An Interview With a Reporter

Interview With a Reporter

Reporter: Hello Edmonia! We’re very eager to hear what you have to tell us this evening.

Edmonia: Hello to you too and I’m very exited as well.

Reporter: Well to start us off lets hear about your childhood. What was it that got you interested in the arts?

Edmonia: My mother was Chippewa Native American and my father was Haitian of African decent (angelartco/1998). I was raised by my mother’s tribe after she and my father died when I was young. I was called Wildfire and my brother was called Sunset. We lived, literally, on the ‘wild side’ as you could imagine. We had a wandering life, fished, swam, and made moccasins ( Women in History/updated 2/25).
I grew an interest in abolitionist leaders, movements, and people who were hero’s to me (Women History/updated 2/25). Those were the things I sculpted. The sculpture allowed me to put my perspective of how I see things into expression. One of my pieces, Forever Free, showed a family with hope in a newly liberated population (Yale University/ 1998). Abolitionism played a role in my life.

Reporter: Along the way from childhood to adult, you must have had some kind of mentor that helped you develop the interests and talents you have as an artist. What were they?

Edmonia: The school that I went to when I was young was New York Central College. This school was run by anti-slavery Baptists (angelartco/1998). When in an environment like this, you could pick up on things. Maybe from being in a place like this I grew my interest in abolitionism. It sounds very likely
I did, however, later on go to study with sculptor Edward Brakett (women’s history. About/ 2011) I was introduced by a man named William Lloyd Garrison who was
an abolitionist (women history.about/2011). I grew tired of apprenticeship and my brother rented me a studio space (Women in History/ updated 2/25). One of my first pieces was a medallion of John Brown, an abolitionist, and had a commercial success among abolitionists (Women in History/updated 2/25). Early in life there wasn’t much of a mentor but later on I had a few acquaintances that aided me.

Reporter: When you entered the field of sculpture, what was it like at that time in the world of art?

Edmonia: Well things were much different at the time. Race had played a role in this difference. People like me, who were African American, were expected to observe prescriptives from 19th century literature that defined the cult of the True Womanhood (Yale University/1998). But both Black and White people still had to remember Victorian expectations about the role of women (Yale University/1998). This had made me more aware of how my pieces are portrayed.
These kind of things had to be kept in mind. Especially since they are expectations. Women were seen as the husbands ‘helpers’ and were lower than men. My art was criticized, however, because it didn’t look like an African or a Native American piece. It looked Neoclassical because of its stone look and creates a mood of quiet grandeur (neoclassicism.com/2010).

Reporter: I know that this sounds very similar what was previously asked but how was everything culturally, politically, and economically at the time?

Edmonia: When it came to culture, things were different than what I was used to. Like I said before, I was raised by a Chippewa Native American tribe. They were also called the Ojibwa and came from the Michigan/ Canadian area (Life-Time Books/1994) .One of the things that was in our culture was The Drum Religion which was organized around playing sacred drums and passing sacred knowledge between tribes (Carl Waldman/2000). A man by the name Dennis Banks had the Great Jim Thorpe Longest Run were teams from different Native American tribes tried to carry medicine bundles to Los Angeles which was like a cultural thing (Carl Waldman/2009).
In New York, it very different. It was difficult make whatever you want free willingly while being surrounded by the people‘s expectations from you . I was caught up in the expectations of the people of New York for race and gender . Things were segregated at this time so pieces like my Forever Free would be powerful. You could still get your point across but still be aware of what is expected of you.

Reporter: In your life, what were your major accomplishments and how did you make them?

Edmonia: Well that’s a fun one. One of them would be Forever Free. This piece shows a standing man and a kneeling woman looking elated (digital history/2003). The 13th Amendment had abolished slavery and the people are full of hope. It is made of marble with the neoclassical look.. The neoclassical look shows its historical. This event was important in my history. A piece like this shows how heartwarming freedom can be.
Another piece would be Death of Cleopatra. This piece shows the queen on a throne dead (edwardianprominade/2/3). This piece shows events from Africa. This piece too was made of marble with a neoclassical look. It showed what kind of power had been in Africa thousands of years ago.

Reporter: In your earlier times, what kind of opportunities had come along that created turning points for your life and art?

Edmonia: Well I can thank my brother for a lot of those! My brother, or Sunset as we called him, had helped me carry on in my education and arts. He had came into some money through real-estate investments (Women in History/updated 2/25). He did that when he had gone west during the Gold Rush. My brother was the main person opening my doors.
He had got me into grammar school when I was little. He later became the one who got me into the New York Central College. After that he had it so that I could attend Oberlin College’s Young Ladies Preparatory Department (Women in History/updated 2/25). My second and third school were abolitionist schools. He also got me my studio when I was tired of apprenticeship. As you can see my brother has done for me that others could only dream of in their life times.

Reporter: When It came to thinking about your success, what decisions did you make?

Edmonia: I had to do a couple things actually. I was once afraid that people would think that I wasn’t capable of doing certain works. To rid myself of this fear, I started carving my own things when I was a little new in my career (Women in History/updated 2/25). Breaking my apprenticeship was probably one too. I had wanted to start sculpting so I started working in my own studio thanks to my brother (Women in History/updated 2/25).
I also later chose to travel. I chose Rome. Rome was a place for writers, poets, and artists to go (Women in History/ updated 2/25). This had drawn attention to myself since people visited these places for those kind of things to observe. In Rome I continued to create more pieces.

Reporter: You are an African/Native American sculptor. What hardships did you face to become who you are?

Edmonia: As mentioned before, I could have been seen as a person incapable of creating certain works. Racism is always a hard one to go through. I once was accused of poisoning two students when I attended Oberlin College near Cleveland, Ohio and was beaten for it. I was saved in court by John Mercer, an African American lawyer. This had hurt my reputation. (angelartco/1998).
Even though I was innocent, I was still stuck. I was still being harassed. My school accused me of stealing. I wasn’t allowed to continue there. It sad how people try to keep you from an education. But that was what had to be dealt with to come through in the end.

Reporter: How did you deal with your limitations since you told us what they were.

Edmonia: I could interpret my thoughts in my work. Finding something to do occupies your mind. Sculpture was harmless expression that can help you cope. Helps you soften before your rage escalates to an explosion. Helps keep you at peace.
Racism helped create power. All the hate thrown at me created power. Take Forever Free as an example. No matter what they say to us, we are forever free. Things that are bad helps us gain knowledge and our own power.

Reporter: One Final question Edmonia. Do you have any personal stories that show how you became successful?

Edmonia: Very interesting question! All the small stories I mentioned in this interview contribute to my story. It might sound strange at first but is the truth. All of my little stories form my life story. That is it.
In order to see my success, you must look at every thing. One story can’t show it all. An overall view puts the pieces together and allows it to make sense. From my school hardship to my fear of what others are thinking of me. They all create one massive unique story that is like no other.

Reporter: Thanks for sharing with us Edmonia! It’s greatly appreciated. I’m sure we all have learned an important lesson about life.

Edmonia: You’re very welcome. It’s always good to educate others.



Sources:
Women in History. Edmonia Lewis biography. Last updated 2/25/2011. Lakewood Public Library. Date accessed 2/25/2011.
http://lkwdpl.org/wihohio/lewi-edm.htm.
Reading American Art. Dexter Michigan: G&S Typesetters, Ink.,1998, 190-192. Print.
Atlas of the North American Indian. Revised Edition. New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc.,2000, 69. Print.
Atlas of the North American Indian. Third Edition. New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc.,2009 267. Print.
People of the Lakes. Richmond, Virginia: Time Life, Inc.,1994, 21. Print.
Angel Oil Painting Art Co. Edmonia Lewis Biography. Date accessed 2/25/2011.
http://www.angelartco.com/art-history/Edmonia/
About.com. Edmonia Lewis. Date accessed 2/25/2011.
http://womenshistoryabout.com/
Neoclassicism.com. What Is Neoclassicism. Date accessed 2/25/2011.
http://neoclassicism.us/content/what is neoclassicism.
Digital History. Picture of Forever Free. Date accessed 2/25/2011.
http://digitalhistory.com.unl.edu/.
Edwardiepromerade.com. Picture of Death of Cleopatra. Date accessed 2/25/2011.
http://www.edwardiepromerade.com/