Desert Justus

Sculpture and performance on the land of Justus Motter, in Yucca Valley.

The piece consisted of a walking tour, led by Jacob Stein and Justus Motter around Justus’ property. The group stopped at several Pre-selected locations where Justus would tell stories from his lifetime and 40 odd years of living on the land. Certain locations were marked by sculptures installed by Jacob, which mirrored some of the images from the stories. At the end of the tour, participants were given aprons and paintbrushes and invited to paint sculptures of Joshua Trees in a way reminiscent of trees that had been painted years before by Justus’ nephew with the stripes of an American Flag.

Sculptural elements included a teepee, a cactus flower, and multiple Joshua tree sculptures. Sculptures were fabricated on site in plaster.