Myrlande Constant’s Paintings with Beads

Myrlande Constant is a Haitian textile artist born in 1968 specializing in Vodou-themed flags. Constant was born in Port-au-Prince, where she learned the art of beading while working with her mother in a wedding dress factory. After quitting that job because her employers wouldn’t pay her, she took a severance pay of knowledge and bags filled with beads – and went on to become one of the most celebrated artists for making Drapo Vodou. Constant started making Vodou flags in the 1990s in an entirely male environment and ultimately became the first woman in Haiti to apply the tambour technique in her work. She radically shifted her nation’s traditional religious art by using glass beads instead of sequins. Constant also prefers constructing large-scale tableaus, describing her work as "painting with beads."

Impact

I am so saddened to hear of the passing of my good friend, George Paz, former Express Scripts chairman and CEO, who passed away yesterday. In business I often say, “all I want is what I want when I want it.” George Paz was even more demanding than that. He wanted it, he wanted it to be perfect, he wanted it right now, and he wanted to know as much about the details as anyone. He was demanding, smart, no nonsense, and incredibly passionate.

Adventure

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October 26, 2022

Ayana V Jackson Contextualizes History through Curated Moments

Ayana V. Jackson is an American contemporary artist, photographer, and filmmaker who is among the most talented artists working today. She was raised in East Orange, New Jersey, where her family has lived for generations. Jackson’s family dates back to Lawnside, the first Black settlement in New Jersey. Her grandmother, Angenetta Still Jackson, is a descendant of Leah Arthur Jones, a member of the founding family in the region. Jackon’s grandfather, J. Garfield Jackson, was also a significant community member as Essex County's first African American principal, and there is an East Orange public school named after him.

Impact

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Inspiration

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October 21, 2022

Clayco Recognizes Construction Inclusion Week

Within Our Walls Construction Inclusion Week is the perfect time to acknowledge Clayco’s commitment to building awareness around the need to improve diversity and inclusion in the construction industry. Our team has committed to these initiatives through Clayco Rising and beyond, aiming to create meaningful change from the ground up and build equitable opportunities and relationships through our partners, minority youth mentorships, charitable foundation, community engagement, and so much more.

Impact

A young artist whose work I admire immensely is Marcellina Akpojotor. She is from Nigeria and her art explores female empowerment and the roles of women in African society. She says she was drawn to art from an early age and spent a lot of her childhood observing her father, a sign maker in Lagos. After school, she would watch him working in his studio, learning calligraphy, painting, stenciling and drawing.

Inspiration

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August 30, 2022

Supporting Women in Construction and Beyond

At Clayco, our culture is focused on going beyond our walls to invest in the individuals on our team and the communities we impact. The White House announced Women’s Equality Day on August 26th, which was the perfect time to recognize the incredible women that make up our societies and deserve equity, respect, and inclusion. To commemorate this day, I had the amazing opportunity to discuss topics that focused on women and opportunities at Clayco with Clayco NOW (Network of Women) in a Moderated Panel Discussion with over 320 people. There were a lot of great takeaways from the panel, such as the importance of staying committed to goals and achieving them through effective plans. Netta Jenkins, a Global Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, was also a featured guest speaker and shared her experience and knowledge on the importance of DEI initiatives and innovation. Our panel speakers also spoke about the importance of having a voice, asking for what you want, and supporting others along the way.

Impact

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Business

Lauren Halsey is one of the most exciting young artists working today. She produces standalone artworks in sculpture and mixed media, and site-specific installations, particularly in the South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles where her family has lived for several generations. She has the vision of an activist, and her work explores the relationship between architecture and community engagement in urban centers. Her sculptural environments and flat works combine imagery from contemporary life in Harlem and LA with ancient Egypt, outer space, technicolor, and funk.

Impact

One of the reasons I love Chicago so much is its magnificent architecture. There are few buildings as iconic as the revamped Willis (formerly Sears) Tower. When it was completed in 1974, it was the world’s tallest building – standing at 1,450 feet and 110 stories. Willis Tower remains the highest point against the beautiful Chicago skyline. The one problem with the spectacular modernist tower was its disconnectedness from the city. In 2015, EQ Office, a realty company owned by Blackstone, bought the property. The company hired Gensler, the largest architecture firm in the world, in collaboration with SKB Architects and OLIN, to inject new life into the tower and weave it into the urban fabric.

Inspiration

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May 12, 2022