Local Artist Interviews: Karen Searle

Showing posts with label Karen Searle. Show all posts

Monday, November 26, 2012

Julie Sirek - Paper and Textile Artist

A Family Matter (Installation)

2010 Handmade gampi

Julie Sirek

Name: Julie Sirek
City/State: Edina MN
Email: jasirek@gmail.com
Website: www/juliesirek.com
MNartist.org profile: http://www/mnartists.org/Julie_Sirek

Bio~

Julie Sirek is a visual artist who lives and works in Edina, Minnesota. She received her BFA in Print Paper Book from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She was the recipient of the 2010 Minnesota Center for Book Arts/Minneapolis College of Art and Design Collegiate Fellowship and the Mary Beason Bishop and Francis Sumner Merrit Scholarship at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Her work has been exhibited national and internationally.

Julie uses crochet, embroidery, handmade paper and Joomchi (paper felting), to create two and three-dimensional works of art that bridge traditional techniques and contemporary aesthetics. The context of her work promotes awareness of domestic violence. By bringing attention to this issue, she hopes to increase awareness and create change.

A Family Matter (Detail) 2010 Handmade gampi, thread

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

At the age of 7, I witnessed my father hitting my mother. This type of behavior continued and escalated for the next 15 years. I now incorporate my experiences and the violent experiences of women and girls throughout the world into my work.

I am currently working on two projects. The first involves victims of domestic homicides in the United Sates in 2011. I began by screen-printing blank toe tags onto old tablecloths. A toe tag is normally attached with string to the big toe of a deceased person in a morgue. It is used for identification purposes. I am now in the process of embroidering one toe tag for each decedent with her name, age, gender, and relationship to perpetrator, plus the date, place, and cause of death. At the end of this project, I will have embroidered approximately 1500 toe tags that will be combined into an installation.

The second project also revolves around the theme of domestic violence. This piece will consist of six to eight articles of intimate apparel created from Joomchi textiles, threads, and yarns. Joomchi is a 500-year-old Korean papermaking technique. A single sheet of paper is formed from many layers of Korean mulberry paper, using water and hours of hand agitation. I will also incorporate spun paper thread and yarn into the work. I will use these threads and yarns for sewing, embellishing, knitting, and crocheting. I will be making a scarf, gloves, panties, a slip, and handkerchief. Each will be wrapped or draped on an individual wire hanger. The items will also show signs of distress representing the hardships women endure in their lives. This installation will bear witness to the atrocities being committed against women all around the world.

A Family Matter (Detail) 2010 Handmade gampi, thread, staining

How did you decide to become an artist?

Art has been a constant element in my life since childhood. After graduating from high school, I went to cosmetology school and became a hair stylist. After doing that for a period of time, I started making made holiday ornaments that were sold nationally and internationally. After ten years of making approximately 10,000 items per year, I was totally burned out. I felt like a factory. One day I could not bear it any longer and decided to become a "real" artist. I had always wanted to go to art school and I did not want to regret that I had not gone. I started taking continuing studies classes at Minneapolis College of Art and Design to develop my portfolio. Two years later, I applied and was accepted into their BFA program.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

The best advice has been to follow your heart, not your head. It is easier getting up in the morning when you love what you are doing. I am consistently motivated by the desire to do the things I love and the success I get from doing them is simply a bonus. We have all heard it before but it bears repeating. You only live once and life is too short to be wasting time doing things you do not want to do.

Femicide Garden (Installation) 2011 Mulberry paper

Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art. How do you sell your work? How do you market yourself?

Making a living as an artist is the dream of almost every artist. You need to be persistent and learn how to market yourself and your work. In today's world, documenting your work is extremely important. If you do not have good visual reproductions, you will find it difficult to get into juried shows or have a good presence on the Internet. Business cards, postcards and my website (www.juliesirek.com) are vital in presenting my work. I apply to a lot of shows as a way of getting my work seen in multiple venues. Also, I cannot over emphasis the importance of a current mailing list. Everyone in your database is a potential buyer.

I do not sell a lot of art. I tend to make larger installation pieces that are not generally fancied by the casual buyer or collector. At this stage in my career, I am still able to take advantage of the MCAD Art Sale each fall. However, I need to make specific items to sell at this outlet.

I rely on the people that I know in the art world. They know my work, my work ethic, and they are able to recommend me for projects and grants. They know I will not let them down. For example, these contacts help me secure the commission of creating the cover dress for Mpls St Paul Magazine’s 40^th anniversary issue. Without having a network of individuals who know me, it never would have happened.

Dissolving Dream 2011 Mulberry paper

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

I respond to the work of Erica Spitzer Rasmussen (www.ericaspitzerrasmussen.com), and Karen Searle (www.karensearle.com). These women use thread, wire, fabric and handmade paper to create 3-dimensional objects. To me one of the most important elements in art is the aesthetic. This is what draws me into a piece and makes me take another look. Not only does their work have an element of beauty, but also it is skillfully constructed and has meaning. Both women's work demonstrates a high level of technical skill. I feel the workmanship put into a piece shows the artist’s dedication and thought process.

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?

Walker Art Center (www.walkerart.org)

Minneapolis Institute of Arts (www.artsmia.org )

Highpoint Center for Printmaking (www.highpointprintmaking.org)

Minnesota Center for Book Arts ( www.mnbookarts.org )

Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art ( www.trafficezoneart.com)

Textile Center (www.textilecentermn.org)

In addition to www.Local-Artist-Interviews.com, where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

I do a lot of web surfing. I am a big fan of the news reader "Zite". I enjoy randomly scanning artists, galleries and museums from artdaily.org (www.artdaily.org), artinfo.com (www.artinfo.com), and Colossal (www.thisiscolossal.com).

Secrets From My Closet 2011 Mulberry paper

Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?

My work "A Family Matter" will be the featured work in the "Family Closet" show at the Altered Esthetics Gallery from December 6, 2012 – December 20, 2012.

I have also been selected to participate in the 2013 Fiberart International Exhibition of Contemporary Fiber Art, at the Society for Contemporary Craft and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, from April 19 to August 18, 2013.

Julie Sirek

Altered Esthetics

(Gallery Profile)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Beth Parkhill - Fiber and Assemblage

Self-Portrait 2011 (Close Up)

Beth Parkhill

Mpls, MN

Email: BethParkhill@MentorPlanet.com

MNArtists Profile

Twitter: @MentorPlanet and @BethRenee

Bio~ I am a self-taught fiber and assemblage artist. As a co-founder of Outsiders and Others, a Minneapolis gallery, we featured 400 artists in 4 years (primarily self-taught). When I’m not creating art, I’m working to build a thriving community for social entrepreneurs though Mentor Planet. Recently, I have been working to foster cultural exchanges between Minneapolis and our sister city of Tours, France. I live part of the year in small wine making village in France.

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

I’m compelled to tell stories and engage the viewer to think about their own lives through myths, masks, or memories, which are often self-portraits. I create highly textured objects, collages, books, blankets and clothing using multi-fiber yarns or reused materials, often using natural or synthetic dyes. Most recently, I have been exploring natural dyes and rust.

My current project is titled, Money Bags, which was created specifically for the show: Medium of Exchange: The Art of Cash. It is another self-portrait. While it is also sculptural, it differs considerably. My 2011 self-portrait was a crocheted spiral, with memories from the decades woven in. Money Bags is a series of self-portraits, an assemblage of highly diverse objects, which represents various stages of my life.

Money is so personal and yet how we spend it has huge repercussions on society and the environment. I didn’t want to criticize anyone directly about how they spend their money. Instead, I wanted to show my own evolution, what I spent money on at different times in my life. Each purse shows what I valued at that point in time, which I hope will encourage the viewer to think about what they value, what they buy, and what they might reconsider. I hope they will think about social issues, such as the difference between the haves and have-nots, healthy food, male or female priorities, the environment, etc.

Money Bags isn’t literal; rather, it is both a minimalist view and exaggerated view. Five purses are filled with samplings or representations of my purchases. In my very lean teenage years, as the oldest of 7 in a single-parent family, I still find it surprising that I “found” any money and what I perceive now to be the humorous things I purchased: Coke, Snickers bars, jewelry and push-up bras, and pacifiers for my baby sister (who was 16 years younger than I was). There are personal references too, which only someone who knew me would notice, such as featuring my employers — Dudley Riggs Brave New Workshop or Northwestern National Bank. My teen years were understandably vastly different from my high-achieving career days, though in some ways my spending habits were even more ridiculous. You can judge for yourself when you see my enormous overflowing briefcase.

Money Bags: Teen Years

The last purse is aspirational, which portrays the shift I’m undertaking. Crocheted from discarded plastic bags, it’s filled with more sustainable choices and a lifestyle of reusing or “upcycling” before recycling. We don’t always realize that our individual purchases have such a significant collective impact. As “consumers,” we drive roughly 70% of our economy. Of course, this means I’ve been part of the problem; so I have no right to criticize others. But I can use art to help people better understand that with every dollar they spend they vote for the society we have. I hope Money Bags will encourage more conversation. I hope they will talk about the relative worth of 24/7 workdays (my former lifestyle) and ever increasing levels of consumption. Perhaps some people will think about taking action toward a greater sense of community, individual and global happiness. That has been my journey, from poverty to wealth, from immediate family to global community, from bank marketing consultant to social enterprise mentor. Money Bags is my self-portrait, revealing all of my conflicting views and actions; but it less about me, and more about us.

How did you decide to become an artist?

I’ve always been a collector of sorts (fabrics, yarn, papers, books, and art), inspired by my beatnik mother and her collection of music, books, art, old hand tools, etc. In the early 1960s, we decorated the Christmas tree with nothing more than our handmade origami. In the late 1960s, our kitchen ceiling was a co-created collage made from current magazines, featuring covers of Time or Life with Jimi Hendrix, Bobby Kennedy, and other icons. For decades, I experimented with knitting, sewing, and collages. More recently, I experimented with found object mobiles, collages from candy wrappers and junk mail (called mail art in France), knitting with reclaimed yarn, and using rust scraps to dye used clothing. My 89-year-old mother-in-law is one of my mentors, teaching me fiber-arts and shibori fabric-dyeing techniques. We worked together at the MN Textile Center and my studio in France.

In 2001, I co-launched the Visible Fringe, and later co-founded and co-managed Outsiders and Others. I was constantly being influenced and inspired by our artists. My co-founder, Yuri Arajs, encouraged me, in-part because of his devotion to self-taught artists. One of the artists, John Schuerman, kept encouraging me think of myself as an artist; so we started collaborating. When John curated the Self-Portrait Show at Hennes Gallery last year, he offered me the opportunity to be in my first show. Starting off with a self-portrait was quite intimidating because it was more intimate and demanding than just creating something aesthetic. I had a hard time trying to decide how much of myself to reveal. I was fortunate to receive a great deal of positive feedback about my self-portrait, particularly because there were so many exceptional artists in the show.

Zipper Shibori

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

The best advice was to find my own voice and to have confidence in my unique viewpoint. Having seen so many accomplished artists and crafts-people, it was difficult to believe that I had something new to say, particularly as a self-taught artist.

Seeing the value in everyone’s perspective is one thing; but to believe you have something that is worth saying requires both ego and humility. We’re all influenced by the world around us, so it naturally directs our voice, our art.

Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art. How do you sell your work? How do you market yourself?

I have not yet started selling work. I am creating more work from found objects and recycled materials, which I will plan to sell work on Etsy.

Red blanket (close up)

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
This is a very long list. Here are just a few:

John Schuerman, http://www.schuermanfineart.com/
Nick Harper, http://www.roguebuddha.com/artists/nicharper.html
Karen Searle, http://karensearle.com/
Barbara Gilhooly, http://www.gallery360mpls.com/galleries/bgilhooly/index.php?name=bgilhooly
Dick Brewer, http://www.dixplexia.com/
Virginia Corrick, my mother-in-law, who was recognized by the MN Textile Center. Unfortunately, she does not have a website.

If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?

My interests vary widely; it is difficult to know where to stop:

Intermedia Arts, visual arts and performances from diverse communities http://www.intermediaarts.org/

Franconia’s large-scale contemporary sculpture, http://www.franconia.org/

Open Book’s hand-made books and papers, http://www.openbookmn.org/

MN Textile Center’s diverse fiber artists: fabric dyeing, weaving, knitting,
http://www.textilecentermn.org/

Interact’s self-taught visual art and theater, http://www.interactcenter.com/

Gallery 360’s wide-range of visual art, jewelry, clothing, etc., http://www.gallery360mpls.com/

Flanders’ contemporary fine-art, http://www.flandersartgallery.com/

Banfill-Locke’s diverse contemporary art, http://www.banfill-locke.org/

Cowles Center for eclectic dance, http://thecowlescenter.org/

The Minnesota Fringe Festival for over 100 performances, http://www.fringefestival.org/

Mixed Blood for diversity-focused theater, http://www.mixedblood.com/

The Dakota for world-class jazz, blues, folk music, http://dakotacooks.com/

The Cedar Cultural Center for diverse/global music, http://www.thecedar.org/

Bunkers for Dr. Mombo’s Combo, http://www.bunkersmusic.com/

Shepard’s Festival for their once-a-year spinning, knitting, felting and more, http://www.shepherdsharvestfestival.org/New_Site/

Art-A-Whirl’s annual visual artist event and many of the studios that are open all-year, http://nemaa.org/art-a-whirl

Ballet of the Dolls for dynamic, theatrical dance, http://www.ritzdolls.com/

Northern Clay for pottery of all types, http://www.northernclaycenter.org/

Shibori shawl

In addition to www.Local-Artist-Interviews.com, where do you go online for good art resources, whether to find a new artist, or to see what is going on in the art world locally and otherwise?

I often rely on other artists to recommend exhibits, informal shows, or studio visits. Other resources:

Marya Morstad, host of Art Matters, https://kfai.org/user/1502

The Line Magazine, http://www.thelinemedia.com/about/About.aspx

3 Minute Egg, http://3minuteegg.wordpress.com/

Le Toile Magazine, http://www.letoilemagazine.com/arts/

Andrea Canter’s jazz blog, http://jazzink.com/

Beth Parkhill

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I will continue to create self-portraits, collage, memory boxes, masks, found object sculptures, naturally dyed clothing, and art books with myths.

Do you have any exhibits to promote?

Banfill-Locke Exhibition to Show You The Money

“Medium of Exchange: The Art of Cash”

Dates: June 22 – August 4 Opening Reception: Friday, June 22, 6 - 9PM

Featured Artists: Alexa Horochowski, Caitlin Karolczak, Eric Lunde, Karen Searle, David Bartley, John Ilg, Rachel Breen, Beth Parkhill, Rob McBroom, Pete Dreissen

Curated by John Schuerman

Banfill-Locke

6666 East River Road
Fridley, Minnesota, 55432
Phone: 763-574-1850
Fax: 763-502-6946
Email: mailto:info@banfill-locke.org%20

Saturday, January 7, 2012

John Schuerman - Drawing / Painting / Collage

Transmission, epoxy and oils, 21x18

John Schuerman

Name: John Schuerman
City/State: Minneapolis MN
Email: john@schuermanconsults.com
Website: www.schuermanfineart.com
MNartist.org profile: http://www.mnartists.org/John_Schuerman
M(1/13)

Bio~

John Schuerman is a self-taught artist and independent curator. His deep interests in nature and human nature are visible in both his artwork and his curatorial work, which has involved group exhibitions focused on sociological themes. His aesthetic style and social consciousness formed as he grew up on a dairy farm in southern Wisconsin, coming of age during the cultural revolution of the late 60s and early 70s. www.schuermanfineart.com

The Shouter, epoxy and oils, 13x16

Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?

I am actively producing thematic group art exhibitions and my own artwork. My curatorial work is aimed at socially relevant topics where contemporary artists can further the dialogue and understanding. In January 2012, Lace and Gunpowder, the Male/Female show will be hosted by the Bloomington Center for the Arts. This exhibition then moves to St. Catherine’s university for another showing, but with all new artwork. The show gives people a chance to explore the differences in male and female perspectives via art –to whatever degree they exist or are masked. In June I’m curator for The Money Show at the Banfill Locke Center for the Arts. Anyone that ever thinks about money should go see it! I have more curatorial work on the horizon as well.

My current artwork continues to be about nature –natural forces, patterns etc. but from my human, conceptual perspective. Human ideas and constructs meet up with the universal power of nature in my drawings, paintings and collages.

Marilyn’s last vision, epoxy and oils, 17x19

"What is Art?" is certainly too big of a question to ask here, but what do you hope your audience takes away from your art? What statement do you hope to make?

I suppose I am trying to ‘say’ something, but it feels more like reckoning. What does it mean to be human in this vast universe? Where do our ideas fit in the natural world?

There is a prevailing belief that human expressions preside over the natural order. While much of contemporary art exalts that which is uniquely human, I have no interest to separate myself, nor my art, from nature. My current subjects are the powers of nature and human consciousness. Sometimes I feel safer with the forces of nature (as raw and destructive as they can be) than I do with those of human endeavor, but it is the tension between the two that I find compelling and which I try to explore in my art work.

What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

I can’t think of anything big. The best ‘advice’ for me has come in the form of support –a simple love or enjoyment of the work. If you want to help an artist, love their work.

Soul’s Divide, epoxy and oils, 32x40

Tell me about your work space and your creative process.

My work space is very rough and chaotic –an old horse barn in south Minneapolis converted to a workshop maybe 75 years ago. It became an artist studio in 1998 when we bought the property and restored it, with heat for year-round working.

My creative process is pretty disciplined. I work almost every day of the year. I get up between 5:00 and 6:00 am most every day and head out there for 2 – 3 hours before getting into other work. If I can, I steal a bit more time later in the day. I also walk around and study nature whenever I can and look for clues or patterns that I might work with. I also think about things that are distinctly human –then I mix the two together, and that is where my art ideas come from.

Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?

Wow, there are so many.

Mike Kareken www.michaelkareken.com

Karen Searle www.karensearle.com

Tina Blondell www.tinablondell.com

Dan Kaneiss www.madebyhuman.com

Lynn Speaker www.lynnspeaker.com

Kim Mathews http://www.kimmatthewsart.com/

Nick Harper http://www.roguebuddha.com/about.html

David Rathman http://www.larissagoldston.com/artists/davidrathman/index.aspx

And many, many more.