Mark Anthony Brown Jr. | SEEK Raleigh

Artist Statement

"low-bearing fruit in a field of dreams" is a site-specific art installation facilitated by the city of Raleigh through SEEK Raleigh. This work, and the materials used in its creation, serve as a metaphor for the idiom “hoop dreams,” encapsulating the relentless pursuit of playing basketball at the professional level – a goal that is especially sought after by young Black boys and men who view it as one of the few viable paths to success. While this pursuit is common, the low likelihood of realizing the dream is frequently understated or overlooked.

As an individual with both Indigenous and African ancestry, I wanted to create a work that connects these cultural identities and speaks to the ways they intersect through culturally significant objects and practices and the interpretation of dreams & aspirations. The use of the term "Dreamcatcher" in the title of the piece is intentional. Not only does it evoke the iconic Indigenous object, a symbol of protection and filtering dreams, but it also metaphorically alludes to the notion of "hoop dreams" – the ambitious pursuit of playing basketball at the highest levels. There are unique overlaps between the dreamcatcher and the basketball hoop, both, in their respective contexts are commonly referred to as hoops and both are circular objects that serve as gateways to dreams. The hoop serves as the object of pursuit, a symbol of the dream itself, while the dreamcatcher represents a way of filtering through those dreams, protecting 'good' dreams, and letting go of those that one may consider 'bad.'

In this work, I draw from both African and Indigenous traditions, as well as the unique struggles of Black and Indigenous people in the face of systemic obstacles. The sculptures— “low-bearing fruit,” “Dreamcatchers,” and “Bricolage Hoops”—are constructed from salvaged and reclaimed materials relevant to the sport of basketball, such as rims, pallets, reclaimed wood, basketballs, and steel chains. These materials evoke both the sentiment of the ambitious pursuit of the dream and the barriers that undermine its realization.