John Broussard
— john broussard—
John Broussard is a second generation native of Oakland California who began drawing at 7 years of age. When his mother discovered his interest in art, she exposed him to art classes. He remembers once being led by the hand as his mother took him to a ceramics class at Mills College. Although he was too young to remember any of the instruction, he does vividly recall the facade of the building as they approached the entrance. He also remembers taking a painting class during his early youth. During secondary school he learned about some art making techniques and materials. Years later he attended U.C. Berkeley as an Art Major where he worked with multiple media. Except for U.C. Berkeley, his most prolific years of art making occurred during his teen years. He was still a teenager when his mother, the late Maybelle Craig Broussard took him to a small art gallery in downtown Oakland to see the artwork of Charles White. Viewing White’s work resulted in what Broussard refers to as “an awakening” which caused a major shift in his conscience perceptions of the world and the course his artwork took. After graduating from U.C. Berkeley, he married and moved to Santa Barbara to work in the corporate sector. He found this work all consuming which resulted in protracted periods during which he produced little or no art. Eventually leaving corporate, he entered Education which afforded a few opportunities to teach art and support teachers’ efforts to integrate the arts into their curriculum. Broussard’s primary motivation has always been to do art rather than teach it. In 2018 he retired from Education and began doing art again full time. His contemporary work focuses primarily on figurative sculpture and reflects his interest in images of individuals he considers important on historical, symbolical, and personal levels. For instance, his bust titled “102 Years Young” is a portrait of his mother who he considers to be the single most important influence in his life! The work he currently engages in is the manifestation of ideas and projects that have been on the back burner and deferred for years. What he has created recently is only the beginning of the emergence of what has been contained and hidden within him for decades.
