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Interview: Kimberly Schneeman
August 8, 2005
1. How long have you been a resident in Siskiyou County?
I have been here for one year.
What brought you here?
I was in transition and in a position to move and be available to whatever opportunities were being offered at the time. I was heading back from San Francisco and my vehicle actually broke down in Mt. Shasta. I started walking around and was like, 'Wow this place is beautiful.' So I was able to get a job, and then I met Brooke and they need someone on the arts council board. since I had just earned my degree in art it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to get involved on an administrative level.
2. Can you give a short explanation of your specialty or your artistic medium?
I work with found objects and I like to deal with social issues. I like to play with the title in relationship to the objects that I am able to put together. I do a lot of installation work where I create an entire environment. I have also done tableaus, and performance pieces.
Can you give one example?
One huge piece I did was called Kiaros, which means an appointed time. I built a brick wall and I used a door as a representation for the the spiritual. The door was a screen. I had a DVD loop that ran so there was the whole issue of continual, lapsing time. The way I was able to represent that was that the film itself was of the circle and the crosshairs with the counting down of numbers from 10-9-8 etc.... Then I had screens on either side of the walls that I was able to paint. They sort of represented the third dimension. This is just my own dialogue on this. People are supposed to take whatever they want from it. I don't like to explain my work too much because I would rather have the audience converse about it and try to figure out their own meaning.
3. How long have you been making art (professionally and unprofessionally)?
Even as a child I remember having the ability to create. My mom was really good at facilitating that. I have always been able to use some sort of craft as a means of living. I can create patterns and make clothing. I was doing a lot of that out of my home when my children were young. I would do daycare and do crafts with the children. I helped to start the Girls and Boys Club where we had the after school enrichment program. Our main goal was to provide creative activities for children who otherwise would be heading home and not have anything to do except watch T.V. or play Nintendo. As far as professionally, or this means of work I have been doing recently, all stems from going back to college with the intention of learning graphic design because I was working for a marketing firm at the time. I eventually went back to school two fold. Number one for graphic and that eventually turned into multimedia and then possibly teaching. Then I found out that I really enjoyed ceramics and sculpture and then this whole idea of installation work. So, a lot of my work has been inspired by other artists who are doing similar work but then there is your whole individual concept that gets thrown in there.
4. Is art your full time career?
No.
5. What else do you do as a profession?
Well, I just got finished teaching for six weeks at the Summer Youth program. We offered an art component. Then, I have been working doing a lot of restaurant work.
6. Have you had any formal art education?
I got my Bachelor of Science in art as Southern Oregon University in multimedia, sculpture and design. I also enjoyed painting. Also, my mono-prints have been pretty strong.
7. Have you had any special mentors that have influenced you and your style?
Yeah, for sure. One of them was my art teacher in high school who my father had also. His name is Mr. Chancy. He was a crack up and he really encouraged me. He could see that I had a gift and I didn't even recognize it at the time. His personality and his energy has stayed with me throughout my life. Several of my instructors, like my painting instructor, were intense characters. These are people who were able to help me move past certain spaces in order to develop and create a body of work. Also helping me to get through stagnant times and keep me moving.
I also had the opportunity to go back to New York to work with Andres Serrano as his assistant. I was pulling resources and networking for him. I helped him on his America show. He is the one that did, Piss Christ. There was a huge controversy over this piece. It was a once in a lifetime deal because he doesn't usually work with other people. So it was a real honor to have that opportunity.
8. Can you talk a little about your experience as an artist in Siskiyou County? (In other words, what is unique about being an artist in this area?) (Pros and Cons) (economic, cultural, physical/geographic)
Mainly, I have just been an advocate for the arts and I have been on the arts board. I am helping to make decisions. Also, I have had some opportunities to put some work up and around on Third Friday. I have been helping Brooke whenever I can with that. I have a piece over at Run of The Mill art show in McCloud. I had some work down at Has beans. Also, I have been documenting the Peace Mural Project. So far I have done a thirty minute spot for MCTV and a ten minute spot. I have also been documenting the third Friday art walk. I already mentioned the summer youth camp where I was teaching art to children. We provided an art component and we hired seven artists. The Recreation and Parks district provided all the materials needed to have this class to build a foundation for the Arts Bus Project. The idea was to give them as much art in as many different mediums as possible and to employ local artists.
9. Do you feel like art in Siskiyou County has any prominent trends or patterns?
Well you know, you have tourist here who are really looking for more crafty kinds of things. I do see people who are highly motivated, who are young and out there trying to make things happen. Then you have the other people who have been hear for a lot of years. They are really picky and not on the same page. But if you were all on the same page things would be really hoping here. There are a lot of conventions that are holding people back from really being able to experience some awesome energy in Mount Shasta in terms of art and music. For example, some of the galleries not being open or having their openings on the third Friday. Its like, 'HELLO!' Here we are trying to provide you with business and you're not open.
10. If you had to describe your style in a few words how would you do this? First 5 words that come to mind?…
Again, I just relate back to the multimedia, sculpture, installation, performance tableaus with social and conceptual commentary.
11. What is it about making art and the creative process that you find most interesting or are most passionate about?
I am all into the process and I like the end result of what I can accomplish with the materials that are out there. Also, I like the public’s response, positive or otherwise, it doesn't matter. It is just the fact that they are responding.
12. Do you have one particularly interesting story about your adventures as an artist? The most unusual work you've done, the hardest work, the most interesting commission, celebrities you’ve worked with, your biggest success story or biggest failure, or your earliest memory of making art.
I was back in New York a second time working on the gates project with Christo in Central Park on his installation crew. That was absolutely a once in a lifetime deal. On the crew, not many people even knew who Christo was so it was really interesting to educate them and let them know where he was at as an artist or what I have perceived and/or learned about him. His work has been very influential for me too because I love fabric and many of those ideas.
13. Is there any way you would like to see your county arts organization better assist you?
Well, I would love to see the Arts Bus project up and running. Because this is such a huge county it is the only way I can see the arts council filling their mandate. You gotta have wheels to reach everybody.