Paper Monuments combines public education and collaborative design to expand our collective understanding of New Orleans.
Sean Gerard Clark
Sean Gerard Clark is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee who has lived and worked in New Orleans for the past six years. Before coming to New Orleans, Sean graduated from Morehouse College with a Bachelors of Science in Biology with a concentration in Public Health and African-American Studies.
Sean has always found art as a tool for navigating life throughout his work and academic career.Sean’s artistic voice began in childhood, however his active art voice began when he started painting to cope with the stress of school. He began his artistic practice as a landscape painter and over the years has transitioned into a variety of subjects that investigate the human condition. Sean is a self-taught artist who favors the use of palette knives, oil and acrylic paints, and collage materials.
In 2018, Sean was featured as a solo artist during From Africa to Appalachia Foundation’s 30th Anniversary show titled, “Ancestors”. Sean’s mixed media piece, “Unresolved Grief” was featured in Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative as a part of the organization's efforts to increase emotional awareness of mental health issues. Sean recently participated in Young Contemporary Collectors juried exhibition in Memphis, TN. Coupled with his time as a health educator, he has led several art classes that focus on helping students find their own creative voice through journal and mask making.
Throughout his artistic career he has been influenced by artists such as Sammie Nicely, Jean Michel Basquiat, Benny Andrews and Bill Sienkiwicz along with writers such as James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison. From this point of inspiration, Sean has created works to reflect identity and history, while sparking ideas in the minds of viewers.
