Lost & Found– An art show of lost worlds and found objects
Jim Davis Susan Feigenbaum
Material Witness— The Found Object Works of James V. Davis.
As a passionate collector of “things”, my studio is filled with a strange array of objects that have been discarded, lost or fallen off a much larger object. Most people would call it “junk”. I call them fascinating – because these little pieces of history have stories to tell. Where did they come from? Why were they tossed on the ground? What larger machine could they have broken from? Sometimes the smallest item can tell the grandest tale. And that’s what this show is about. Especially because once an object is out in the world on its own, it becomes one with nature in some way. Every artwork in this show has a deeper, more intimate hidden message – and it’s up to you, the viewer, to decipher it. “Material Witness” is a whimsical, abstract journey into the lives of orphaned objects. Sometimes man made. Sometimes crafted by Mother Nature. And together these objects are given a second life. A rusty bolt or gasket that finally broke loose from a tractor or a tiny strip of paper that once lived in a fortune cookie – by juxtaposing these objects, what story are they trying to tell? The majority of objects you see in this show had a former life. Even the canvases and frames are recycled. My goal is to use as little virgin material as possible. If you look closely at each work, there are layers of words and text beneath the paint. Newspapers, magazines, pages from old books, receipts, and paper ephemera that had a different purpose are now trying to say something different. When you listen closely, what do you hear? As you view each work, what materials can you find?
Man made: Paper: Letters, envelopes, magazines, newspapers, photographs, coasters
Metal: Machine and car parts, springs, gears, utensils, tools, cans, nuts, bolts, screws
Fabric: Clothing, buttons, leather, ribbon, lace, cotton, denim, fur Packaging: Bags, boxes, bottles, cans, jars, caps, and lids
Technology: Computer chips, mother boards, wire, plastic parts, glass Rubber: Tires, wheels, hoses, gaskets, corks and belts
Plastic: Model parts, emblems, seals, lids, knobs, fasteners, connectors
Natural: • Shells, coral, sand & fossils • Plants, leaves, branches & flowers • Bones, fossils, skulls & fur • Insects, bugs, wings & feathers • Seeds, spores, pods & roots • Pebbles, gems, rocks & minerals
SUSAN FEIGENBAUM | CERAMIC ARTIST
STATEMENT
My ceramic art is inspired by memories, the natural world, and my imagination. I often begin my process with gestural sketches of an initial idea. Then I invite the clay to play along as I handbuild forms using slabs, coils, and surface textures. After the work dries and is bisque fired, I apply underglazes and glazes and fire the work at least one more time. My process achieves an unexpected mixture of surface effects and contrasts. Working with clay in my style is a detailed process requiring many decisions. Based on my experience with materials, handbuilding techniques, glaze chemicals, color palettes, firing temperatures, and my intended vision, I combine all of these elements to reach a final composition.
Abstraction is a primary consideration in my work. As I interpret nature, I create biomorphic forms that combine human, animal, and imaginary elements. For each piece, I decide on the degree of abstraction along a continuum—from totally abstract shapes to forms that may relate to a more familiar world. In my approach, I agree with Paul Klee who said, “Art does not reproduce the visible; it makes visible.” In my imaginary sculptural environments, I employ color and narrative interactions between the forms that invite the viewer to enter my compositions and discover something unexpected—perhaps thought provoking, perhaps unsettling, and usually delightful.
BIO
Susan Feigenbaum is a ceramic artist and educator in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Her sculpture is shown in exhibitions, galleries, and year-round at the Northrup King Building #210—also known as the Studiopolis Collective—in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. She has received commissions and numerous awards in local and international juried exhibitions. Susan’s public artwork can also be seen in BirdScapes, a permanent sculpture installation at the Eden Prairie Outdoor Center.
As a four-time recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board Arts Learning Grant, Susan brought clay learning adventures to residents in senior communities and curated annual shows of their work at the Eden Prairie Library. She was awarded a 2017 Jerome Project Grant for Ceramic Artists and a 2019 Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Susan is an alum of Minnesota New Institute for Ceramic Education, MN NICE, a program for personalized professional development in ceramics.
While growing up in Chicago, Susan began her lifelong interest in art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She was awarded an academic scholarship to the University of Illinois and studied for a career in graphic design. After moving to the Twin Cities and working in her design business for many years, clay became an escape from that computerized world. The study and creation of ceramic artwork is now her full-time pursuit.
