We were lucky to catch up with Merrilee Challiss recently and have shared our conversation below.
Merrilee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
In terms of meaningful projects, I am grateful to have had several so far, and there is a special one in the works that I can’t talk about yet. A current mega-meaningful project, meaningful on many levels, is Unstuck In Time: St. EOM, Here, Now, a dual-site exhibition at the Bo Bartlett Center and Pasaquan (Columbus, GA and Buena Vista, GA). For those who know about Pasaquan and St. EOM, know it is a magical site to visit, a true vision to behold. For those who don’t: https://pasaquan.columbusstate.edu/ I feel so honored to have my work included in the exhibition, to share space with the energy and visionary spirit of St. EOM and the other incredible artists. It’s really an incredible show and I hope people get to see it! (open through Dec 16)
To learn more/: https://www.thefuelandlumbercompany.com/unstuck-in-time
Merrilee, 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?
Greetings! I am a multi=disciplinary artist that veers towards the visionary (www.merrileechalliss.com, @merilka), based in Birmingham, Alabama. I am also the executive director of a small non-profit, www.studiobythetracks.org, an art studio and gallery for youth and adult aritsts on the autism spectrum. All of the artists attend our programs free of charge and adult artists make 60% of the sales of all of their artworks.
My artistic practice is many tentacled, and multi-faceted, as I am creatively restless. After a project is over, I am drawn to explore something completely different. I enjoy changing up the media, and resetting the studio for an altered, renewed purpose.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Provide subidized artists’ work/ live spaces. Buy more art.
Partnership with local businesses.
Put art back in the schools.
Provide safe, third-spaces for neuro-divergent and neuro-typical people to explore their creativity.
There are so many ways…
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I enjoy the mental stimulation and creative problem-solving that is involved in the process of making art – and also creating something ex nihilo is pretty magical.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.merrileechalliss.com
- Instagram: @merilka
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merrilee.challiss
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merrilee-challiss-641215171/