Contrary to Hearsay, He Wasn't the Devil201484 × 96"Wood, nails, and antique hardware on a plywood backingJean-Marcel St. Jacques, LLC2014.18.101552454712Jean-Marcel St. JacquesSculptureThe American Folk Art Museum holds or manages the copyright(s) for this work. For more information or to obtain a reproduction of this work, please contact Art Resource at requests@artres.com.New OrleansNew OrleansUnited StatesLouisianaPaintingsNew OrleansWood reclaimed from the artist's home damaged by Katrina in the Treme neighborhood
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2004, Jean-Marcel St. Jacques, like countless others, fled his city. As floodwaters receded, he was able to return home, and in the Treme, St. Jacques was greeted with devastation—destroyed homes amidst piles of rubble and debris. St. Jacques began salvaging what he could—wood and found objects that he modified and pieced together to create his now trademarked Wooden Quilts. Citing his grandfather, a junker and collector, and his grandmother, a quilter, as much of the inspiration behind his creative practice, St. Jacques’ topographic tableaus reflect legacy—an homage to the generations who have called New Orleans home.
The term ruin porn is used to describe artwork that takes post-industrial urban decline as its subject. Aestheticizing decay and abandonment, the term was popularized in Detroit where artists were criticized for exploiting the city’s severe downturn to produce sensational images opposed to conceptually rigorous works art. What separates St. Jacques from the idea of ruin porn is his work’s capacity for transformation—materials are manipulated to create something beautiful and wholly new out of decay. In the spirit of patchwork quilting, which likewise incorporates upcycled materials imbued with meaning from previous use, St. Jacques honors the origins of his art, giving each fragment a new life that expresses the endurance and resilience of New Orleans.
Sarah Margolis-Pineo, Handstitched Worlds: The Cartography of Quilts, Self-Taught Genius Gallery, July 16 – October 3, 2018.Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org20142014 2014 18 1 Wood reclaimed from the artist's home damaged by Katrina in the Treme neighborhood
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2004, Jean-Marcel St. Jacques, like countless others, fled his city. As floodwaters receded, he was able to return home, and in the Treme, St. Jacques was greeted with devastation—destroyed homes amidst piles of rubble and debris. St. Jacques began salvaging what he could—wood and found objects that he modified and pieced together to create his now trademarked Wooden Quilts. Citing his grandfather, a junker and collector, and his grandmother, a quilter, as much of the inspiration behind his creative practice, St. Jacques’ topographic tableaus reflect legacy—an homage to the generations who have called New Orleans home.
The term ruin porn is used to describe artwork that takes post-industrial urban decline as its subject. Aestheticizing decay and abandonment, the term was popularized in Detroit where artists were criticized for exploiting the city’s severe downturn to produce sensational images opposed to conceptually rigorous works art. What separates St. Jacques from the idea of ruin porn is his work’s capacity for transformation—materials are manipulated to create something beautiful and wholly new out of decay. In the spirit of patchwork quilting, which likewise incorporates upcycled materials imbued with meaning from previous use, St. Jacques honors the origins of his art, giving each fragment a new life that expresses the endurance and resilience of New Orleans.
Sarah Margolis-Pineo, Handstitched Worlds: The Cartography of Quilts, Self-Taught Genius Gallery, July 16 – October 3, 2018.Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org