'In the Hammer's recently released Now Dig This: Art and Black Los Angeles catalogue, there is a reprinted photo from 1971 showing twenty-four young Los Angeles artists arranged casually on the steps of LACMA. There are two African Americans in the picture. The man in the middle, Fred Eversley, is well represented in the Hammer's galleries by a grouping of very fine resin sculptures, but the other man in the picture, Joe Ray, you might not know. He has wild hair, a thick beard, and a broad collar.
Ray's story is an interesting one, a story that opens up a particular time in the Los Angeles art scene when it was still a squealing newborm. Ray is a man of many circles and many mediums and is a perfect interview for Pacific Standard Time. He is one of the many artists in the city who played a vital role and are in need of reappraisal and consideration, who should be looked at now that the archives are thrown open and the dialogue is flowing."
