As Museum Week’s theme this year is togetherness, we thought it would be fitting to highlight Mark Shoffner and Rebecca Herman this week. They are a husband and wife artist partnership and together they will be the Artist in Residence at SJMQT this Fall. Their work explores ideas that many of us are confronted with during quarantine, such as inside vs. outside space, our relationships to one another, and new opportunities for interaction.
What materials and processes are utilized in your body of work?
Over the last few years, we have been hand-dyeing fabric for installation pieces. Most of our work incorporates geometric designs from Islamic art, based on sites that have been damaged or destroyed during armed conflict. Our process involves research, drawing, creating a design on fabric, mixing and thickening Procion dyes, hand-painting, washing and finishing the fabric. In some cases, the dyed pieces become part of a larger installation, such as Personal Shrine (exhibited at a nature preserve in PA).
Describe the main differences of your 'old' studio to your 'Shelter in Place' studio.
We often work at our home in San Francisco, using our dining area, garage, or outdoors—any space we can commandeer. (We are collaborators and a married couple.) So, that aspect of the work has not changed too much. We now have our daughter here with us, and there’s some competition for time and space, along with other work. (Mark is also a textbook writer, Rebecca teaches art.) So, there is a bit of a juggling act as we prepare a large fabric installation piece for the San Francisco Public Library.
What are the largest obstacles you need to overcome (immediately, near future, distant future)?
Some of our paid work such as art teaching is “on hold” during the crisis, so that has freed up some time for art-making; however, we need to find ways to replace lost income. We are also running our own home-school for our daughter, like most parents, and that is a challenge no matter your occupation. So shifting our work schedules around, juggling many projects/concerns, and finding enough space while we are all at home, possibly for months is a big challenge. Getting enough fabric to create a large installation may be both a challenge and an opportunity... it might lead to some creative problem-solving. Let’s see how it goes! We are also trying to produce some cloth masks that can be used by workers who need to be in public, using fabric from previous pieces; our daughter has been helping out.
What are you currently reading/ listening to?
We are listening to upbeat music to keep our spirits up and the work flowing. UB40, the Labour of Love album, has been a particular favorite. We’ve got a nice, old fashioned record player in our workspace... and it’s a nice break from digital music, Zoom calls for work and school (also important.)
What advice would you give to other creatives at this moment in time?
Maybe our training as artists has prepared us to deal with a certain amount of... uncertainty. Let's all try to tap into that well of resilience we've developed, or have admired in other people/times/places, to help us get through this crisis and help those on the front lines, as much as we can.
What drew you to the fiber art medium over others?
We were drawn to this field because of its flexibility. To give a quick example, last year we hand-dyed five large fabric panels, packed them in our suitcases, and flew across the country. When we arrived on site, we built a wooden frame in a beautiful meadow in the Poconos Mountains region of PA. We attached the fabric panels, creating a contemplative space for visitors. The qualities of the fabric-lightweight, breathing in the wind, and the vivid colors we were able to get with the hand-dyeing process were essential to the piece. Rebecca studied sculpture during her MFA (Parsons), and Mark did painting (CUNY), so we come from a somewhat different background that has converged in fiber art over the last five years. We plan to continue. So much to learn and explore.
What artist, who works in a different medium, informs your practice?
So many artists... from Andy Goldsworthy, Ruth Asawa, and Isamu Noguchi to Barnett Newman. We’re also very interested in geometric design and architecture found in the Islamic world, as well as other cultures not specifically “our own.”
What are you looking forward to doing again once Shelter in Place is over?
We look forward to installing work we’ve been planning and making in isolation. Our work is not complete until people see it, and interact with it. Oh, and a big gathering with loved ones and everyone... far away from our home (which we are so fortunate to have).
