INTERDISCIPLINARY FIBRE AND PAINTING, 2000
ALUMNI DISCOVERY INITIATIVE, INTERVIEW BY ARKATYIIS MILLER, 2015
Based in Queens, NY, Stratton was trained in fiber and painting, with an MFA in studio art. In 2003 she co-founded the artist-run organization, Threewalls (Chicago), where she was artistic and then executive director for 12 years. At Threewalls, she organized exhibitions with over 100 artists, including Cauleen Smith, William Cordova, Claire Pentecost, Dani Leventhal, Betsy Odom, Edie Fake, Zach Cahill and Daniel Barrow. With Threewalls she co-created The Propeller Fund award in collaboration with Gallery 400 for artist’s self-organizing; conceived and published 4 volumes of PHONEBOOK, a national guide to grass-roots and artist-run organizations across the US; and co-organized the first Hand-in-Glove conference which would lead to the founding of Common Field, a national organization in support of artist-focused organizations.
"An image from my class Party As Form, that I teach at OxBow School of Art in Michigan on occasion. I feel like it sums up my approach to art administration — that is, being a 'host.'"
Photo credit: Ben Fain.
Arkatyiss MILLER: When did you graduate from ACAD? What was your major? Do you continue to work in this area or did you change areas of interest?
Shannon Rae STRATTON: I was an "interdisciplinary" student studying in fibre and painting and I graduated in 2000. I am no longer a studio artist, although the work I did as BFA student did inform the focus of my curatorial work to some degree.
MILLER: A lot of graduates use the ACAD degree as a creative stepping stone. So, what do you do? How has what you do evolved since graduation? How did your education at ACAD direct your career?
STRATTON: I'm a pretty traditional fine art graduate in that I went on to take my MFA in fibre, followed by another MA in art history, theory and criticism that focused on fibre and social practice. So I would say that my education at ACAD directed me down a very predictable contemporary art avenue, with my studies in fibre at ACAD leading to my focus as a graduate student. Now I'm the Chief Curator at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, which is a museum with a history as craft-focused institution. So, I guess I could say that my trajectory has bounced along a path of studio and conceptual contemporary craft.
MILLER: What would you like to be recognized for?
STRATTON: Oh dear — probably what I spent 12 years doing in Chicago! Which was founding and directing an artist-run not-for-profit called Threewalls that spearheaded a number of initiatives in that city, including standardizing an artist fee for artists exhibiting with us.
MILLER: Given your experience, what advice would you give a student when it comes to establishing a creative business?
STRATTON: Find the right balance between risk and caution, probably heavy on the risk.
MILLER: What insights did your years at ACAD give you when looking at things?
STRATTON: ACAD exposed to me the artist-run gallery network in Canada and what an artist-community can do support new culture. It was the experience that has guided my entire career.
MILLER: After graduation, what obstacles did you encounter and how did you overcome them?
STRATTON: I went to graduate school a year after graduating from ACAD, so I didn't have any obstacles to deal with until that was over another three years later. It was, and continues to be, school debt.
MILLER: How could you imagine ACAD supporting our alumni?
STRATTON: Alumni exhibition? Book? Podcasts? Magazine? I'd like to know about all the great things ACAD alumni are doing and where they are at, and I would love to get those stories straight in my inbox. But also, ACAD could simply celebrate the great people who have studied there more often in order to continue to illustrate the impact that art and artists from Alberta have around the world.
MILLER: Why do you think that creativity matters in the big picture?
STRATTON: Why creativity matters in the big picture is such a big question. I mean, whole books are written about this! So I'll be simple and say, that I think an education in the arts is a really incredible experience as it teaches a person a set of critical thinking skills, opens them up to being inspired and influenced across many disciplines and fields, it teaches them risk, and develops an ability to translate across modes of communication. I think it develops a skill set for problem solving that is changing the social, cultural and even political landscape.
MILLER: Where does art fit into your future?
STRATTON: It’s my vocation! It’s how I navigate the world, so it’s always my future.