Joe Overstreet

(American, 1933–2019)

Joe Overstreet was an American painter whose path intersected with many art movements of the 20th century, including the Beat scene in San Francisco as well as the Abstract Expressionism and the Black Arts Movement in New York City. His work, which drew on influences like his Native-American and African-American heritages and his interest in civil rights and social issues, switched between abstract and figurative art. Overstreet once said about his unrestrained style, “Experimenting with paint is the fun part. For me, painting the same way year after year would be worse than a prison sentence.” Born on June 20, 1933, in Conehatta, Mississippi, Overstreet was influenced very early on by civil rights movements and racial inequality. His family moved around a few times before settling in Berkeley, California. He studied art at Contra Costa College, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the California College of Arts and Crafts. In 1964, he created one of his best-known works, The New Jemima, which depicted the pancake mix mascot with a machine gun instead of kitchen equipment to subvert negative connotations of subservience about African-American women. Overstreet is also known for his 1971 collection of paintings named Flight Pattern. Inspired by nomadic cultures, he innovatively took painted canvases off their stretchers, installing them to be suspended from the exhibition space’s walls, floors, and ceilings. He was also commissioned to Overstreet later moved to New York City, where he met and married artist Corrine Jennings. Together with writer Samuel C. Floyd, they established Kenkeleba House in 1974 and Wilmer Jennings Gallery in 1991. These nonprofit interdisciplinary centers encompassed visual art, performance, dance, and literature programs to mentor and exhibit artists of color, including Rose Piper and David Hammons. Overstreet passed away on June 4, 2019.