For the public program, I would like to give a slide lecture on my research as a visual artist for adults in the local community that are interested in art, animals and conservation. I find it important to teach people about the conceptual development of artwork and to better the public understanding of what it means to work as an artist. In my work I investigate different modes of representing animals and the natural world: the nostalgic romantic Noble beast, scientific illustration, kitsch Americana, spiritual ritualistic use and the post-modern contemporary approach of juxtaposing different visual languages in art. The focus of the lecture will be on the history of animal representation in art, with a special focus on New Hampshire and New England based artists.
I would begin by showing a few images from cave paintings, such as Lascuax or Altamira, to remind the audience how deeply rooted in time our questioning of the animal world is. Then I would move to more locally specific examples of Native American artworks and select a few myths about animals, to talk about how the drive to investigate them isn’t necessarily scientific but rooted in spirituality and a deep curiosity about both them as a species.
I would use example of Hudson River painters, like Thomas Cole, who visited and documented the White Mountain national forest in America’s infancy. This would also provide an opportunity to talk about how these painters were seen as ‘documenting’ the American landscape but often omitted the signs of overdevelopment and civilization to offer a romantic view of the untouched wild. Cole is an especially important example, as he became on of the first American artists to use painting as a tool for preserving the natural world.
Images from regional folk artistswould express the process of searching for and finally discovering an American identity in the natural world. This has been the springboard for contemporary artists, such as Laura Owens, who mix this mode of representation into their own work. It has also led to the development of kitsch animal objects that are found in throughout the New Hampshire tourism industry but are made to represent regional identities. What does it mean to have bald eagle bumper stickers tearing through American flags? How can we attribute so much cultural value to animals yet exploit them on a daily basis?
Ideally, the lecture would be in tandem with an exhibition of my own work (created both during the residency and prior) and the student work from the school program portion. A reception following the lecture would provide the opportunity for me to talk about my own work on an individual level with community members that are interested. If the Rey Center was interested, I would also happily provide a second lecture that would follow a more typical artist lecture on my own work.
I would draw from my research at Cornell University, where I will be finishing my Master of Fine Arts degree in May 2015. Over the past couple of years I have been investigating the natural world through courses and independent research in environmental conservation, philosophy, fiction, art theory and art history. I routinely present my work to visiting artists, lecturers and in group critiques. I’ve also presented lectures to different undergraduate classes on topics from contemporary printmaking, conceptual art and even a great debate between the validity of Thomas Kinkaede vs. Jeff Koons. During my return to academia, I also completed a course ‘Acting in Public’ that focused on the art of public speaking. These experiences, paired with my professional teaching experience, have made me comfortable and eager to present to larger audiences.