We recently connected with Susan Freda and have shared our conversation below.

Susan , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

When I was struggling to make enough money to support myself (circa 1999) I won the prestigious Pollock Krasner Foundation Award of 20,000. It was such an honor and I felt so respected for my work. This grant allowed me to live in a cabin in the woods for a year and make art with focus and not worry about working for the first time in my life. It was not much money when I look back but somehow I made that 20K last a year! The Pollock Krasner Foundation and especially Lee Krasner who created this fund.. will always have a very special place in my heart.

Susan , 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 sculptor first and a jeweler second I would say. Ive been making objects for as long as I can recall. I probably started around age 10. I grew up in RI in an Italian American household. My grandparents had a costume jewelry business and it was common for me to play with shiny beads and metal mixed with whatever art supplies I had on hand. I went to RISD after high school and my world expanded. I was introduced to so many interesting people and processes in those crucial years and it was in this phase of life that I developed a lot of my core ways of making sculpture and jewelry. I started out as a jewelry and metalsmith major and then switched into sculpture and my work still is a seesaw and also a hybrid of these two art forms.
I am most known for my large scale wire dresses, which I have exhibited widely for over 20 years, winning awards and gathering a large collector base for this work. I am very proud of this work as it has spanned many iterations of form, material and process and has allowed me the framework to explore within a loose but set boundary of form. The work is intricate and utilizes a wire weaving process that I developed when still a RISD undergrad. This way of weaving is. a nod to the feminine handcrafts and the work that women do.
My work is important for my clients in that is a connection to the feminine, the spirit, the afterlife, and other neglected areas of our society. I am interested in elevating the underdog, the outcast and the parts that society does not value. I have many clients who come to me to purchase work after someone has passed. They see my work as a connection to the other side and the spirit world. This is the biggest compliment I can receive and it is also work that I feel called to do.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

For me being an artist was not something I consciously chose. I was doing what I loved and the more I did it the more doors opened up for me. Had I known how difficult it would be to make a living from this work I may mot have chosen it but I am so glad that I didn’t know. Im glad that nobody told me I couldn’t do it. I took on many challenges in order to keep doing the work. I bartended nights while creating work and exhibiting to pay my bills in my 20’s. In my 30’s I opened a gallery with two partners on a month to month basis. I sold enough of my work and the work of other artists to make a modest profit for 12 years. I applied to every grant that I could find to help finance myself during these years. Somehow I made it work and my collectors, always purchasing my work along the way, as well as the grant organizations, were key to this success. I don’t think people understand how much it matters to an artist when a person purchases a piece of art. It is crucial to keeping the artist communities alive.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my view purchasing art from living artists is the number one way to support artists and keep the creative ecosystem afloat. Housing is also very important. If we prioritize rental income above all else we lose cultural diversity, art, and the pleasure that we get from these things. Artists need housing and income and this is a hard thing to make work without the help societal structures in place for them. As a society we do need art, we move into the neighborhoods that the artists make nice and then the artists are priced out. This dynamic is a means to an end. It doesn’t promote a long term healthy environment for anyone. Better would be subsidized housing for artists and a way to purchase directly in from the artist in those neighborhoods. Nobody wants the artists to leave let’s face it, they often provide the beauty and fun.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://susanfredastudios.com
• Instagram: suefreda
• Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/sisan-freda-studios/126387124046839?ref=ts
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/susan-freda-313b16b

Image Credits
Jason Wessel -photos