Remembering Radcliffe Bailey, a Great Artist

I was sad to learn that Radcliffe Bailey, a game-changing American contemporary visual artist, passed away recently. I was truly inspired by the time I spent with him. Radcliffe’s unique artistic approach, mixing media, paint, and sculpture, explored African-American history and the intersection of ancestry, race, and cultural memory in the everyday. Bailey was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey, on November 25, 1968, but moved to Atlanta, Georgia, by the age of four. Curator of modern and contemporary art Michael Rooks once said that Bailey was “probably the most prominent living artist here in Atlanta.” The city’s High Museum of Art was a source of inspiration for Bailey, leading him to attend the Atlanta College of Art, where the city’s history with civil rights and the Civil War served as some of his greatest artistic muses.

Impact

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The time is always right to do what is right,” – and Clayco has a rich history of doing the right thing. We have continuously operated with our people, places, and clients in mind to build “Beyond These Walls.” This mantra emulates that what happens inside the buildings we construct is more important than the bricks and mortar.

Impact

Our society is filled with compassionate people who work daily to bridge the gap communities face with accessing wealth, resources, and opportunities. While the movement toward equality continues to gain momentum, leaders and advocates must unite and do the groundwork necessary to implement sustainable change. One of these exceptional people, who is also my June Inspiration of the Month, is my good friend Maxine Clark. Maxine is the Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer at Build-A-Bear Workshop, and her long-standing career demonstrates record successes in retail innovation and building stakeholder value. She recently received the Entrepreneurial Leadership Award from the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in recognition of her successful mission to continuously practice the “Golden Rule” and inspire children's imaginations everywhere. Her honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Washington University in St. Louis is another representation of the dedication she pours into everything she does to enhance society. Maxine is a pivotal member of the St. Louis community and teaches the youth that if your bank account is full, but your heart is empty, you will not live life to the fullest. She suggests that one of the ways to live the most fulfilling life is to convert passions into actionable plans and turn ideas into modern business realities.

Inspiration

Rashid Johnson is a New-York based conceptual artist who was born in 1977 in Chicago, Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Columbia College in Chicago and his Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Rashid has had numerous solo exhibitions at prestigious institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. He is known for his mixed-media works, which incorporate a wide range of materials including shea butter, black soap, ceramic tile, and plants. He explores themes of race, identity, and memory through his art, often using cultural symbols and imagery from African American history.

Impact

Clayco’s Construction Career Development Initiative has been helping bridge the inequality gap in workforce development since its inception in the aftermath of the 2015 Ferguson unrest. We have since aimed to foster the next generation of industry and community transformation by giving students the skills and tools for success by assisting with everything from teaching industry basics to securing job placement. Since the organization’s establishment, we have successfully placed 140 students into full-time roles with local companies! The impact of CCDI has been witnessed and felt by underserved demographics and people across the nation, and it is incredible to have expanded our efforts from St. Louis to Chicago and Phoenix! We aim to continue the program’s growth to serve many more locations and people. Our Clayco team has done an excellent job extending our reach to instill our people-centric and inclusive values by creating customized programs that cater to each city’s unique needs.

Impact

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May 1, 2023

Transforming the Everyday into Stunning Sculptures with El Anatsui

El Anatsui is a Ghanaian sculptor who has gained international recognition for his ground-breaking work in transforming everyday materials into stunning, monumental sculptures. Born in Anyako, Ghana, in 1944, he studied at the College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. In 1975, El began teaching at the Fine Arts Department of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. For more than four decades he was Professor of Sculpture and is now Departmental Head. He recently made the 2023 list of Time’s 100 “Most Influential” people, alongside noteworthy actors, politicians, and personalities. El was honored by the Nigerian art historian Chika Okeke-Agulu, who called him “one of the most impactful artists of our time.”

Impact

Although Pfizer became more of a household name in 2020 for its manufacture and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, it has been a generator of scientific breakthroughs through the cooperation of its talented workforce since its founding in 1849. Pfizer’s vision is to change patients’ lives by fostering innovation that makes the world a healthier place – and Clayco was able to aid in its efforts by developing one of its campuses in Boulder, Colorado. The integrated delivery project renovated two buildings on Pfizer’s 4.5-acre site with advanced facilities like specialized laboratories and equipment, a site focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule cancer treatment, upgraded workstations, collaboration spaces, and more.

Business

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March 28, 2023

Mickalene Thomas Claims Her Space Within the Frame

There's something really special and different about Mickalene Thomas’s art. An African-American contemporary artist and filmmaker from New Jersey, she studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2000, and later received her Master of Fine Arts from the Yale University School of Art in 2002. Mickalene’s work encompasses a range of mediums, including painting, photography, and video installations. She explores issues of identity, representation, and gender, and draws on popular culture and art history. She is best known for her large-scale paintings that feature complex, multi-layered compositions and include bold patterns, bright colors, and glitter.

Impact

Every year on February 28th, individuals and institutions worldwide amplify their efforts to raise awareness for Rare Disease Day. 400 million people worldwide live with a rare disease, and far more are impacted daily by them. By some estimates, rare disease affects 3.5% – 5.9% of the population, and many of those affected are lacking the support that they need. My late wife Ellen passed away after a rare disease diagnosis in 2010. Since then, I’ve done what I can to invoke sustainable change to better the lives of patients, families, and carers. The Clayco Foundation is committed to supporting meaningful research to find treatments and a cure for Retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy (RVCL), a rare genetic disease, year-round.

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February 28, 2023

Deconstruction to Reveal What Lies Beneath with Derrick Adams

A person whose work I truly admire is Derrick Adams, a multidisciplinary New York-based artist. His installations include painting, collage, sculpture, performance, video, and sound. Through his art, he looks at how popular culture influences people’s views of themselves. Derrick has an MFA from Columbia University and a BFA from Pratt Institute. He is also an alumnus of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Space Program.

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Inspiration

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February 24, 2023

February Architect of the Month: Daniel Libeskind

Bold, innovative designs often challenge traditional architectural conventions. Daniel Libeskind, known for his distinctive, avant-garde projects, is an architect, artist, and friend whose provocative work I have admired for many years. Daniel was born in Poland in 1946 to parents who were Holocaust survivors. The family moved to Israel in 1957 and then to New York in 1959 on an immigrant boat. His father worked at a print shop in Lower Manhattan, from where Daniel watched the construction of the World Trade Center in the late 1960s.

Inspiration

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February 22, 2023

Remote Work Kills Company Culture

The concept of working from home has been a hotly debated topic over the past few years, and some institutions have (falsely) claimed that remote work is the new normal. As someone with a long history of workplace strategy expertise and success, I can say without a doubt that moving from traditional places of employment to home offices – that are likely bedrooms, grocery stores, and wherever people claim to be while on the clock – is a knock to productivity and a death sentence to company culture. I reject the idea that the movement toward remote work is necessary or permanent, and recent data supports this. Kastle Systems reported that office usage in 10 major metro areas neared 50% of 2020’s pre-pandemic attendance, demonstrating that workers and CEOs alike are ready to return to the office. Although in-office attendance is still lower than before the COVID-19 outbreak, the sharp increase in numbers and occupancy signifies that people are migrating back to the time-proven methods that work best for our businesses.

Business

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February 16, 2023

CONEXEC Podcast

I had a great conversation with Scott Arias, President of ACE Consulting Company, LLC, on the CONEXEC podcast which offers a global leadership platform for construction executives. The series has interviews with executives worldwide on a variety of topics, from current events in the construction industry to overcoming challenges, reaching success, and more. I talked about growing up in Bridgerton, Missouri, and how my fascination with the art and strategy of construction led me – a college dropout – to found Clayco. The journey to becoming all that it is now has been a long and winding road, filled with different phases, focuses, and the ultimate understanding that what happens within the walls we build will always be far more important than the bricks and mortar.

Business

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February 14, 2023

SCAD Forty Four

Clayco, the design team of Mackey Mitchell Architects and Lamar Johnson Collaborative have had the chance to work on many great projects with the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). It’s been a great opportunity to work together to promote student life by increasing student capacity, adding amenities, and creating a dense urban campus – like with the SCAD Forty Four development! The 384,000-square-foot development will provide 1,000 new beds to meet the demand on campus for SCAD Atlanta’s growing student population. SCAD Forty Four is a two-tower mixed-use project that offers dining and fitness amenities, academic space, a parking garage, a campus store, a performance theater, and more.

Business

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February 13, 2023