DEGREES UNEDITED

Dana Hargraves, a graduate who featured in a-n’s Degree show supplement 98 publication, discusses her current practice including a recent residency in South Africa.

After graduating from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee University, in Scotland, I made a life changing decision to relocate to the United States to complete my MFA. At the time I saw this as a wonderful opportunity to travel and continue my art education; I never thought I would end up emigrating! I attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) for three years from 1999-2001 with financial help through a Teaching Assistantship. Through the assistantship I taught a variety of semester long art courses for undergraduates which gave me valuable experience of the classroom and curriculum development. During the three years at SIUC I also had dedicated time to produce, study and exhibit art. My scope as an artist broadened and deepened during this time and much of the ideas that I questioned then, I still question today. Ten years later, I am pleased to have a network of support for my research through gallery representation with the Bridgette Mayer Gallery in Philadelphia and a teaching position at Rollins College, Florida, as an Assistant Professor of Art.

Utilising technological advances such as online galleries, CD ROM portfolios, blogs and opportunity informing RSS feeds, I have recently found it easier to be proactive with my career. As always, artistic opportunities also open up through less hi-tech means and traditional networking, such as being in the right place at the right time and keeping in contact with mentors, peers and friends. In the end, it always comes down to the art itself, so I make sure that I prioritise my studio practice.

I have seen my artwork evolve and grow since finishing my BFA ten years ago. However, the underpinning thesis remains the same: I am still interested in the landscape as a subject and I am still interested in how the landscape is framed and represented by our culture. Each time I change my location, the art follows suit; it becomes almost a visual journal for me. I respond to the environment and try to maintain a sensitivity, offering critical thought and personal insight by making new connections within my artworks. Following a recent residency at Greatmore Studios in Cape Town, South Africa, my work has taken a turn into a more emotive, metaphorical response. This is partly due to the reason of the journey: wanting to meet my biological father and sister for the first time in their home country. While living in Cape Town, I was daunted by the amount of security around people’s homes – barbed wire, high walls and security gates were the norm in certain parts of town. I used this imagery in the form of patterns to weave intricate designs and motifs that become a metaphor for the emotional and intellectual barriers that people erect consciously and subconsciously in their relations with each other: cross cultural relations healing in Cape Town or father-daughter relations that take years to build. Sometimes it is hard to stay open and receptive as an artist (and human being) with the many forces at play. This struggle has surfaced in my new work and I believe it may become the driving force behind my next solo exhibition with the Bridgette Mayer Gallery in November 2008.

www.danahargrove.com
www.mayerartconsultants.com
greatmoreart.org

Dana Hargrove

Dana Hargrove

www.danahargrove.com