Baggage Claim

Darius Steward’s first three-dimensional artwork is a series of child-sized sculptures designed in the likenesses of his own children. The series, In Search of New Beginnings, the works draw from an earlier series of his, “Baggage Claim,” which focuses on letting go of baggage and looking to the future.

The series seeks to create a dialogue around race and identity. Steward says, “If we have a starting point…we can start to break from some of these barriers. It’s based on coming to a place where we all carry something.” The pieces, the 2021 See Also installation, were fabricated by Toledo-based Graphite Design + Build and hand-painted by Steward.

ABOUT THE MURAL

A complement to his sculptural work, Steward designed a temporary mural that was added to the exterior of our Harvard-Lee branch. Part of a series called “In Search of New Beginnings,” this mural shows Darius Steward’s daughter, son, and nephew peering forward, searching for a new beginning. Steward began by creating a watercolor painting on paper from family photographs. He then scanned the painting, altered it digitally, and printed it on vinyl.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Darius Steward is an American artist from East Cleveland, Ohio. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2008 and earned an MFA from the University of Delaware in 2010.

Steward’s work addresses cultural and societal conflicts and opens conversation across racial, socioeconomic, gender, and cultural lines. He is a full-time artist, father, and teacher at Laurel School, as well as a part-time curator at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

ABOUT SEE ALSO

See Also is derived from a library cataloging term for “look here.” The program brings innovative and thought-provoking temporary works of art each summer to the Eastman Reading Garden at the Cleveland Public Library. The artwork complements the library’s broad range of cultural programming.

CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH