Little Squares of Toilet Paper? #KerryJamesMarshall #Art21Archive

Why It Matters

The anecdote highlights how Marshall’s attention to materials and technique, rather than subject matter alone, was established early and helped shape his approach to art, offering insight into the roots of his later work. It underscores the role of resourcefulness and process in creative development.

Summary

Kerry James Marshall recalls discovering makeshift tracing paper as a child—small squares of toilet paper taken from school dispensers—that he and a classmate used to trace images from history books. They even learned to pick the dispenser locks to stash stacks in their pockets and would hide behind books to trace. Marshall says this early tinkering revealed his fascination with process and material more than with the traced images themselves. He frames the episode as formative evidence of how deeply process would inform his artistic practice.

Original Description

🎞️ Edited from never-before-seen interview footage from the #Art21Archive. To see Kerry James Marshall in full Art21 films and episodes, visit art21.org/kerryjamesmarshall.