Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Evans.
Laura, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in a large Quaker family in Philadelphia. The principles of integrity, simplicity and truth permeated not just my education but our household. I learned at an early age to say what I meant simply, to respect others and to recognize and appreciate the beauty that’s all around us. It was a lively and fun childhood for me with many cousins, family camping trips, nature experiences, music, sports and art. My K-12 Quaker education and experience as a student at the new “experimental” Hampshire College nurtured my curiosity and a sense of my own agency in the world. I also had excellent art teachers! I was always interested in art, among many other things, but my experience at Hampshire confirmed that this would be my path.
After graduation, I moved to Boston, taught at an alternative high school and eventually attended Boston University for an MFA in studio teaching. Simultaneously, I got married and we started a family. I had earned a BA in painting but transitioned to sculpting when my children were young. During this time, I saved and re-used brown paper bags, creating a series called 365 Bag Lunches. I drew, painted or collaged a bag a day. Gradually my work became denser, more three dimensional, and cried to come off the wall! This was not what I had expected, but eventually I embraced the new direction, thinking of it as an experiment, and have never looked back. My children’s open exploration and play with objects and materials reawakened that original joyful curiosity about how to create meaning.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
A sculpture’s presence must be understood in relation to the viewer’s physical self and the space of the environment, I find this a complex and compelling challenge. My sculptures hover between mundane recognizable objects and mysterious abstracted forms that reference the body. By joining dissimilar materials using simple, hand-built processes, I aim to create new vocabularies and sculptures that are hard to categorize. Much of my work is site-responsive and re-purposes ephemeral materials. My aesthetic is minimal, with no tricks. I seek to expose my process and the idiosyncratic effects of ‘the artist’s hand’.
How can artists connect with other artists?
I would advise any artist who is new to Boston to understand that there is a large and wide-ranging community of artists and other creatives here and it may take some exploring and research to find your “crowd”. You definitely need to make those connections, so go to First Friday art openings, neighborhood Open Studios, artists talk or panel discussions, performances and all types of cultural events. Boston is full of them! Did I mention to work hard? Find a space to work where you are near other artists and dedicate yourself to the process of discovery. You need to continue to develop your art. Of course, there will always be frustrations, self-doubt, excitement and big changes…it’s not easy… but there are other creative people who understand what it takes and have still chosen to pursue their art. You’re not alone.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
-My exhibition, “Greater Than”, at Boston Sculptors Gallery, just ended recently, May 9-June 10, 2018. View more work here on my artist page: https://bostonsculptorsgallery.squarespace.com/artists/#/laura-evans/. A review of this exhibition was published on the blog Delicious Line: https://deliciousline.org/review/281
-The artist studio building at 535 Albany Street in Boston’s South End, where I work, will be hosting an art P*ART*Y on First Friday, November 2 from 5-8pm. More than 20 building artists will open their studios for this event.
-my website: www.lauraevansart.com
Contact Info:
- Address: 535 Albany Street, 2nd floor
Boston, MA 02118 - Website: www.lauraevansart.com
- Phone: 617-872-3998
- Email: levansart@mac.comm
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levansart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/levansart
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/evans_levansart
- Other: https://bostonsculptorsgallery.squarespace.com/artists/#/laura-evans/
Image Credit:
Stewart Clements photo.
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