The Norton Museum of Art invited art students in Palm Beach County to visit and listen to artist Sara Van DerBeek speak about her display that is currently being exhibited at the museum. Art students from our school, Santaluces, were among those invited.
Sara Van DerBeek is a photographer from Baltimore, Maryland who currently resides in New York City. She gave a presentation during the field trip about her life, her work, and her display at Norton.
Sara Van DerBeek’s Life
Van DerBeek’s parents were both artists. Growing up with parents as artists, of course she picked up the hobby. She acquired her first camera when she was five years old. She shared that even from early childhood, this hobby of art quickly became something more. She says she always aspired to be an artist and accounts that it is the only career that would fit her skill set.
Her father, a major role model who inspired her, passed away when she was seven years old. She displays themes of grief often in work and connects many of her pieces to her family heritage.
Sara Van DerBeek’s Art
The art Van DerBeek makes definitely reflects the age we live in today. For instance, she uses the colors purple and blue in most of her work. Aside from those being her favorite colors, she said that she uses these colors because they mimic the colors of screens. The colors purple and blue evoke a sense that technology is present, reminding you of the age we live in.
Furthermore, Van DerBeek works just as well in the two-dimensional form as in the three-dimensional form. She often photographs sculptures, as well as creates her own three-dimensional art pieces.
Sara Van DerBeek’s Exhibit at the Norton Museum of Art
Van DerBeek’s display is a part of the collection called the “Veiled Presence: The Hidden Mothers and Sara Van DerBeek.” In this collection, Van DerBeek was asked to respond to a display featuring photographs of children taken in the Victorian Era. These Victorian images focus on a child or baby, while there is a hidden person in the image who is holding the kid, hence the “hidden mothers.” Most of the images show these kids’ caretakers covered in cloth, or their faces are purposely removed from the photograph.
Van DerBeek responded with her own interpretation by filling a room featuring many pieces of work. This room is mainly purple, and so are many of the pieces. Lace is a common textile found throughout the room. There are two three-dimensional pieces of art, as there is a banner of lace hanging from the ceiling and a mirror which is covered in lace.
Lace was an important part of this exhibit and Van DerBeek’s response as it comments on womanhood. This links back to the mothers who are hidden in the Victorian photographs. Furthermore, to make this exhibit more personal, she used lace that was passed down from her family. The lace hanging from the ceiling belonged to her paternal aunt and another piece of lace used in the exhibit belonged to her grandmother, who bought a veil in Brussels during her time serving in World War II as a nurse.
This was an incredible class trip for all students who attended. Sara Van DerBeek’s exhibit at the Norton is truly beautiful and brought all students who attended a deeper appreciation for art.
