Keith Sonnier
A Working Artist
Early Life
Born July 31, 1941 in Mamou, Louisiana.
Mardi Gras is, and was, a big part of the culture and community.
His father worked as a carpenter, and his mother was a florist.
Early Influences
Graduated in 1963 from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (U of L at Lafayette).
Followed up with an MFA from Rutgers University.
At Rutgers he studied under Allan Kaprow, Robert Watts, and Robert Morris.
Kaprow was known for for his performance art, Yam Festival/Fluxus.
Watts ran several art events that were influential in the mid 60s.
Morris was a prominent minimalist sculptor.
Early Art
Keith was one of the first to use light and sculptures together.
He first began to use neon in the late 60s and experimented with both neon and fluorescent lights.
Common materials included reflective metals like aluminum and copper, as well as glass and wire.
Developing Styles
Found objects became very important in many of his art pieces.
Over time Keith increased his focus on light from neon or fluorescent bulbs, and they became a fixture of his particular style of sculpture.
His new style of sculpture took off and he was featured over 150 times with solo-artist exhibitions.
Artists Intent
Over the years, Keith had the opportunity to give several interviews.
He often described himself as a “working artist”
He wanted his pieces to take a snapshot of cultures.
He thought that it was easier to see the good, and the bad, in a culture through the art that is inspired by it.