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CuratorNotes
Joy Broom’s Wall of Icons (ca. 1982), on view in di Rosa’s tractor barn, was inspired by a trip the artist took to Mexico in the 1970s, where she was taken with the altars she encountered: elaborate, colorful shrines created to celebrate and remember deceased family members or to honor the Virgin Mary; often containing objects like candles, assorted Milagros, sugar skulls, marigolds, food and drink. Broom’s Wall of Icons is a brightly-colored composition of over thirty individual sculpted shapes resembling masks, flames, leaves, a raindrop, and crosses, among otheres. Each component was made from chewing gum, then painted and hung in a pattern-like formation on the wall, creating a constellation of symbols inspired both by Mexican spirituality and Broom’s personal life. Together this vibrantly-hued wunderkammer-like arrangement combines cultural, personal, and universal elements, allowing the viewer to derive meaning in multiple ways.
Joy Broom received both her BFA and MFA from Washington State University. She taught at Diablo Valley College from 1975 to 2007. She has been making and showing work in the Bay Area for over thirty years. You can hear her talk about her recent work in a video from her 2012 artist residency at the de Young Museum.