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All images ©LaFontsee Galleries. May not be reproduced without written permission.
Marianne Menger • Statement
This statement is meant to briefly inform viewers of who I am as an artist, not to dictate how the work should be perceived.
What I know, connect with, or have deeply experienced and love is what I paint. Many hours are spent walking outdoors, looking and absorbing. Being in nature for me is more than a visual experience, it impacts all senses. To convey these experiences I try to create an image that will depict what one might feel instead of literally see. One of the methods I use to accomplish this is to expound on or repeat a specific detail or impression. Utilizing a shallow depth of field while maintaining a sense of volume, is another. To me they are meditative, and reflective paintings.
In most cases I think about a painting much more than I sketch for it. There are times when I have a very specific outcome in mind, which leads to deliberate painting. In other instances I let things happen organically. In either case methodically mixing colors has to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of painting. I find great satisfaction in the infinite shades and possibilities. Since I only use a few colors within a painting those colors, or color, are critical. The color and/or texture must be significantly complex or conversely subtle enough to hold the viewer in.
While I strive to create without extraneous influence it is ludicrous to think that art is made without building on its history. So it may be interesting to note a few of my influences; Milton Avery, Agnes Marten, Mark Tobey, James Turrell, Indian and Persian miniatures, calligraphy, and Japanese woodblock prints.
My work is not intended to be academic or mired in metaphor. For me it is visceral. Ideally, when my work is seen, I would like the viewer to feel. Having said that; ultimately it's left to the viewer to react with, experience, interpret and think about.
Marianne Menger • Biography
EDUCATION
1993
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2002-present
Studio Artist
1994-2001
Co-Owner, Antipodes Furniture, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1995-2001
Public Programming, Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1998-2001
Director of Programming, Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1994-2001
Co-Owner, Antipodes Furniture, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1995-1998
Program/Education Coordinator, Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1994-1995
Program Coordinator/Administrative Assistant, Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1993-1994
Gallery Manager, Wenniger Graphics Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
1989-1993
Co-Director, Benson Hall Gallery; Teaching Assistant, Silkscreen 1 and Advanced Silkscreen, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island
ARTS-RELATED EXPERIENCE
2003-present
Lowell Area Arts Council, Gallery Committee Member 2003-present; Board Member 2004-present, Lowell, Michigan
2005
Lowell Area Arts Council, Curator, “Water Wonderland: Michigan’s Fragile Resource,” Lowell, Michigan
2004
Lowell Area Arts Council, Judge and Juror, 18th West Michigan Regional, Lowell, Michigan
2003-present
Lowell Area Arts Council, Gallery Committee Member; Board Member, Lowell, Michigan
1996-2001
Reach Fitchburg, Founding Member, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1994-2001
Fitchburg Cultural Alliance, President 1998-2000; Vice President 1996-1998; Board Member 1994-2001, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1994-2000
Fitchburg Art Museum, Curator, “Regional Exhibition of Art and Craft,” Annual Exhibition, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1996-2000
Fitchburg Art Museum, Curator, “New England New Talent,” Biennial Exhibition, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
2000
Decordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Juror, “Art in the Park,” Lincoln, Massachusetts
Gardner Art Association, Juror, “Annual Member Exhibition,” Gardner, Massachusetts
1999
Fitchburg Art Museum, Curator, “Monadnock,” Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1998
Rhode Island School of Design, Visiting Critic, Graduate and Undergraduate Glass Department, Providence, Rhode Island
Fitchburg Art Museum, Curator, “Tureen,” Fitchburg, Massachusetts
1997
Natures Art Organization, Juror, “International Nature Fine Arts Competition,” Millbury, Massachusetts
Nashua Art Association, Juror, “Annual Art Show,” Nashua, New Hampshire
1996
Fitchburg Art Museum, Curator, “Celebration of Light,” Fitchburg, Massachusetts
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2005
Grand Rapids Art Museum, “Festival of the Arts,” Juried Exhibition, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Lowell Area Arts Council, “The Zipcode Show,” Lowell, Michigan
2004
Lowell Area Arts Council, “Art Attack,” Lowell, Michigan
