Social Studies
Sculptures by Karon Davis reflect the zeitgeist
Written by L.D Porter
The devastating 2017 Thomas Fire that forced artist Karon Davis to evacuate from her Ojai home prompted the creation of one of her most compelling life-size plaster sculptures, Noah and his Ark. Currently on view at U.C. Santa Barbara’s Art, Design & Architecture Museum until December, the work depicts a woman and child seated in a rowboat filled with personal objects—perhaps their only remaining possessions—guided by a man attempting to navigate though thigh-high water. The piece is part of Davis’s Muddy Water series, a title that refers to “Muddy waters caused by natural disasters or manmade systems that fail us,” according to the artist.
Contemporary collector (and seasonal Santa Barbara resident) Beth Rudin DeWoody, who owns several works by Davis—including Noah and his Ark—says “Karon’s work always has the sense of now. Reflections of the black community with so much power. I feel privileged to have these works and to know such an amazing woman.”
Originally from Reno, Nevada, Davis studied theater at Spelman College and cinema at the University of Southern California before pivoting to sculpture. Her first solo show was at L.A.’s Underground Museum, which she cofounded with her late husband, Noah Davis, in 2012. Davis’s work is highly acclaimed and widely exhibited. She is represented by L.A.’s Wilding Cran Gallery (wildingcran.com).
