We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Barenz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

This is a great question and one that I’ve reflected on often. I would approach a few key things differently, particularly when balancing my career as an artist and my role as a gallery director.

Firstly, consider all the different paths you can take as an artist. There isn’t just one way. I was set on getting my MFA right out of undergrad and thought it was my only option to pursue a career in the arts. I have nothing against higher education, and I am genuinely grateful for my MFA because it has opened doors for me. However, it’s essential to consider why you would want one. Higher education often comes with significant debt, and managing that debt while trying to establish a new business/art career can be daunting. This financial strain can also be damaging to your creativity. You can choose many paths to nurture your creative life- you can be self-taught, take community classes, work as an artist assistant, or join an artist collaborative. There is no right way. When I was fresh out of college, I felt like there was only one way, and looking back, I would have told myself to consider all of my options and create the path that works best for me.

One important lesson I’ve learned is that having a day job as an artist or creative entrepreneur can bring a lot of balance to your life. It is a way to free yourself up to do your best work as an artist. This approach may not be for everyone, but for me, the pressures of making money solely from my art often led to feeling overwhelmed and blocked in the studio. I also love that my different careers over the years have been art-adjacent; this has helped me nurture and form relationships in my field and get to know more people. I am currently a gallery director, but I have also been an adjunct professor and have taught art at international schools in Asia.

Additionally, I would prioritize building a strong community and network early on. Being an artist isn’t a solo journey. It helps to connect with other artists, mentors, and industry professionals. These relationships are essential for balance and mental health. They can also provide invaluable support, feedback, and opportunities. Collaboration and community are vital in art; nurturing these relationships can significantly impact your career trajectory. Early in my career, I would lock myself away in my studio for hours because I thought an artist should do that, and I didn’t take time to nurture friendships and relationships. This ultimately led to severe burnout, and I had to take a year off from making art to regain balance in my life. During this year I made a lot of new friends and also met my husband.

In summary, if I were starting over today, I would consider all the different paths one could take to become an artist, embrace the stability of a day job, and prioritize building a supportive community. These are all important ways to establish a sustainable and fulfilling artistic career.

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’m an artist and gallery director based in Madison, Wisconsin. My journey into the art world has taken a lot of different twists and turns over the years. I hold an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis and spent a year studying in Italy. I ran my studio in Milwaukee for over five years and completed residencies through the Art Students League of New York and the Chicago Printmakers’ Collaborative. My most unique residency to date was being an artist in residence at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. During this year, I worked in a studio/gallery in the lobby of this historic hotel.

I have also had a career in art education, teaching in various settings, including several colleges and universities. I spent six years teaching in China and taught art at Concordia International School in Shanghai for five of those years.

In 2022, I moved back to the US and settled in Madison, where I work out of my east-side studio in the Madison Enterprise Center. I also serve as the Gallery Director at the Overture Center for the Arts. I love this job and it connects me to the art community in Wisconsin.

My work centers on belonging and how our external surroundings shape our internal landscapes. Through slow acts of noticing, I explore how our lives can transform from feeling uninhabitable to a sense of belonging. Walking and engaging with the world through our senses allows us to hold two opposites in our minds: the permanence we feel when grounding ourselves in nature and the impermanence of nature itself.

The scenes in my collections are derived from places that profoundly impacted my understanding of home—from Shanghai to Southeast Asia to Lake Michigan. Each location resonated with me because they reflected my vision of home regardless of their geographical differences. Like water, my work is fluid, incorporating various processes such as printmaking, collage, painting, and drawing. I love the playfulness and chance involved in printmaking techniques, where matrices are reused and reimagined in new ways. This iterative process often combines figurative traces of my immediate or recollected surroundings with abstract mark-making, creating a layered experience that mirrors the complexity of the places I have belonged to and the interplay between objective reality and subjective experience.

I strive to create work that provides a moment of connectivity and belonging. I aim to preserve the feeling of interconnectedness amidst life’s constant changes and challenges.

I’m most proud of my work that conveys these deeply personal themes in a way that resonates with others. Through my art, I aim to share a sense of peace and grounding, inviting viewers to explore their sense of belonging and connection to the world around them. This connection, this resonance with others, truly fuels my artistic journey.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Absolutely. One resource I wish I had known about earlier in my creative journey is the guidance of artist consultants, specifically someone like Pennylane Shen of Dazed and Confucius. I have been working with her for over three years, and her advice has been invaluable in navigating the art world’s ups and downs. Her insights and support have significantly contributed to developing both my business and studio work. Having someone like Pennylane to provide guidance and mentorship early on would have been incredibly beneficial. I highly recommend artists seek out these mentoring opportunities to help them flourish.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

One of the most significant pivots in my life has been moving overseas, which I have done three times, and then moving back to the US three times. These transitions can feel like enormous hurdles and side-tackle you in unexpected ways. You have to rebuild on both sides, but despite the challenges, the risk of leaving a place and trying out a new one has always been worth it. My years in Shanghai, for example, were some of my favorites. They have shaped who I am, how I see the world, and, as a result, the art I make.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stephaniebarenz.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniebarenz/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-barenz-wiegman-12b40a19/
• Twitter: NA
• Youtube: NA
• Yelp: NA
• Soundcloud: NA

Image Credits

@dlyustudio
@eknoelke