A Handful of Stars by Betye Saar

Betye Saar was born July of 1926 in Los Angeles. She worked as a social worker, jewelry maker, costume designer, and printmaker until she found her voice as a narrative artist through collage and assemblage. That voice sprang from her unique mix of life experiences, memories of the Watts Towers and a 1967 Joseph Cornell exhibit. Pulling from her interest in the occult and metaphysics, as well as childhood experiences with the women who raised her, Saar's work became a powerful interpretation of the many facets of African American identity. For decades, much of her art incorporates "black collectibles" in order to upend racial and sexist stereotypes, gently using the narratives in her art to enlighten and transform.