Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Cedarstrom.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Maggie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I had a very supportive upbringing. My family always liked to talk about ideas, be outside, be open and accepting. I always loved art, reading, music, anything that expressed inexpressible things.
I’m a little sister, and my big sister was a high achiever. She was a very driven and talented artist herself, and I basically watched her and learned. She did everything right and never made enough money. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 26 and lived until age 34, the age I’ll be this June. She passed away in 2014, right when I was in my final year of graduate school completing my MFA.
I really decided to keep making art just to stay awake in my life. My thesis ended up being basically a letter to my dead sister, just something as powerful and simple as that. I keep making paintings to keep our relationship alive and to keep myself present.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would say don’t get caught up in things that don’t matter and don’t serve you. Life is way too short to worry about things like your eyebrows, your clothes, whether or not people think you LOOK successful. Success is just living the life you want with truth and kindness. Be forthright, be kind, don’t take shit from people.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Maggie Cedarstrom – what should we know?
I wish we could all focus less on ‘brand’. We’re not commodities, we’re humans!
I make paintings, prints and drawings that deal with the body and wrestle with the tension between vulnerability and strength. The body of work I’m most proud of is what I managed to complete in the midst of my grief. I made monumental portraits of my own body, just sort of going through the motions of everyday life. I think it cuts to the heart of why I paint: it’s a visceral thing, a process through which I can sort of come home to myself and my own experience. The hope is that I can tap the universal experience of the body and make it relatable to non-painters. I want everyone to get it.
Which women have inspired you in your life?
Obviously my sister, but in terms of artists, there are so many artists I strive to emulate. Shortlist including Paula Rego, Kathe Kollwitz, Alice Neel, Nan Goldin, Louise Bourgeois. I want my work to feel like theirs does.
I also really love the written works of Maggie Nelson, Lydia Davis, Laura Van Den Berg and Roxanne Gay. They do things with such economy of language that other writers can’t do in thousands of pages.
Contact Info:
- Address: 321 Washington Street Somerville, MA
- Website: Maggiecedarstrom.squarespace.com
- Email: maggie.cedarstrom@gmail.com
- Instagram: Maggiecedarstromarts
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