Video: Theaster Gates Charms Stephen Colbert
By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 11, 2014 1:45PM
In case you missed it, superstar artist Theaster Gates appeared in The Colbert Report last week to discuss his ongoing work "transforming ugly spaces into beautiful things."
Gates's most celebrated work, Dorchester Projects, has transformed a series of homes and buildings on the South Side, including his own, into cultural touchstones. Currently Gates is undertaking two projects—a $1 million installation for the 95th Street Red Line station and a development in Grand Crossing awaiting city approval to move forward.
Host Stephen Colbert asked Gates why he considers Dorchester Projects to be an art installation and not a development. Gates, who holds a Masters in Urban Planning from Iowa State University, said, "My vocation and calling is to be an artist. To do this on the north side would be business as usual."
Colbert, playing his usual Fox News-style personality, teased Gates when Gates said one of the Dorchester Projects homes was "underutilized." "You can say 'gangs,'" Colbert said. Colbert also asked "Do I have to buy your art or do I have to buy a house big enough to put another house in it?"
Watch the full interview below.
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive
Related:
Chicagoist coverage on Theaster Gates.