Changing the Narrative: Robert Hodge presents new campus mural
Robert Hodge’s studio is home to all kinds of art including paintings, a collage he’s currently working on and a music album with his own design on the cover.
“I’ve been making art literally my whole life,” Hodge said. “Believe me, I tried to avoid it. I tried to do other things in life, but the art kept bringing me back in.”
Hodge, a multidisciplinary artist based in Houston, is the talent behind one of the newest pieces of art on campus. Commissioned by the Moody Center for the Arts, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” is a collage of record covers that Hodge painstakingly collected. Similar to his other works, Hodge describes the collage as a bold statement, particularly because of its location on the Rice campus.
“It’s a juxtaposition of this really wealthy school that has this top tier education, access to everything, and have this piece as … it doesn’t necessarily fit on a campus,” Hodge said. “So it’s already standing out in itself.”
According to Hodge, the phrase “everybody loves the sunshine” means different things to different people. For him, it is a reference to soul musician Roy Ayers’ 1976 song; it is also a larger statement about life.
“It’s about wanting everything to be perfect and great all the time. But it’s not,” Hodge said. “Everybody loves to be warm, but that’s not life, you know? You can’t always be the sunshine.”
Hodge said that these nuances are layered inside of the collage, and he is curious to see what people think of it. Along with folding multiple meanings into his collages, which remain his primary medium of expression, Hodge is driven by the desire to innovate. When a particular type of work becomes easy and predictable, he challenges himself to try new things.
“I use any vehicle I can find and tell the story,” Hodge said. “It’s about things that are happening now, things that are relative to the past that affect the present. And then, where can we go in the future?”
Hodge repurposes artifacts from the past through his creative process, which begins with buying $1 records from record stores, meticulously selecting ones that speak to him visually, regardless of the genre of music. Then, while he plays the record, he cuts images out of the art to create something new.
For Hodge, collage-making is similar to sampling records as a music producer — it involves challenging pre-existing perceptions in favor of a new perspective. Once he puts the images together, they begin to tell a story of their own.
“That’s kind of what drew me to it,” Hodge said. “I can make it whatever I want to be. I can change the story … I can change the narrative.”
Although Hodge may have a specific story in mind for his work, he said he wants to leave room for people to experience his work in their own way.
“Now the thing is, will it translate to people? Sometimes people [get it]. Sometimes, they tell their own story. And they’re allowed to do that,” Hodge said. “I want to leave that space for people to have their own perception of what is happening in the artwork.”
More from The Rice Thresher
Rice accepts 13% of record-setting ED applications
Rice accepted 13.2% of Early Decision applicants in its first round of admissions for the class of 2029, said Yvonne Romero da Silva, vice president for enrollment. With 2,970 total applicants, this year saw yet another record-high; a 3% increase from last year’s previous high of 2,886. An additional 100 students gained admission through the Questbridge National College Match program, an uptick from last year’s 77.
Students reject divestment proposals
The student body voted to pass S.REF 01, which asks the Rice Management Company to disclose all of its holdings investments, but rejected the remaining divestment proposals. While every ballot measure gained a majority of votes in favor, the remaining three did not achieve the two-thirds majority required to pass.
Student organizations form coalition to support SA referenda
Four Student Association referenda open for the general student body vote today at noon. The referenda call for disclosure of Rice Management Company holdings and divestment from entities that profit off the Israel-Hamas war. The referenda also ask that Rice release a statement condemning genocide and materially support anti-colonial scholarship. Voting will close Dec. 11 at noon and the results will be published the next day. For the referenda to pass, a two-thirds majority with a 20% student body turnout is needed.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.