Beverly Buchanan's Ramshackle Southern Sculptures Fill Spike Island, Bristol
A survey of Beverly Buchanan's small-scale sculptures is currently on display at Spike Island in Bristol. These works reflect the shacks, sheds, shanties, and shotgun houses she observed during her childhood travels through the American southeast with her father, where they visited tenant farmers and sharecroppers. The exhibition features miniature houses crafted from scrap wood, cardboard churches, and painted barns, all inspired by the vernacular architecture of the region. Buchanan viewed this makeshift architecture as a testament to survival and resilience, representing a community striving for autonomy over a century post-slavery. Her unique blend of folk art and minimalism honors the legacy of enslaved individuals. Buchanan, who faced numerous chronic illnesses, passed away in 2015 after dedicating her later years to transforming southern architectural influences into art.
Key facts
- Beverly Buchanan's work is on view at Spike Island in Bristol.
- The sculptures are based on shacks, sheds, shanties and shotgun houses of the American south-east.
- As a child Buchanan visited tenant farmers and sharecroppers with her father.
- Her houses are made of scrap wood, her churches of cardboard, and her tiny barns are hammered together and splashed with paint.
- Buchanan saw the improvised southern architecture as a symbol of survival and perseverance.
- Her practice combined folk art and minimalism to memorialise the survival of enslaved people.
- The sculptures are described as ramshackle, half-broken and semi-dilapidated.
- Buchanan suffered multiple chronic illnesses and died in 2015.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Spike Island
- The Guardian
Locations
- Bristol
- United Kingdom
- United States