2021 Faculty Art Exhibition - Karen Schwenkmeyer
KAREN SCHWENKMEYER
Unmasked #1, 2021
Triptych of Digital Images
8 x 28 inches
Unmasked #2, 2021
Triptych of Digital Images
8 x 28 inches
Unmasked #3, 2021
Triptych of Digital Images
8 x 28 inches
A central theme in my work has been the intersection of everyday life with larger
sociocultural issues drawing attention to under-represented voices. I’ve been drawn
to models of art creation where the process of making art becomes central to the production
of the art piece. In collaboration the externalized dialogue allows for the possibility
of manifesting new understandings. Not only is the art object intended to be challenging,
but the experience of creating it can be challenging as well. I have collaborated
with other artists on the themes of immigrant and working-class labor, maternal practice,
and environmental issues. Unmasked came about as my world become constricted during the pandemic. This past year I have
rarely ventured out other than a daily walk. While wandering my neighborhood I discovered
a new type of urban detritus—the discarded mask. Seemingly more toxic than the usual
trash with the potential of containing a deadly virus, the masks seemed emblematic
of how American society during Covid-19 has become viewed without its own pernicious
filters. With the screen removed, inequality of income, race, and gender, the erosion
of democracy, and climate change have become glaringly obvious. This project has been
about examining the tossed off camouflage and the changes caused by the pandemic.
Karen Schwenkmeyer is a photographer and multi-media artist whose work has been exhibited
nationally. A frequent collaborator, she recently created a rear screen video and
slide projection work along with artist and animator Lisa Mann on the second story
sleeping porch of the Gamble House as part of ArtNight Pasadena. The Servants explored
the economic underpinnings that built the historic Arts and Crafts masterpiece. She
is a founding member of M.A.M.A. (Mother Artists Making Art). M.A.M.A. made works
that represented maternal experience within contemporary American culture. And she
collaborates with The Artists Formerly Known as Women in making art that addresses
water and environmental issues in Southern California. She is an adjunct Photography
instructor at numerous Southern California community colleges. As a former board member
of FAR (the Foundation for Art Resources) and West Region SPE (the Society for Photographic
Education) she has organized conferences, curated exhibitions and large art events.
She holds a MFA in Photography from California Institute of the Arts and BA in Anthropology
from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Karen Schwenkmeyer began teaching at Cerritos College in 2004, including PHOT100 (Introductory
Photography), PHOT150 (History of Photography), and PHOT160 (Photography and Society).
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