We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jaynie Crimmins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jaynie below.

Jaynie, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The project I am currently working on is called Equanimity.

The search for mental calmness, composure and evenness of temper has become an indispensable aspect of my life during turbulent political, pandemic and economic times. The goal of reaching equanimity brought me to begin a meditation practice during the pandemic. Meditation allows me to be in the moment, focusing on the breath and some key phrases.

Creating is also a meditation. My process of working allows me to be in the moment and connect to the materials I am working with.

Both meditation and creation are reflected in the body of work entitled Equanimity. My breath and mind exist in the waves of each work. The New Yorker magazines are used to represent the joys and sorrows that challenge my heart to remain at peace.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a New York City based artist that creates alternative narratives by recycling quotidian materials. I up-cycle shredded solicitations, security envelopes, catalogs and magazines to create the work. My work has been shown at ART on PAPER NYC; and exhibited at the Sharjah Museum of Art during the Islamic Arts Festival in the United Arab Emirates; SPRING/BREAK Art Show, NYC; Governor’s Island Art Fair, NYC; the National Museum of Romanian Literature in addition to museums throughout the United States including the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William and Mary, VA; The Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art [HVMOCA], Peekskill, NY; Hunterdon Art Museum, NJ; Zuckerman Museum of Art, Kennesaw State University, GA; Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA.

In 2009, when the US was experiencing a recession, I was reading many op ed columns by [former NY Times columnist] Bob Herbert. He wrote movingly about the terrible circumstances, [including losing employment, underwater mortgages, etc.] many people were experiencing at that time. While I was personally fortunate enough not to be so adversely affected, the economic decline of average Americans was deeply troubling.
I began to shred my financial statements including bank statements, bills and other financial documents. I used beeswax as a coating to entrap this deconstructed information as if in amber – to preserve for perpetuity. The projects were called: Home Economics and Borrowing from the Future. From these initial series, I began adding more source materials in order to express personal ideas and replace their messages with my own narratives and stopped using beeswax – allowing the colors and textures of the shredded papers to be exposed..

The surfaces of my work are textural and the work is generally installed as wall reliefs. Until someone called me a sculptor, I never thought of myself in that way. There has always been an element of projection in my works whether created by the materials themselves or the armatures used. For my current series, Equanimity, the armatures used are from fruit packing purple cardboard inserts.

Prior to the pandemic, I volunteered in the Guggenheim Museum’s Learning Through Art Program. I am represented by Thomas Deans Fine Art in Atlanta, GA; K. Imperial Fine Art, San Francisco, CA and show with the Elza Kayal Gallery in NYC, Front Room Gallery in Hudson, NY; Azure Arts, Art Lives Here and Paradice Palase in NYC.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

About 12 or so years ago, a gallerist told me that she would never show my work because it is too much like craft. It was devastating. As the definition of fine art has shifted and morphed, paper arts has been re-categorized and celebrated as fine art. But even before that, I found that not every gallery held her opinion, and I just had to find gallery owners and dealers that did not agree with her point of view.
Someplace in the back of my mind has always been this slight and someplace in the forefront of my mind – I knew dispelling that notion was of upmost importance.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I do not know a lot about NFTs and know that the technology is continuing to advance, My main opposition to them is their environmental impact as they consume substantial amounts of energy and contribute to carbon emissions. If there are alternative platforms or approaches to supporting artistic NFT endeavors, I think artists engaged with their creation should continue to explore its possibilities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jayniecrimmins.com
• Instagram: @jayniegillmancrimins

Image Credits
all work photographed by Max Yawney