We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adria Arch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Adria, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am happy now, but it has taken me a long time to get here. I had to learn to separate what other people think of my work and rejection from the engagement of my work in the studio. The way that I’ve learned to separate this is to learn about how the art world works, and how important it is to make my own opportunities to show and not rely on galleries or other conventional ways to get exposure.

I have often wondered, periodically, what it might have been like to have a real career that pays you for your work, like being a lawyer or a dentist, but when I actually thought about what that life is like, I decided that I was happier pursuing my work. But life circumstances do not always allow you to have the time and space to make your work. I have been lucky in my life that I have had relationships and health that have made my career path viable.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an artist living in the Boston area who creates large-scale, sculptural installations to evoke the complex beauty and emotional connections – joy, wonder, and solace – that humans find in abstract forms inspired by nature. Often suspended well above the viewer’s head, these installations create a sense of the space between the earth and the sky, and of sunlight broken by clouds casting shadows across a landscape. Large organic shapes cut from light weight material, spiraling and bending dancer-like, create a dynamic experience for the viewer. The sculptures, in ever-changing relationship with the viewer, suggest the experience of time passing. Shifts of light, color and shadow provide a metaphor for changing seasons and life transitions. The poetic transcendence of the everyday is my ultimate goal in making my work.

I enjoy painting on a sculpture that has multiple sides because as the viewer moves around the pieces, colors and shapes interact to create new patterns. From vibrant yellows to deep rusts, turquoise and lime green, I employ color to enhance the shapes of my sculptural forms – one might see leaf, flower, or shell-like shapes. The viewer is engaged and encouraged to bring their own thoughts and feelings to the experience of looking.

While I have been primarily utilizing lightweight plastic for recent commissions, I have recently worked with local fabricators to create prototypes of my work in steel and aluminum toward a long-planned for goal of translating my sculptural work into metal for both walls and work that hangs from overhead.

I have been working as a professional artist since 1985 when I received my MFA in painting from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. I have taught college students painting, drawing and printmaking. I have exhibited my work widely, and have shown throughout New England. I have attended residencies in Delhi, the south of France, Vermont and Virginia. In 2017 I began to work primarily as a sculptor, incorporating what I know about painting into my pieces.

In 2019 my sculptural installation was featured at the Fitchburg Art Museum in the solo exhibition Adria Arch: Reframing Eleanor. In 2020, I exhibited Interference, an installation designed for the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, MA. In 2021, I was commissioned the Brattleboro Art Museum in Vermont to create On Reflection, a site specific suspended sculpture. That same year, the Danforth Museum in Framingham, MA showcased another of my suspended large-scale sculptures with the title, Lost and Found. In 2022, I completed a commission for Google’s new building in Kendall Square. This complex, immersive room-sized work of art includes painted murals on walls and ceiling, and seven wall-mounted sculptures. I am a member of the Boston Sculptors Gallery and have had two solo exhibits in that space.

I am an arts organizer and public art activist who has helped form a vibrant public art commission in my hometown of Arlington. Public art is the lifeblood of a city, and reflects and reinforces the values of a community. I love coming upon art that is outside of a museum or gallery – public art brings us together, offering both an individual and a communal experience.

My interest in art materials has always been a part of my life. As a young child, I found myself happiest with a box of crayons and paper. I started to develop a true interest in art making in highschool, and then went on to receive a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, and after that an MFA in painting from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. I have followed the path of a fine artist, exhibiting in galleries and museums, and supporting my path by teaching art to college students and adults.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Over my long career as an artist, I have learned that the most difficult thing to do is to find my voice – what it is that I want to communicate about the experience of being alive. That is a life long journey, and it is not easy to do that. To learn how to persist, to take risks, to be vulnerable, to expose yourself to the world, takes bravery. But it has made my life so much richer.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I am an older artist, so social media has been something that I’ve had to learn about. I got onto Instagram in 2013 but I did not start seriously posting until 2017. I’ve grown my following to nearly 2500 which is not huge but I feel that it is reasonable. I know that people put a lot of emphasis on the number of followers, but I realize that many of mine are bots or people who have no real interest in my career. I’ve learned about posting from looking at many other artists’ feeds and assessing what I am drawn to in their best posts or reels. But the main thing that I’ve learned is that you can’t just post a nice looking photo or reel and be done with it. The way to develop meaningful connections is to comment on other artists’ work with honest praise and interest. I’ve become friends with a handful of artists all over the country through a mutual appreciation, and have even gotten my most important commission through Instagram.

Post frequently, to make sure you comment on lots of art that you are drawn to, and understand that social media has to go two ways. Post and comment, post and comment! Also, don’t take your posts or stories too seriously – you may become paralyzed and stop posting altogether. Have fun with it, watch others’ feeds, and just be creative with it. Oh – and ask a teen to help you learn some of the ins and outs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.adriaarch.com
• Instagram: @adriaarch

Image Credits
Melissa Blackall, Will Howcroft, Adria Arch