Alonzo Clemons: The Genius Sculptor

Alonzo Clemons starts every sculpture with a baked potato. Not a real one—that’s what he calls his beginning lump of clay. He makes expert, deliberate pinches and hand movements that transform his “baked potato” into exact replicas of any animal he chooses. After he’s masterfully sculpted every detail, he’ll get it cast in bronze—well, not every sculpture, as that process is typically very expensive, and Clemons doesn’t want to part with all of his creations.

Some of these bronze sculptures currently line the walls of Access Gallery, where he performed a live demonstration of his sculpting for a group of visitors, myself included. Before our very eyes, he created an exact likeness of a thoroughbred horse out of a simple ‘baked potato.’ However, this talent is not the product of rigorous, formal training, but Clemons’ savant syndrome, meaning he has both a developmental disability and genius-level skill in one specific area. In his case, the area is sculpting.

In his work, Clemons focuses on sculpting horses, bulls, rams, and other strong animals. “I think his tendency to focus on these powerful animals comes from the lack of power he experienced growing up with savant syndrome,” his representative, Nancy Mason, mentioned during his demonstration.

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Clemons grew up in a time with little patience or understanding for disabilities, where his gift for sculpture wasn’t actively encouraged. However, he always sought material he could easily manipulate and mold with his hands. “He would sculpt animals out of lard,” Mason told us with a smile. His skill was persistent, and eventually, he would discover sculpting with clay.

Clemons worked in relative obscurity for years, until the 1988 film Rain Man was released featuring Dustin Hoffman as a man with savant syndrome. Media attention then turned toward individuals with savant syndrome, and Clemons was featured on several TV programs. This newfound recognition helped him gain worldwide acclaim for his incredible works of art.

After receiving 80-plus requests for his sculptures, Clemons and his team partnered with Access Gallery for assistance in completing orders and commissions. This collaboration made sense for both parties, specifically because Access’s primary mission is to engage the Denver community and provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Clemons’ presence in Access has immeasurable potential to inspire other artists through his demonstrations and body of work alone as a disabled artist.

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Access provides the opportunity for disabled individuals to benefit from the arts, where most institutions do not. Spaces such as this make room for more artists like Clemons, whose gifts might not be nurtured in the same way as others. The impact is invaluable; at his demonstration, one of the artists of Access came up to Clemons and Mason to show off her ceramic piece she had just finished.

Mason told me of another time when Clemons performed a demonstration for a special-ed class, and the instructor told them she “had never seen her class respond with such rapt attention.” Clemons’ performance at Access sets the stage for a more inclusive Denver community that will engage all its residents to be creative.

Photo by Mary-Louise Wang