Genna Clemen
Cyanotype Community Garden
2022
Cyanotype on cotton, wire
Cyanotype Community Garden
2022
Cyanotype on cotton, wire
Statement
I aim to reimagine the ways we tell stories. From playful ways to explore cultural irony to collaborative community projects, the fate of stories and thus, history is in the hands of the messenger. I have been exploring a range of media for this storytelling, with technology and experimental methods as an extension of my hand. In both my teaching and art practice, I prioritize exploration as a way of shaping my work.
I use cyanotype, a chemical photographic technique, that includes some of these ecosystem processes. Sun->cotton->water.
My cyanotype sculptures feature moments throughout my life that have nourished, disrupted, or rooted me. Collectively, they make my garden of community care. As I craft the garden systems I see emerging in my life, I want others to consider how their communities rely on each other. I playfully consider my challenges through the eyes of insects, treasuring my interactions with nature more intimately and inviting others to the table to celebrate our resilience. I see strength and mutuality in my community and look forward to identifying those parallels between social and outdoor ecosystems.
I am constantly swinging between the roles of teacher and student. Each interaction is a seed planted. I am guided by ecology and the mutuality nature so generously demonstrates for us. My role as an artist is not to tell the stories of the people around me, but to visually explore the challenges of community care. My artwork intertwines with my community practice. In both cases, I want people to find the best medium to unearth possibilities for the future.
Community Arts (MFA) Students