We recently connected with Mardy Sears and have shared our conversation below.
Mardy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
For the last five years I have been going to the Whiteley Center at Friday Harbor Labs for an artist residency. It is the place where I have time to think and explore, and it shapes my work for the coming year. I am surrounded by nature, and scientists conducting research in marine biology. It makes me think about the changes in nature, by seeing not only the research being done, but also how the environment changes from year to year. One year there are many deer on campus and the next year I see very few due to a disease that went through the island. Nature changes and I wonder if this is the way of the world or is it changing for the worse? What species will we lose next? Much of my work revolves around these ideas. I create talismans that are memorials of my surroundings (moths, shells, rocks, feathers) and wonder how long we will be able to experience the world as we know it. All of these thoughts and experiences have led me to make an artist book on climate change. This handmade sketch book began with text drawings of news headlines relating to record heat over the summer. I added pages with the names of endangered species, including the numbers left in the world and sometimes drawings of the animal. There is an abundance of news on climate change, and events to back up this information, so there is a never-ending stream of data. I haven’t completed this artist book yet, but I am slowly moving toward climate solutions. I couldn’t stay in that dark place and I had to begin looking for the light.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As long as I have known what an artist is, I have felt like one. I always say that my mother is a creative person because she went to art school for a few years, but actually both of my parents were creative. As a child, I watched my mother make stained glass on the kitchen counter and visited my father in his wood shop in the basement. He built a sailboat in our garage for several summers in a row (my mother may say that project lasted much too long!) and I watched him build many clocks and pieces of furniture. I was good at drawing from a very young age and I think it was the one thing I did well.
I graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Tufts, and worked in an art supply store for 15 years before deciding to pursue an MFA. I had an interest in books and letterpress printing, which are both fairly complex crafts, so I decided to go to The Center for Book and Paper Arts at Columbia College Chicago. Not only did I want to learn the craft for my own personal work but I was also interested in becoming a book conservator. While attending Columbia College I worked as an intern with Barb Korbell in the Ryerson and Burnham Library at the Art Institute of Chicago. This connection led me to the job I currently have at the Art Institute of Chicago, as Senior Conservation Technician in Paper. Being a working artist has always been my priority, but the work I do for the museum exposes me to such an amazing collection of prints and drawings. I feel the artwork I see everyday hones my eye and acts as an inspiration for my own work.
I consider myself a book artist but I work in many different mediums. I make artist books using prints, drawings, collage, cyanotype, and sewing. I sell my artist books through Vamp and Tramp Booksellers and I occasionally sell prints and drawings in galleries. For those who love art but can’t always afford it, I print tea towels for a holiday sale each year. I am not tied to any gallery which gives me the freedom to do whatever I damn well please! I make work for myself and hope that others may be able to relate to it as well. I had my first solo exhibition this year and it was very thrilling to present a body of work together in one room. Though my work is done in a wide range of materials, I felt that the work was cohesive and my voice came through clearly. It was a very proud moment for me.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I realize that when money gets tight, the first thing to be dispensed with is the need for art, but I believe the best way to support artists is to buy handmade goods whenever possible. Most artists make things that are at lower price points in order to sell work. With an economy that includes Amazon and big box stores that sell products cheaply, it is often hard to shop in small local shops that feel more expensive. But this economy isn’t sustainable. I would prefer to buy a beautiful handmade bowl that supports a local artist. These are people that you can contact and get to know – they are your neighbors.
Fill your home with handmade and it means so much more.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I do have a presence on Instagram that keeps me in touch with the artist community around me, and where I present current work. I can’t say that I know very much about building an audience beyond following others who are like minded. I follow many artists that I would never know about if I weren’t on social media. I think you have to post consistently in order to be seen and lately I’ve noticed that Reels get a lot more traction than posts of photos. I had one short Reel of myself printing tea towels that went viral (well viral for me). Suddenly thousands of people were ‘liking’ this video and I gained a lot of followers at that time. Lately I feel like Instagram has changed and I don’t see as many of my artist friends as I used to. I think you have to constantly ‘like’ a person in order to continue to see them. Social media is certainly useful, but I do wish I could dispense with it altogether!
Contact Info:
- Website: mardysears.com
- Instagram: mardy_searsart
- Facebook: Mardy Sears
- Linkedin: Mardy Sears
- Twitter: none
- Youtube: mardy sears @mardysears8233