John Outterbridge, Artist

Jive Ass Bird, from the Rag Man Series , 1971

Jive Ass Bird is a sculpture of discarded cloth and rags, stuffed with material, stretched and attached by a leather strap to a wooden rod at its base. With Outterbridge's creation of Jive Ass Bird, we see an emergent interest in sacks, cloth, and supple, tactile materials. The series also recalls a figure from his earlier years in the South and Midwest, the ragman, who would travel the city to collect cast-off clothes for reuse and resale.