Lonnie Holley
To Water You (Labor's Drawer is Empty)

To Water You (Labor's Drawer is Empty)

© Lonnie Holley / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

To Water You (Labor's Drawer is Empty)
To Water You (Labor's Drawer is Empty)
ArtistAmerican, born 1950
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • To Water You (Labor's Drawer is Empty)
Date1994
PlaceBirmingham, Alabama, United States
MediumWood, metal bucket, and shells
Dimensions33 × 20 1/2 × 14 in. (83.8 × 52.1 × 35.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of Tinwood Alliance
Object number2003.700
Non exposé

Explore Further

Object Type
Description

A
native of Birmingham, Alabama, Lonnie Holley found his way into making art in
1979 when he volunteered to carve sandstone grave markers for family members
who had died in a fire. Two years later he brought examples of his carvings to
the attention of Richard Murray, director of the Birmingham Art Museum, who
introduced Holley’s work to national audiences. In the years that followed,
Holley developed both as a musician and a sculptor, using found materials to
create vivid constructions that reflect upon daily life and his deeply held
religious belief.



To Water You (Labor’s Drawer is Empty) typifies Holley’s powerful narratives and
visual poetry. The bottomless pail evokes the endless labor of drawing water, a
chore that has fallen to slaves and rural workers for many centuries, while the
string of shells that support the pail cascade down in a flowing stream.
However, the image also resonates with Old and New Testament meaning. In Isaiah
12:3, the prophet proclaims: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of
salvation,” while the title phrase “To Water You,” suggests the act of baptism,
a fundamental sacrament of the Christian faith.




ProvenanceThe artist; William S. Arnett [1939-2020], Atlanta; Tinwood Alliance, Atlanta; given to the MFAH, 2003.
Exhibition History"African-American Art in the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston", Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 22–May 9, 2004.

"Houston Collects: African American Art," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, July 31–October 26, 2008.

"Statements: African American Art from the Museum's Collection," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, January 24–September 25, 2016.

"The Marzio Years: Transforming the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1982–2010," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 25, 2020–January 10, 2021.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
There are no further inscriptions.
The sculpture is not signed.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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