Echoes of Freedom | David W. McCauley Jr. - Rift

Artist Statement

As a dancer, when my body swoops and hovers, melts into the ground, or cradles another body, those watching cannot help but come along for the ride. Our brains are designed to “tell” us stories. As a viewer watches the dance, their mind is already at work telling them a story of pleasure, pain, love, despair, awe.

Because each of us is literally made from the same star stuff, we are connected by a set of physical laws that mandates a specific amount of space between atoms. Through that space the life energy of our bodies is able to flow, to send and receive messages that can be immediate, physical, and sometimes, metaphysical; making profound experiences available to us through any one, or combination of, our five senses.

I like communicating in visuals and movement because there is no need to know a particular written or spoken language. As long as art exists, it can speak to anyone. It’s a reason to always reach for the best that you can do in any given moment, knowing it is always possible to do better. 

Using oils, acrylic paint, graphite, charcoal, and other media, I capture aspects of my subject to lead the viewer to an inward place. Looking deeply at a painting can communicate more than just an image. It is said, “The eyes are the windows to the soul.” Those who choose to look and contemplate the view may find a moment in which they experience the mystery of our humanity.

David W. McCauley, Jr. holds a Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. David enjoyed fifteen years with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Foundation, as student, instructor, and performer. He has performed with the Pearl Primus Dance Company and was a member of Omega Liturgical Dance Company. After moving to San Francisco, he joined Carla De Sola in forming and dancing with Omega West Dance Company. Concurrently, David performed with Wing It! Performance Ensemble. In 2001 David inaugurated and directed the Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp at Cal Performances at the University of California at Berkeley, where he led the program for nearly two decades. In 2020, David officially passed the torch to new leadership at AileyCamp. He is now stretching his creative wings over other fields of art including painting, book illustration and book design.