Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jessica Sanders. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
No. I believe things worth doing and having take time. I was 23 when I decided I wanted to be an artist, and 26 before I figured out what my medium was. I started graduate school in 2017 after most of a decade floundering in college, at the time I felt like I had wasted so much time and was behind, but in hind sight I’m really thankful for all that time I had to grow, mature, and learn. We are made from our experiences, and its impossible to make compelling and interesting art without experience.
Jessica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a visual artist that works almost exclusively in ceramics. My work consists of small ceramics shapes that are attached together with wire, creating flexible sheets that hang on the wall. I am really interested in shape and pattern and how those concepts become material. I just love tessellation and how shapes stack! Some pieces lay flat, others fold, or bunch up, or twist. My work gets compared with quilts a lot, which is a comparison I enjoy. I don’t think of my work as quilts, but I come from a long line of quilters and fiber workers, so it feels like I’m adding to that family legacy, but in a more contemporary way. I am also a part time educator. I teach beginning ceramics at The University of Texas at Tyler. I’ve learned so much from teaching and having students, and its so nice to be in an academic environment, where the conversation around art is serious. I also assist the department with the kilns, which gives me a place to fire my work and continue to keep those skills.
I am a part of InBetween Studios, which is a shared artist studio in Tyler, TX, where I live. Community is SO important for artists. Having a space where I can be around and see work of other professionals has been a game changer for me. I also am a part of a four women ceramics collective called the ASGs (Art School Girls). We all live in different states now, so we aren’t as active, but we did have an exhibition earlier this year. Keeping up with people is another super important thing in an artists career.
I have a self-published art zine called ArtShare. It has different artist interviews, artist studio playlists, studio tours, and art history from and of people I admire. It keeps me connected and is a nice excuse to reach out and talk to people.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
When I was younger and first starting out I wished I had understood the importance of cataloging my work. I’ve made hundreds of pieces, so keeping track of things can be difficult. For example, if you’re submitting a piece into an exhibition, you need to know its available, that is isn’t already in another show, or hasn’t been sold yet. It’s not a good look to get excepted into a show and tell the gallery you don’t have it. The art world is small and people talk. I had a friend suggest I try out Artworkarchive.com, and its been a literal game changer! I highly suggest it. It puts everything in one place and keeps track of where your work is. And they are so friendly and helpful, totally worth the money, I wish I had signed up years ago!
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
The book “Art/Work” by Heather Darcy Bhandari and Jonathan Melber has been a crazy helpful book for me! Undergraduate and graduate school prepared me for the making aspect of my career, it gave me connections and friends that have given me a lot of opportunities, and taught me so much about professionalism. But one thing that art school doesn’t really touch on is the financial side. “Art/Work” goes over taxes, grant writing and resources, things like the importance of having a lawyer and accountant. If you didn’t do the art school route it has all that information in it too, like how to do an artist statement, bio, CV, how to apply for shows and keep a practice. And it’s only like $15 on amazon!
Contact Info:
- Website: jessicalsandersart.com
- Instagram: jessicalsandersart
- Other: tiktok- jessicalinsanders
Image Credits
image of me was taken by Emily Kangerga