Blue Bell

Melding urban and rural, Blue Bell conjures images of urban waste even as its title-a stereotypical name for a dairy cow-and the inclusion of milking machine apparatus at its core evoke the presence of industrial farming. The large swathes of rubber, in various tones and gradations of black, wrap about each other to create a massive knot from which appendages billow forth, menacing and intrusive, yet with a connection to both the human and animal worlds. Chakaia Booker uses these materials, reclaimed from discarded machines, to challenge our conceptions of sculpture, beauty, and abstraction. The various shades and textures of the pieces of black rubber, the patterns of the tire treads, and the knitting together of disparate materials reflect in part the artist's African American identity, calling into question the notion of "blackness" and bringing to mind such traditional crafts such as weaving, basketry, and sewing, connections the artist has acknowledged.

Perhaps signally appropriate for Oberlin College, which is set in the midst of surrounding farms, this piece is one of a group of works by important African American artists to enter the collection between 1998 and 2003 under former AMAM director Sharon Patton, a specialist in African American art. Oberlin's connection to African American history is particularly strong: the College was the first to accept male and female students of all races, and was a stop on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War, a legacy that continues to inform the town and college today.