artist Gerald Clarke
We are proud to present this engaging panel discussion with our 2024 Influential Artists of the Desert, Gerald Clarke and Ryan Campbell. They will share how they have been influenced directly and indirectly by the unique aspects of the Coachella Valley’s desert light, typography and culture.
For over 25 years, Gerald Clarke, an artist dedicated to addressing Native American identity’s complex intersections with mainstream U.S. culture and politics, has challenged stereotypes and embraced conceptual art. In 2020, the Palm Springs Art Museum showcased his groundbreaking retrospective, “Gerald Clarke: Falling Rock,” featuring 80 diverse works spanning various media. The exhibition provided a profound exploration of Clarke’s childhood experiences, particularly his rides back to the reservation with his father.
According to Clarke, the environment significantly shapes our worldview, emphasizing the impact of wide-open spaces and starry nights in fostering introspection and a connection to place. His life and studio work are guided by the inseparable link between Indigenous identity, history, and the land. Beyond his retrospective, Clarke’s extensive exhibition history includes major museum collections. Recognized with an Eiteljorg Museum Fellowship in 2007, he served as an Artist-in-Residence at the Institute of American Indian Arts in 2015. A dedicated educator, Clarke, currently a Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California Riverside, imparts knowledge on Native American art, history, and culture through his lectures.
Artist Ryan Campbell
Ryan Campbell is a distinguished painter and muralist whose artistic journey has been shaped by a diverse range of influences. Rooted in the graffiti culture of Southern California during the 1990s and early 2000s, his creative evolution reflects a deep exploration of geometric abstraction, minimalism, and hard-edge painting.
Campbell’s Line Segments series is an ongoing exploration, presenting layered bands of meticulously applied paint that converge into abstract and geometric formations. These intricate patterns offer nuanced experiences of depth, space, shadow, and vibrant color, captivating viewers with their dynamic visual interplay.
Campbell’s relocation to Palm Springs in 2001 marked a pivotal shift in his artistic trajectory, introducing him to the realms of minimalism, abstract expressionism, and California’s light and space movements. Inspired by revered artists such as Lewitt, Martin, Stella, Soto, and Phillip K Smith III, Campbell’s prolific career includes prestigious commissions ranging from Desert Regional Medical Center to the City of Palm Springs, as well as collaborations with notable entities like AEG Worldwide’s Goldenvoice, Pernod Ricard, Red Bull North America, and Covered California. His Line Segments works grace significant American collections, including the Macmillan collection, while finding homes in private collections worldwide. Campbell’s dedication to his craft earned him an Artist Residency and a popup studio at the Palm Springs Art Museum in 2020, further solidifying his commitment to investigating geometric abstraction and hard-edge painting within his practice.