We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ann Diener. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ann below.
Ann, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The project I’m currently working on for the Getty Pacific Standard Time Art+Science. The exhibition will take place at The Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) in 2024. The subject of my project is industrial agriculture. It is a fascinating topic which encompasses issues of land use, water, soil, food and the architecture of modern-day factory farming. The issue of water is of paramount importance to farming and omit it has important sociological, racial and class ramifications. Investigating and drawing images of land, water is my way of interpreting ecological decline, man’s imprint on the land, natural cycles, and the changing climate. As a fourth-generation descendant of a pioneer farming family, I have witnessed monumental changes to the Southern California farmland.
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 have always been interested in art, studied at UCLA and have made drawings almost every day of my life. I’ve taught high school art and at UCSB and spent about a decade as a volunteer teaching art at the local public schools. The most interesting aspect of making art for me is interpreting an important subject through drawing. I’m most proud of the work I’ve made for my upcoming show at the Lancaster Museum. It is not only a show that will be large in scale, but in addition to drawings, it will have omit large tapestries, a series of maps that tell the story of California water and a walk in industrial greenhouse that I constructed on a 3D printer. The pieces in the show will immerse the viewer in the subject.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the process of omit that I’m making something that is entirely personal. Everything I draw is based on my own interpretations of something I’ve seen or read. When I start a project, I have a rough idea of what I want to accomplish, but that initial idea always changes course as I make the work and the result is something I can never predict. It’s a continual process of problem solving and decision making along the way.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
The most important thing society can do to support artists is to attend their shows and/or talks and express interest in their work. It’s wonderful when people purchase a work of art. It not only helps the artist, but supports the gallery or institution that is showing their work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.anndienerstudio.com
- Instagram: @anndiener
- Facebook: Ann Diener
Image Credits
Photographs by Elon Schoenholz, Scott McClaine and Joy Peters