Join artist Chakaia Booker as she traces her career from early sculptures to large-scale public installations. In her signature use of recycled tires and geometric abstraction, she combines material and technique to evoke an array of references—from textiles to animal fur and scarification to industrial machinery—while also pointing to the complexities and environmental impact of modernity. This talk offers a look into Booker’s process and the ideas behind her transformative work. 

About the Speaker:
Chakaia Booker is an internationally renowned and widely collected American sculptor known for creating monumental, abstract works from recycled tires and stainless steel for both the gallery and outdoor public spaces. Booker’s works are contained in more than 40 public collections and have been exhibited across the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Asia. Booker was included in the 2000 Whitney Biennial and received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005. Recent public installation highlights include Millennium Park, Chicago (2016–2018), Garment District Alliance Broadway Plazas, New York, NY (2014), and National Museum of Women in the Arts New York Avenue Sculpture Project, Washington DC (2012). 

Booker’s sculpture LBD Duty Free is part of the museum’s collection and is on view at the bottom of the museum’s Art Climb, on the corner of Gilbert Avenue and Eden Park Drive. 

The annual Benesse Lecture is endowed by the Benesse Corporation.

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