Last weekend for Theaster Gates at the National Gallery of Art

On display at Theaster Gates: The Minor Arts at the National Gallery of Art,  is part of an old roof from a Chicago church/Photo by Patricia Leslie

In the Tower at the National Gallery of Art's East Building, you can catch some of Theaster Gates' art if you hurry, for this weekend is the last for the show.

Wikipedia identifies Gates (b. 1973) as a Chicagoan who makes installation art and is committed to revitalizing poverty-stricken areas. Formerly, a curator for the Chicago Transit Authority, he identified and obtained art  for CTA's public space. (Hmmm....does Metro have such a position?  The evidence is lacking.)  He is an art director for the University of Chicago.

 Theaster Gates at the National Gallery of Art, Feb. 28, 2017/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Theaster Gates, b. 1973, New Egypt Sanctuary of the Holy Word and Image, which includes a towering library of hundreds of bound copies of Ebony magazine/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Theaster Gates, b. 1973, Inside New Egypt Sanctuary of the Holy Word and Image is Elegua in Winter/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Aided by his urban planning and arts education background, Mr. Gates sculpts and makes his art work by using discarded materials which often link to his past. That his father was a roofer influenced the artist when he took an old roof from a Chicago church and made it into a wall, on display at the Gallery.

Mr. Gates' eight older sisters (he was the only male in a family of nine children) made sure their little brother knew all about the importance of civil rights.

 Theaster Gates at the National Gallery of Art, Feb. 28, 2017, in front of his Game of My Own/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Theaster Gates, b. 1973, A Game of My Own (left) made from flooring from a school gymnasium/Photo by Patricia Leslie

  Theaster Gates, b. 1973, A Game of My Own (left)/Photo by Patricia Leslie
His renderings are provoking and demonstrate his sophistication and sensitivities to disparate elements of society. At a Los Angeles gallery this year, the asking price for one Gates' work was $750,000.

Theaster Gates, National Gallery of Art, Feb. 28, 2017 standing in front of his Something About Modernism and Death and the church roof/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Theaster Gates, b. 1973, Something About Modernism and Death/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Mr. Gates said Washington's exhibition enabled him to show the relationship between art, history, and "the stories of where I'm from." He is one of few living artists to enjoy an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art. 
 
A catalogue is available.

What: Theaster Gates: The Minor Arts

When: The National Gallery of Art is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday. The exhibition closes on Labor Day, September 4, 2017.

Where: East Building Tower, Gallery 501, the National Gallery of Art, between Third and Ninth streets at Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. On the Mall.

Admission charge: It's always free admission at the National Gallery of Art.

Metro stations for the National Gallery of Art:
Smithsonian, Federal Triangle, Navy Memorial-Archives, or L'Enfant Plaza

For more information: 202-737-4215

patricialesli@gmail.com