Quad A & Reginald Baylor@ MAM

The Milwaukee Art Museum\'s African American Art Alliance (Quad A) celebrated its 20^th anniversary in 2011 along with the 10th anniversary of the Calatrava. Last week Thursday, on October 27 in honor of this occasion, Quad A presented their anniversary acquisition to the museum last week: On Duty, Not Driving (2110) by home town artist Reginald Baylor.

This momentous presentation happened in the Sue and Bud Selig Gallery where Baylor\'s painting was placed next to Jasper Johns (Untitled, 1984), Roy Lichtenstein (Crying Girl, 1964 and Water Lily Pond with Reflections, 1992) and Andy Warhol (Brillo Box, 1964).  Over 45 donors and an anonymous foundation helped purchase this painting adding to the MAM\'s permanent African American art collection. At the present time, there are only 15 to 20 organizations at America\'s museums that are specifically dedicated to acquiring African American art, and Milwaukee claims one of them with this long, 20 year tradition One of the founding members of Quad A, Gloria A. Wright, was in the audience to offer her congratulations.

Chief Curator Brady Roberts spoke briefly while the museum advisor for this support group, Director of Public Programs Fran Serlin approved from her seat in the audience that surrounded the painting.. Roberts described the painting as autobiographical, displaying color, detail, line and symbolism, from a painter who grew up in Milwaukee and found a home here at the museum. Baylor\'s parents sat in the front row and watched with a smile as there middle son fielded questions about his painting and process, while Baylor graciously offered the complex answers to his admirers.

What does it mean to you to have your painting in the Milwaukee Art Museum, the museum where you grew up and in the city where you still live?

I am awestruck, in amazement and its rather jaw dropping. I grew up in Milwaukee and had my first art experiences here. I took my first art class here and drew a building on North Avenue. I still drive by it and when I do, think of this. If the Milwaukee Art Museum wouldn\'t have been here, I wouldn\'t be here.

What is special about where your painting is placed?

That\'s really amazing, too. I\'m in the gallery of the pieces I studied. All these artists I\'m placed with. They encouraged me, so I\'m glad to be here. These are the painters who inspired me, along with Basquat, Wayne Thiebauld and Cy Twombly. They were painters who drew, pop artist, ones who used a straight edge and were graphic. They also included pop culture and those references.

Would you tell us something about your painting On Duty, Not Driving?

Since I started painting full time three years ago the drawings have become more detailed [as this one is], so the paintings become more complicated. The drawing has become everything, what I start with first. Drawing is my first love. So my first paintings were architectural and structural, and the works that led up to this deal with the struggle. There\'s more detail now than before. I also put figures into my paintings. And once you involve people, you\'re beginning a narrative. This is an autobiographical piece, about my experience truck driving, what I did before I started painting full time. When you drive a truck federal regulations state you can be driving, sleeping, on duty [loading and unloading] or off duty. Those four days off duty allowed me to paint. Here I\'m in between that when I was conceiving of what I wanted to paint, and how I could, truck driving allowed me to support my family so I could the do what I wanted [become an artist], and allowed me to paint when I was home, for those four days.

Could you explain some of the symbolism in this painting?

The two women are representative of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell, taken from the film Gentleman Prefer Blondes and I could play with race. Marilyn\'s an African American blonde, and Jean Russell, white with an afro hair style. They\'re romantic and nostalgic. On the lower section of the painting are symbols of the three trucks I drove, a Kenworth and two Peterbilts. We see those in an outline of a guitar because I listened to music on the road. There\'s traffic symbols because we follow a path in live as does a truck driver. And here\'s a hood ornament symbol, which you\'ll see again, from the truck, It\'s about leaving and coming home, ultimately the goal of the truck driver. When I begin I painting, I choose all the pieces, the symbol. There\'s a theme, an idea, and then the symbols come.

Where do you see your art going in the future?

I do see it becoming even more detailed, because of the drawing. I\'m also at the Haggerty, with a fabric and video piece, which continues through the end of the year [Current Tendencies II]. The painting is about how I love what I do. The future is about enjoying it, just keep going and having fun…My parents always encouraged me so I\'m glad they can be here. They also told me….have fun, just so it\'s legal. So I kept going, having fun, and I\'ve been doing this [my art] for a while before I could paint full time. Perseverance breeds good work.

(View Reginald Baylor\'s painting at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Gallery 19 or at his working studio in the Historic Third Ward\'s Marshall Building, 207 Eat Buffalo, the first floor, or at his website, www.reginaldbaylor.com)