Alison Saar draws stories and myths from her diverse African American, Native American and European family history to create sculptures, prints, drawings and mixed media works. In them she merges the personal and the public, the positive and the negative of human life and spirit.

In Summer, a woman in simple dress holds her round belly, which is alive with small fireflies of light. Saar’s figure is every woman, bringing forth new life, as well as shaman, protecting the fragile spark of life that ensures the continuity of civilizations. Summer is based on Saar’s interest in African traditions, like Nkisi, (or “power figure”) where spirits inhabit objects.