Rosie Brown
Name: Rosie Brown
City/State: St. Paul, Minnesota
Email: rosiemichellebrown at gmail.com
Website: http://rosiemichellebrown.wix.com/mpls
and http://www.mnartists.org/brownrose
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rosie.berglund.9
Bio:
Rosie Brown was born and raised in suburbs of St. Paul, MN. After completing her degree in Fine Arts from Bethel University in 2010, she longed for further education. She briefly pursued the medical field, inspired by her father’s impressive insight and knowledge as a doctor as well as her interest in the study of the body. She then made the decision to travel to Redding, CA to pursue education in Ministry for a year. After all of this, her love for the arts, her family and the cold drew her back home to Minnesota. She has allowed her brief side steps in ministry and science to inform her work today.
In returning to the Twin Cities, Rosie once again began to create and was connected with Altered Esthetics. She is now the Co-Exhibitions Director for Solo Exhibitions and has the pleasure of having her own Solo Exhibition, a preview show as well as a permanent installation in the Southern Theater in 2016.
Rosie now proudly resides in the Midway area of St. Paul, between her two favorite cities with her husband Andy and two hilarious mutts, Elmo and Franklin.
Tell me about your work? What are you currently working on? How is this different from past projects?
I am a sculptor and installation artist who attempts to capture the hidden qualities of our environments that are woven into our personal narratives and daily rituals. I create work that often explores and exposes our common surrounding environments and allow my internal dialogue and thought patterns to be revealed through these building interiors and objects. My hands on process of creation is also very important to me as my body and its relationship to a space is integral to communicating an idea. Thematically, I have focused on religion, sexuality and identity. I enjoy the idea of contrasting or conflating two separate materials in order to present a conflict or argument. The materials I most often employ are those that are elemental, highly symbolic or encapsulate my perception of purity. For example, wine, plaster, metal, soap, ink, vellum and charcoal.
In the past my work has been thought or idea based, but the work I began in 2015 and 2016 is now inspired by visual promptings. Whatever is visually appealing to me is where I begin rather than starting with a concept. Stark black against a white background, transparent paper formed into a sculpture or a multitude of small white molds, almost like marshmallows, are places to begin, not end. It has been an experiment to discover the “artist's intuition.” I am asking if my work and process were to begin from a different place--from a visual inspiration instead of a concept--would it still be successful or interesting or evolve into something I never would have made otherwise? This has been the most enlightening of processes I have explored thus far in my career.
My Solo Exhibition in September 2016 at the Southern Theater is more a puzzle of pieces connected by
certain themes, all informing each other. The show will be mainly sculpture and installation exploring the
unique and historic space of the lobby of the Southern Theater.
How did you decide to become an artist?
I don’t know that I ever explicitly decided to become an artist. I think I just became one, or maybe just was one. Somewhere in college, I discovered the intimidating challenging and overwhelming nature of creating art and loved it. To feel uncomfortable and vulnerable seemed like a great place to learn. My teachers in college inspired me continually and to them I owe a great debt for their kind words and honest critiques that continue to inform my work today. I am always making the decision to be or not be an artist. I ask myself everyday: will I make something today? will I not? I can call myself a sculptor for the rest of my life, but really the truth lies in the work that I create or don’t.
How did you decide to become an artist?
I don’t know that I ever explicitly decided to become an artist. I think I just became one, or maybe just was one. Somewhere in college, I discovered the intimidating challenging and overwhelming nature of creating art and loved it. To feel uncomfortable and vulnerable seemed like a great place to learn. My teachers in college inspired me continually and to them I owe a great debt for their kind words and honest critiques that continue to inform my work today. I am always making the decision to be or not be an artist. I ask myself everyday: will I make something today? will I not? I can call myself a sculptor for the rest of my life, but really the truth lies in the work that I create or don’t.
What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
There are two critiques or comments that stand out to me. I have received a lot of advice over the years, but the most impacting of which was not intended to be advice. A teacher of mine once said to me after a candid conversation that I had the talent to be successful but had not cultivated a drive. This blunt critique of my process as an artist challenged me in the moment, but has continued as useful advice till today. He saw into me and how I was operating and I have chosen to allow that statement to encourage me and motivate me to produce.
Secondly, a professor of mine made commentary on an installation at the Northrup King building during my thesis show. He said that I used my “artist's intuition” to decide where to put the piece when things mysteriously fell into place. I don’t know how seriously he used this verbiage but I have never forgotten it. This comment, also not really advice, has brought me to question a lot about process and to ask what actually is this intuition and how can I access it?
Many artists struggle to find ways to sell their art. How do you sell your work? How do you market yourself?
The nature of my artwork is such that it will not be sold. This is not necessarily a choice of mine but at the same time I have not had an interest in pursuing sales or profiting from what I create, at least not at this time. I do promote my work through social media https://www.instagram.com/roseybro/and my personal website http://rosiemichellebrown.wix.com/mpls.
Who are some of the Minnesota artists you enjoy?
To name a few:
Alexa Horochowski http://www.alexahorochowski.com/ Kristina Estell http://kristinaestell.com/
Kenneth Steinbach http://www.kennethsteinbach.com/ Harriet Bart http://www.harrietbart.com/
Josie Lewis http://www.josielewis.com
Shana Kaplow http://shanakaplow.com/
If I were to follow you around to see art in Minnesota, which places would we go? What would we see?
As a lover of the Twin Cities, it’s easy for me to find pride in almost any gallery in town. One of my go-to’s is the Soap Factory http://www.soapfactory.org/ though I feel that I would enjoy the experience even without artwork because the building is magnificently mysterious, truly a warehouse/basement turned gallery. Additionally, I love and greatly appreciate Midway Contemporary Art’s contribution to our city's art culture, not only showing local artists but also highlighting international work as well https://www.midwayart.org/.
I also celebrate art organizations that support the multitude of local emerging artists who might struggle to find
representation. Altered Esthetics is a great source for these types of people and I cannot support them
enough http://alteredesthetics.org/.
In addition to www.LocalArtistInterviews.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?
Online resources I find to be more challenging to utilize in the visual arts. I will point out Springboard for the
Arts as a great resource for artists to discover submission opportunities and employment possibilities
(http://springboardforthearts.org/.Of course a staple to all of us is http://www.mnartists.org/.
Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?
I have a permanent installation at the Southern Theater to be premiered at the I AM exhibit through Altered Esthetics opening March 4th 2016. I have a solo exhibition September of 2016 at the Southern Theater as well and currently have a piece installed for the 2016 Preview Exhibition until the end of February 2016 at the same location.
Image List:
Do you have any exhibits to promote in the near future?
I have a permanent installation at the Southern Theater to be premiered at the I AM exhibit through Altered Esthetics opening March 4th 2016. I have a solo exhibition September of 2016 at the Southern Theater as well and currently have a piece installed for the 2016 Preview Exhibition until the end of February 2016 at the same location.
Rosie Brown
Image List:
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“Veil” Calfskin parchment and metal pipe. 2016
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“Veil” detail, Calfskin parchment and metal pipe. 2016
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“Pulled” Metal pipe, plaster and paint. 2010
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“Orthodoxed” Metal pipe, wine, plaster. 2010
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“Orthodoxed” detail, Metal pipe, wine, plaster. 2010
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“Ring Finger” Plaster. 2015
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Image of Artist
