Artwork copyright Jamila Clarke. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Jamila Clarke. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2021.

Artwork copyright Jamila Clarke. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Everything Time Studio, 2021.

The Room Was Too Small, pt. 1, 2016

Jamila Clarke
(American | Bajan - Guyanese, born 1984)

Location: Foothills Elementary, Buckley

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

The Room Was Too Small, pt. 1 by Jamila Clarke is a photograph that tells an incomplete story. Clarke invites you, the viewer, to fill in the pieces and provide your own answers. The imagery explores emotions and thoughts that are altered and exaggerated.

This artwork is part of a curated collection by Erin Dengerink in October 2021 at Foothills Elementary, in Buckley, Western Washington. The local art selection committee wanted artworks that are beautiful, intriguing, and spark imagination.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with White River School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jamila Clarke uses digital photography to tell stories and “create impossible moments, narratives worthy of folktales, and add a little magic to everyday life.” Their work is inspired by the “urban wilds” of the Pacific Northwest and Portland, Oregon, as well as by short stories and folk tales. Clarke notes that “These stories are brief, open-ended and yet they can weave complex tales by using the viewer to fill in the pieces… Each photo is a brief glimpse at a story already in progress – neither at its beginning nor its end.”