THE FOCUS

Anna Mages: Your work often includes planes or fields of color that give your paintings structure and depth. This mark making is reminiscent of the edge of a palette knife or some hard edge. Can you elaborate on your process? Does the subject matter determine the kind of process you use for a given work? Georganna Greene: I find subject and process to be very closely dependent on each other. I very rarely go in with a plan, but instead...

Rachel Bubis: You describe your work as existing at “the intersection of digital design and hands-on craftsmanship, where digital sketches and designs transform into vibrant, abstract compositions with a pronounced sense of depth and dimension.” You explain how you start in the digital world and then go to physical - do you ever do the opposite order? What do you think you gain and/or lose during this translating process? Katie Aronat: While most of my work begins digitally, there have...

Rachel Bubis: Some of your recent porcelain sculptures resemble a 1960’s era “shag rug” in texture and color. You describe how these evoke “1960s counterculture and the call for peace, love, and progressive change.” Can you talk more about what you’re thinking about in evoking this imagery but using such surprising materials? Risa Hricovsky: The very first porcelain shag rug I made was at a time when I was working through this question: “What is Reality?” I asked myself, “What is real? How...

Wesley Roden: You employ methods ranging from 3D printing to attaching a pen to a power drill. By using tools which streamline or automate artistic processes, or even work against it, do you question the role of effort or craft in artmaking? Heath Montgomery: I do question the roles that are prescribed for artmaking, but my view is that artists have always used what they have access to, or used what they have to make new tools. I like the...

Rachel Bubis: Your work explores “the psychological and social implications of conflict” - whether that be through examining war, dissent, or even the history of dog fighting. Have you always been interested in this subject? Nelson Gutierrez: I make art based on my life experiences, and the work is informed by personal memories, people I have met, places where I have lived and visited, environments, and events that have formed and influenced my life throughout my career. According to Susan Sont...

Rachel Bubis: Your work investigates how material culture provides a lens into the U.S. politics and environmental movements, both past and present, and describe how objects communicate layers of meaning: “A flag communicates the flyer’s values; a tent communicates the user’s love of the outdoors; and a patch shows what organizations the wearer is a part of.” What’s an object you would choose to represent you (your values or loves)? Katie Hargrave: Perhaps this is a funny thin...

Megan Ledbetter: First off, I would like to say thank you for your interest in my photographic practice at The Field, which is still in progress as I work towards a local exhibition at Stove Works in November 2024. Rachel Bubis: You are very welcome! I'd like to begin by asking about this project, where you document an area in Chattanooga that has served as a municipal burial ground for the poor and dispossessed in operation from 1890-1912. Your large format...

Wesley Roden: Though many artists seek to emulate childlikeness in their work, your sculptures stand apart by appealing specifically to children. How is sculpture serving a role in artistic literacy as well as general development for a younger generation? Beth Reitmeyer: I want the world to be a magical place, a place in which we all experience wonder and awe. As I consider my audience, I don’t set out to appeal specifically to children, but often they are the qu...