The Weight of Deferred Gratification

David Harper Clemons, The Weight of Deferred Gratification, 2019, sterling silver, stainless steel, brass, glass, and mahogany with corn, wild rice, and wheat, overall box, closed: 5 78 × 12 18 × 9 18 in. (14.9 × 30.8 × 23.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery and the 40th anniversary of the Alliance, 2022.22A-M, © 2022, David Harper Clemons

Artwork Details

Title
The Weight of Deferred Gratification
Date
2019
Dimensions
overall box, closed: 5 78 × 12 18 × 9 18 in. (14.9 × 30.8 × 23.2 cm)
Copyright
© 2022, David Harper Clemons
Credit Line
Gift of the James Renwick Alliance in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery and the 40th anniversary of the Alliance
Mediums Description
sterling silver, stainless steel, brass, glass, and mahogany with corn, wild rice, and wheat
Subjects
  • Object — other — flatware
  • Object — other — container
Object Number
2022.22A-M

Artwork Description

Metalsmith David Harper Clemons stretches the expected use of utensils with The Weight of Deferred Gratification. While imagining a better future, Clemons looked to the past. He created this functional knife, fork, and spoon to critique unsustainable agricultural production and consumerism. The utensils contain corn, wild rice, and grains, as well as soil pods for planting the grains and water flasks for nourishing the sprouts.


“The tools become vehicles to convey the extended relationship between germination, production, cultivation, preparation, consumption, and even sharing and distribution,” the artist explains. To use the utensils, from seed to table, requires a commitment to nurturing the present; Clemons encourages the user to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022

Works by this artist (1 item)

Teresita Fernández, Nocturnal (Horizon Line), 2010, solid graphite on panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2012.38A-C, © 2010, Teresita Fernández
Nocturnal (Horizon Line)
Date2010
solid graphite on panel
On view

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      On Thursday, February 16, 2023, the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) hosted David Harper Clemons, one of the artists featured in This Present Moment: Crafting A Better World. This fascinating behind-the-scenes look into his studio was the final program in the exhibit’s Virtual Studio Tour series. Clemons takes viewers on a tour of his North Carolina studio where he creates art that explores identity and gives meaning to objects that extend beyond their expected uses. Get an up-close view of the tools used regularly by Clemons in his work and hear him answer a variety of questions asked by participants of the live program. Originally from Texas, Clemons taught metalsmithing at The University of Arkansas in Little Rock for eight years, and now lives in Penland, NC. He offers workshops at craft schools around the country. His artwork, The Weight of Deferred Gratification, is part of SAAM’s permanent collection.

      Exhibitions

      Quilt featuring the portrait of a woman
      This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World
      May 13, 2022April 2, 2023
      This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.

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      A black case that is open to reveal smaller compartments and utensils mounted in the lid. Boxes wrapped in brown paper are stacked on the side.
      Metalsmith David Harper Clemons creates art that gives new meanings to everyday objects
      SAAM