Vivian Liddell and Colleen Merrill.
Peachy Keen met up with artist Colleen Merrill on day three of SECAC 2019 and got into the nitty gritty of the psychology behind her conference presentation titled Mirroring: Affirming the Self as Parent, Artist, and Academic—discussing both Rozsika Parker and Donald Winnicott’s theories. We note the lack of men at parenting-related SECAC sessions and the importance of having men in the room when discussing parenting and career roles.
But first, we talk about how she got sucked into the college town vortex of Lexington, Kentucky post grad school, seduced by its many charms—including the rich local craft community and cheap, easy access to an inspiring selection of found textiles. She paints a picture of how the local customs (like painted gourds for bird houses) have influenced her practice.
She describes how her time at Residency Unlimited in Brooklyn made her realize how immense and popular textiles have become in the contemporary art scene, and we debate the extent of fiber-based mediums’ integration into the sometimes off-putting world of fine art. We also discuss parenthood and its relationship to her practice as an artist and her career as an academic. As a professor at a community college, Merrill explains how her initial naivety of her school’s policies on student parents worked in her favor as she works to build a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for her students with young children.
From Colleen Merrill’s series “Pecking Order.” Installation view at The Living Arts & Sciences Center in Lexington, KY. Photo by Dana Rogers.
From Colleen Merrill’s series “Pecking Order.” Installation view at The Living Arts & Sciences Center in Lexington, KY. Photo by Dana Rogers.
Related Links:
Colleen Merrill, Artist/Mother Podcast, Artist/Parent/Academic, SECAC, Institute 193, Residency Unlimited, Museum of Arts and Design, Cooper Hewitt, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, The Subversive Stitch, Donald Winnicott, Professor Ramata Sissoko Cissé
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