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William Dawson, Totem, ca. 1975, acrylic and felt-tipped pen and ink on carved wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak, 1981.136.1
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William Dawson carved stacks of faces from old table and chair legs before he even knew what a totem pole was. These pieces show his distinctive carved faces, with wide, staring eyes painted a stark white against different colored backgrounds. He made totems in a variety of heights depending on the piece of wood, and they can reach up to four feet.
Luce Object Quote“I had never seen a totem. I was in the park one day. I was carving and a fellow came up and said, ‘Oh, you make totems.’ But I didn’t know what they were. My wife looked it up in a book in the library, and sure enough, I was making totems.” The artist, quoted in Folk Art Messenger, Winter 1990
- Title
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Totem
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1975
- Location
- Dimensions
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13 x 3 1/8 in. (33.0 x 7.8 cm)
- Copyright
- Credit Line
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Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- acrylic and felt-tipped pen and ink on carved wood
- Classifications
- Keywords
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- Ethnic – African-American
- Figure – fragment – face
- Object Number
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1981.136.1
- Palette
- Linked Open Data
- Linked Open Data URI
