Artist Interview
A Presentation by Paper and Book Artist Kerry McAleer-Keeler.
Kerry McAleer-Keeler is one of the many great artists featured in “Digital Art Revolution, Creating Fine Art with Photoshop”. She is the director and founder of the Masters Program in Art and the Book at the Corcoran College of Art and Design. The artist’s work is in such collections as the National Museum of Women In the Arts, The Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Southern Graphics Council Archives. Her work has been selected for individual, group, and juried exhibitions throughout the US. Her work appears in The Book as Art: artists’ books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts publication. She has taught printmaking and book arts at the Corcoran since 1999.
Kerry was recently a visiting artist at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where she participated in critiques and taught a printmaking workshop. On her final day, she was to make a presentation discussing her work. Ice and snow forced the Institute to close and students were unable to see the lecture. We’re presenting a written version of the lecture here, with accompanying images, so Cleveland IInstitute students (as well as the general public) are able to view this intriguing look at the artist’s work and process.
Kerry McAleer-Keeler: I enjoy making tangible, permanent objects…….items that are not so easy to toss away in a consumer driven society. It is important to me that my art expresses a commonality of human experiences. My work seeks to address universal issues confronted by all individuals over a lifetime; namely those of love, origin, isolation, spirituality and comfort.
I have a background in printmaking that began at Mount Holyoke College in S. Hadley, MA with a double major in studio art and politics. I wasn’t sure if I was to be an artist or lawyer. But, the lure of the print studio and what I learned from my foundation art courses was too great. I decided art would be my career upon graduation. I knew a Master of Fine Arts degree would be essential to teach, so I attended George Washington University pursuing a MFA after working 3 years in San Jose, CA as a graphic designer in Silicon Valley. At George Washington, I meet Rebecca Ghezzi. Rebecca was both a relief printmaking and bookbinding instructor. She studied book arts in Italy when she was in graduate school and was very giving of her knowledge. After completing my first Coptic structure with her, I realized the power of this medium. I could now use my prints in a 3-dimensional fashion. I graduated from GW in the late 90’s and began teaching there and at the Corcoran College of Art + Design, Washington DC in relief printmaking and bookbinding after Rebecca returned to Italy with her family. I have been with the Corcoran ever since—now Director of our Master of Arts, Book Arts program.
Books over past centuries were made for the affluent – the wealthy—those of society who could afford a beautiful rounded-back full leather case binding with fine tooled cover and gilded title. Book arts today has evolved back to its original origins of print… back to Gutenberg and his wonderful discovery of movable type, the letterpress, and the assimilation of the common spoken word---Art for all and art for the sake of making art. Without the codex form and the invention of printing all that we know today ranging from the big bang theory to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby would be confined to oral tradition. Books have always been about storytelling, the gift of knowledge, and self expression. However, now more than ever, book arts is about expressing intimacy and personal narrative. Whether through one- of- a -kind or limited-press runs, artists’ books are trying to express to all a kindred feeling without sacrificing the beauty and inner workings…giving away the knowledge of what makes a
well-crafted book.
With places like the National Museum of Women In the Arts and the Library of Congress, refining how items that were once classified as craft are now perceived; women are no longer relegated to the backseat in creation of the hand crafted book. In fact, many could argue that women are now driving this art medium.
My own book art and print pieces exist as both small editions and one-of –a –kind pieces. All are considered fine arts pieces and not just craft items.
According to Johanna Drucker, author of the Century of Artists’ Books, “Artists’ books, which as an art form came into its own during the second half of the 20th century, do not comply to strict definitions or guidelines.” It is their structure, form, materials and narrative, visual or textural, that places an artwork into the realm of book arts. It is this very definition that placed my work firmly in the category of book works or simply classified as a book object.
Book arts is also attractive to artists such as myself since it allows one to create a diary of the soul. Not only is the telling of a story and reaching a mass audience important, but the use of objects and text as time-markers for events-- both joyous and painful-- is meaningful.
I have a love for all things that transcend time and project a sense of history. Incorporating unorthodox materials, the more unusual the better, in current book arts pieces I find exciting. Discarded objects or worshiped relics can hold the same reverence for me and my pieces. Artifacts of the past tell a tale for those that listen with their eyes instead.
It’s more than just slapping objects down in a box that on the surface reminds one of a time and place. That would be superficial. Instead, it’s about finding the hidden meaning of an object and its relevance to the here and now. Photographs upon first glance appear to mean one thing can take on the opposite meaning when juxtaposed to symbolic objects. All placement and object inclusion is deliberate. A piece of coal can be an object metaphor for letting go of a person we hold dear or a brass ring from an old whimsical carousel ride during a summer vacation can reflect a mother’s wish of hope for her son’s future. The artist selections are essential for giving a piece meaning.
The box structure over the last ten years has been especially interesting to me. The box has so many negative connotations in today’s society “thinking outside the box” , “you can’t score from the penalty box” and “boxed in” to name only a few.
Yet, the box format in book arts works for me since it produces a shrine or stage format right from the outset beckoning the viewer to observe and gain affinity.
Shakespeare said all the world’s a stage. The world’s stage is how we want others to perceive us. We hold back expressing to the outside world our true selves. No one knows the essence of others until intimacy is achieved. Current book arts trends--and in my own work—seek to answer a human call for self-examination, likeness, and the expression of the fallibility of man. The viewer feels a part of the interior setting, no longer are they kept as a spectator unless the artist wishes it. My work strives to forge a human connection that the viewer can feel.
Whether it is family alcoholism, questioning a young marriage’s future, or most recently the exploration of perfection and my youngest son’s hearing loss, no subject matter is off- limits to explore through my art. I often ask myself why I feel it is important to explore such sensitive topics. I believe the answer is that print media and book arts allows for self-exploration of memory in relationship to real time. It addresses the need to bear all and the desire to be heard by its tactile quality with the goal being to create a universal sense of self-discovery.
In my work certain symbolic elements have developed into my own visual vocabulary. Birds, hands, materials from nature, antique photographs, playing cards, butterflies and spirals are all elements that perform an important role in my pieces. Freedom, chance, the human spirit, and the life cycle of the natural world are all ideas that these objects reflect. One example of this is a book arts box structure entitled “The Human Condition.”
This box structure was created as a commentary on the vigor of the human spirit. The box is created from bookbinding materials such as book board and book cloth and mounted on the outside with abstract monotype prints containing biblical verse---excerpts from the Book of Job.
The hand inside, as well as some of the dice, are also wrapped in text from the same source. I am not a deeply religious person in general, but the verse was important to the piece since it references being tested through great hardship and personal struggle while holding true to your ideals and convictions. The same moral can be applied to any life condition and has been experienced in some fashion by most. The playing cards and dice are my own attempt at humor in the piece. They symbolize the element of chance that is forever present in everyone’s life experiences. No matter how hard we try to plan events, some things are out of our hands to control. The print piece “The Road Less Traveled” was also inspired from these same themes explored in the “Human Condition.”
Favorite pieces of writing new and old are also materials for artistic inspiration. I keep a journal and write down passages or words that I collect that can later be used as possible subject matter.
“Boxed Spirits: Franny Zooey, and Everyman” is a box structure inspired from the J.D. Salinger novel Franny and Zooey and the allegorical tale of the Everyman. Inside the box structure one finds photographic transfers amongst a monotype printed background. The transfers represent the two main characters as children to their adulthood. I used period family photographs as source material for the images. The main box also houses 3 smaller cubes that are containers for horse hair spheres that reflect the spirits of Franny, Zooey, and all of us. The piece exemplifies the spiritual search for Franny in the novel and for all of us in real life.
“The Promise” was one of my beginning attempts at creating a unique handcrafted box structure that tells a story to the viewer through print format.
This box is a depiction of a recent bride questioning the future of her marriage. The box speaks to the separate parts of us that one must give up in order to grow together in marriage—while at the same time, this bride speaks out-loud to herself wondering if theses sacrifices are justified and if every marriage can stand the test of time.
“The Promise” was developed from my own marriage, other relationships I witnessed, and my own attempts at poetic scribbling. The inspiration for the topics addressed through this piece was generated by a close friend’s decision to dissolve her marriage of only 4 years. The box embodies a lover challenging the future for herself and her partner while reflecting on the vow she made on her wedding day. The box structure itself is made from archival book board, glass, paper serigraph prints, and found matter.
“The Emily Dickinson Series” with letterpress text is a tribute the writer, inspired from the Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson and the print entitled, The Giving Tree...
...is generated from the Shel Silverstein book and the death of my grandparents. These print editions were all galvanized from ideas mapped out in my sketch book and inspired from literature.
Heredity and family origins are also key topics addressed in my work. Though the pieces might not always be autobiographical, they are inspired by aspects in my life that can then be translated into art.
“Gifts from Our Elders” reflects this celebration of our family history. “Gifts” is a book object which pays tribute to the things that are given to us through heredity and the gift of life. Old medical pop-ups show the gifts of sensitivity and the heart---while an image of the brain sectioned into parts reflects the gift of intellect and a love for arts and writing passed on by family roots and genetics.
“Legacy” is a box structure developed as an acknowledgment of family longevity and personal history we leave behind by the offspring we produce or lives we leave our imprint on. The box concept began with the purchasing of a series of photographs from the late 18th century or early 19th century on Ebay. Two images in particular caught my attention: one of a striking young woman, the other of a young man with a date and Canadian stamp on its back of the photo. My own family has origins to Canada—my grandfather spent his formative years on a farm just outside of Quebec before immigrating to America. The box concept that developed was a man’s love affair and tribute to his wife through object imagery.
While putting this box structure together, I was constantly thinking of my own great grandparents chance meeting and the history it has provided me and my own family.
This was the first book arts piece where I employed the use of cyanotypes I developed. Blueprints have now become synonymous with my work. “Little Boy Blue” and...
“Do this in Remembrance” are 2 additional prints that also address the theme of history and lineage.
“Skeleton’s In the Closet” addresses the legacy of alcoholism and the battle that wages on from generation to generation because of what is passed on by heredity. This battle is both of the mind as well as in terms of the body.
The objects and images chosen for this book object wish to depict the notion of what is security and articulates visually the mind’s struggle. The concept of the closet also reflects the need for a secret to be carried on for generations
to come.
I am an artist who wishes to tell a story. To me, artwork is created to bring a spectator into the world of the artist’s imagination where the viewer can participate and relate to the narration depicted. I enjoy when my pieces tell a story that might be interpreted differently to each viewer. It is not essential to me that every person understands the same visual narrative I am composing when I assemble my work.
A reaction is what I am looking for whether it be joy, understanding, humor, or even rancor. Two pieces that are examples of this are “Homage to Motherhood” and “For the Love of All Things Damaged” that respond to this sense of story-telling.
“Homage to Motherhood: The Music of Life” was developed around the concept of honoring motherhood and exploring the idea of sacrifice in relationship and off-spring. The viewer is asked to put the pieces---that is the objects themselves---visually together in one’s mind allowing the viewer to assemble his or her own story of motherhood.
Within the box there are a multitude of symbolic materials providing clues to the visual narrative. There is a manikin’s hand holding a small nest and egg. The hand is covered in an antique map to represent the course or pathways one will take in life.---A life nurtured and guided by a mother’s unwavering love for her child. In turn, the compass and compass dividers also represent the progression of time and the future for a child. However, the box also speaks through mementos about the fact that a mother can only go so far assisting their son or daughter’s life. Inevitably, a mother must let go so that they may soar on their own (also a bird and butterfly reference). Thus, the coal relates to this detachment from a child entering adulthood. A mother must adhere to the life-cycle to enable each child to achieve their potential.
The butterfly and feather represent the love, hope and eternal spirit that is ever present. They are also symbolic for metamorphosis reflecting change and growth for both parent and child. The tintype and Medici bookplate are visual depictions of the joy a mother has for her lineage seen visually on the faces of both mothers. And, the birdskull and the mushroom are indicators of time, life-cycle, and the frailty of our humanness.
Lastly, the whole piece is externally and internally wrapped in music that provides the support system for the piece. The sheet music hints at the expression of female nurturing when lullabies were first sung to a child.
“For the Love of All Things Damaged” transpired from an interest in wanting to explore the idea of how relationships evolve. The healing of old ties and the reason we keep sentimental commonplace objects holds metamorphic value.
The handmade box structure that was developed wishes to explain in visual detail this dialogue between the salvaging of object---holding no monetary value but instead symbolic meaning---with that of a lost or injured relationship. Items such as shards of glass, a used paper target, and woolen green scapular depict the concept of personal relationships needing repair along with the notion that the original bond possesses pure beauty.
History, I believe is an essential component to express in art.
Therefore, I like to employ in my work objects that have a sense of antiquity and perhaps could be perceived at times shocking. I also appreciate researching themes that are historical in nature and are a bit out of the norm to be use later as material for my art.
“Key to the Imagination”, “Opposite Attraction”, “Hoodo print series”...
...and “Extraction Distractions” are examples of art that employ this collection of materials from the past.
“Opposite Attraction” was conceived...
...through the discovery of many flea-market finds. The box was arranged to articulate the age old relationship struggle between partners. For many individuals, neither can go with without the companionship of another for very long. But together, life is a dance of negotiation with a collision or two along the way. The pins and needles reflect the walk of love many couples must endure to keep their unity solvent.
“ Extraction Distractions” is a whimsical box structure based on the idea of a dentist taking his work home with him through an unhealthy work obsession. A historical book on dental surgery found in a Virginia antique store was inspiration for the piece.
Lastly, my work at times seeks to address themes that can be more serious and personal in nature.
One piece that recently was inspired from some personal adversity was “We Don’t Need Ears to See”.
The creation of this recent book arts box structure was a deeply reflective journey. That's probably why it took me over 2 years to have the nerve to complete. My second son was born with a major hearing impairment that was physical.
I always thought that a parent did much of the teaching, however my child enlightened me to the notion that there is beauty in imperfection and that we do not need ears to see everyone's wholeness.....their humanness, and their love. The core of this box structure beckons the observer to recognize and embrace the distinct qualities of our fellowman allowing us to recognize what makes us different is that which makes us all united.
“Pinned Down” is a box structure created to reflect the feelings of a woman questioning choices that made her give up some of her own dreams over the course of a lifetime for the betterment of others. The concept for this piece was inspired from a conversation I had with my mother after she once told me she would have liked to be a pharmacist.
She went on to inform me that during her generation many women were encouraged to be teachers or nurses since these were considered to be female occupations. I had never thought of my mother being anything else but a teacher—but wanted to explore this theme in my art that perhaps others could relate to. The transfer images in the piece are actual pictures from the 1950’s of my mother and her girlfriends. The butterfly represents the inner spirit that was asked to give up its essence of movement representing personal fulfillment.
I’d like to end this talk with a quote from the 2009 movie “The Single Man”, a voiceover for the lead character says...
...and I quote, “A few times in my life I've had moments of absolute clarity, when for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh.”
This is the sensation every artist feels when creating their art. It is an even greater high when the viewer experiences this same feeling as well.