jjoldersma

[jjoldersma]

Interview with artist Jody Joldersma

Excited to feature this interview with Jody Joldersma…

Where are you from? How did you get into creative work and what is your impetus for creating?

I grew up in central PA. I divided my time between living in a conservative Pennsylvania town with my hippie single mother and spending weekends and holidays on my grandparents’ farm in the northern mountains. It was only at the farm that I felt free to be myself, to be wild. My mother, an artist herself, fed my mind from an early age with books, art, and nature, instilling a general curiosity. We didn’t have a lot of money so art became a source of entertainment in the form of new books, and even toys which I fashioned out of recycling and found objects. Art became a form of alchemy for my young self, where anything I could imagine could take form. As I got older I realized I could use art to connect with others, tell stories, and envision a different world. When imagination is manifest through art we create a blue print of other possibilities for reality.

Where is it from, Jody Joldersma, 2016

Tell me about your current/upcoming show/exhibit/book/project and why it’s important to you. What do you hope people get out of your work?

My next show is at A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn, NY - a non-profit arts organization founded in 1972. It is an artist run organization and exhibition space that supports the open exchange of ideas and risk-taking by women artists in order to provide support and visibility. The show is titled Active Directions of the Mind and is a National Members group show curated by Alexis Wilkinson. It opens May 23rd and runs until June 23rd.

Regarding my work, I believe there are layers like an onion - on the surface I strive for it to be visually striking and instantly affect the viewer with an aesthetic and emotional response, followed by a deeper layer of symbolism and storytelling due to the universal ideas we have as humans, and especially as women. There is also the core which includes the specific intentions and personal stories that inspire my own vision. I want people to see universal stories in what I create because it becomes a human connection through time we can share with each other. I’m ok with a certain level of projection but I dislike when my work is inaccurately interpreted - it is ecological and feminist above all else.

Does collaboration play a role in your work—whether with your community, artists or others? How so and how does this impact your work?

A large portion of my work is done independently, but I have collaborated on multiple books, residencies, curating, and of course group shows. I also feel like there is a new kind of indirect collaboration because of social media and live content. I’m constantly collaborating with other artists via the dynamic sharing of their work and ideas. I also have the community of Seattle artists where there are many strong women artists and women-run galleries.

Take a Leap, Jody Joldersma, 2014

Considering the political climate, how do you think the temperature is for the arts right now, what/how do you hope it may change or make a difference?

I think because it is such a dark time of upheaval we aren’t as revolutionary as we need to be. There is a tendency to hole up in our own bubbles rather than seeing a larger context. While I do see art that is revolutionary and questioning power, it doesn’t seem to being happening in many mainstream galleries. Art has always been a place for unpopular ideas, to challenge convention, but it feels like in today’s climate not upsetting anyone is the prevailing mantra. My work tries to go against this trend, often challenging the viewer with difficult or taboo subject matter.

Artist Wanda Ewing, who curated and titled the original LFF exhibit, examined the perspective of femininity and race in her work, and spoke positively of feminism, saying “yes, it is still relevant” to have exhibits and forums for women in art; does feminism play a role in your work?

Yes! The focus of my work is feminism, ecology, and comparing the artifice of femininity/gender roles verses my own experience of being a woman. My most powerful experiences have been primarily woman only – I was an artist teacher through AmeriCorps and am an alumni of Soapbox Inc.’s Feminist Camp. Within those environments there was a different perspective, one notoriously silenced - it provided a sense of safety, the ability to relax, and to truly exist for the first time. I’ve had many negative experiences with men in the arts - because of both sexist or predatory behavior. I tend to gravitate to showing my work in female friendly venues for that reason.

Ewing’s advice to aspiring artists was “you’ve got to develop the skill of when to listen and when not to;” and “Leave. Gain perspective.”  What is your favorite advice you have received or given?

I love that! I’ve definitely incorporated a similar notion in my own life – it’s good to hear critiques, even if brutal, because it’s the main way one grows. “You don’t draw much, do you? You need to stop copying” was the first thing my drawing professor in college said to me. I was devastated at the time, but he was also right - I needed to be unsettled and open my mind to unlearning my bad habits. It’s also important to remember not everyone has the same goals or consciousness with their art as you do, so not every criticism needs to be given the same weight.

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https://www.jjoldersma.com/

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Les Femmes Folles is a volunteer organization founded in 2011 with the mission to support and promote women in all forms, styles and levels of art from around the world with the online journal, print annuals, exhibitions and events; originally inspired by artist Wanda Ewing and her curated exhibit by the name Les Femmes Folles (Wild Women). LFF was created and is curated by Sally Deskins.  LFF Booksis a micro-feminist press that publishes 1-2 books per year by the creators of Les Femmes Folles including the award-winning Intimates & Fools (Laura Madeline Wiseman, 2014) , The Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters: Ten Tales (Laura Madeline Wiseman/Lauren Rinaldi, 2015 and Mes Predices (catalog of art/writing by Marie Peter Toltz, 2017).Other titles include Les Femmes Folles: The Women 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 available on blurb.com, including art, poetry and interview excerpts from women artists. A portion of the proceeds from LFF books and products benefit the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Wanda Ewing Scholarship Fund.

Current call for collaborative art-writing: http://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/post/181376606692/lff-2019-artistpoet-collaborations

Current call: What does being a womxn mean to you? http://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/post/183697785757/what-does-being-a-womxn-today-mean-to-youyour

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Pictures from the Artists//Animals show at the Jefferson Museum in Port Townsend. Up until Dec 31st! #womenartists #jeffersonmuseum #porttownsend #jail (at Port Townsend, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnl6wdsgcw6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=142rjvx1dmfkp

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My work featured in @rei Force of Nature. #rei #seattleart #womenartists

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Drawing handmaidens and their menz 😉 First steps on a new series of paintings!

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“Step on a Crack” - Centers of Gravity (Group Show) at Shoreline City Hall running through Sept 17. #seattleart #womenartists #feministart #shorelineart

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Sold some of my favs tonight! “The She Who‘s Forgotten” “That’s How It Is” “Kat With the Cat Eyes” “Smalla Holla” #firstthursday #seattleart #womenartists #feministart

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I’ll have 2 new pieces on display - “Triquetra of Our Girlhood” and “She Decides” at my studio for First Thursday Art Walk on 6/7 - #firstthursday #seattleart #womenartists

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Facing Disjunction at @airgallery curated by Judith Tolnick Champa #airgallery #womenartists #nycart #seattleart

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@airgallery National Artist Show opening Thursday 5/24 6-8pm #womenartists #airgallery #nycart #seattleart

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Creativity Persists opening at @cocaseattle curated by @jody.bento on view through May 26th. #cocaseattle #seattleart #firstthursday

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Sold all 4 of these guys on Thursday! . “Where Does It Go?” “Two Ladies and a Dog” “Frosted Flakes” “Burberry” . #seattleart #firstthursday #womenartists

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Join me at @ghostgallery for a Celebratory Group Show tomorrow night #seattleart #capitolhillseattle

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Tiny Tarot for the Trading Card Art Show at @gristleartgallery opening Saturday Dec 2nd in Brooklyn, NY #thetower #thepriest #thedevil #death

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“Warden of the Wood” for Our Daily Armor lll - The Virago in Contemporary Art and Adornment at @viragogallery - opening reception Saturday November 18th, 2017, 6-9pm #feministart #virago #seattleart

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"Maze of Misogyny" from the show Amazons and Trolls sold this past weekend. So glad it found a new home! You can read more about the show from an interview with @ghostgallery here: http://jjoldersma.com/amazons-interview . #feminism #feministart #amazons #trolls #trolling #fineart

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Just a few more days to see the National Artist show at @airgallery "Gathering Differences" - Images: Jody Joldersma "Become One" and "40 Acres and a Pony" #brooklyn #womenartists #feministart #airgallery

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at A.I.R. GALLERY