Spotlight on Local Artists is an occasional feature on artists who have worked with DC Creates Public Art. This week we feature Margaret Boozer, part of the Wilson Building Art Collection, an exhibition of local DC artists curated by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. This past summer we interviewed Margaret Boozer for the first time. This entry continues that discussion with her latest work.
Last night we visited the opening of Accumulation by artist Margaret Boozer at Project 4 Gallery. We spoke to Boozer to learn about her creative process and this new exhibition.
Boozer is internationally renowned for her sculptural works, whose materials hail from the very earth we trample on (or avoid) every day. Influenced by her environment, she uses local materials found near her studio, specifically rich red clay from Mount Rainier. Boozer kiln fires these clay pieces, working with existing textures and colors, often enhancing their natural beauty.
Combining the pieces in sprawling or geometric forms, Boozer assembles her work on the bottom floor of her home and snaps aerial photos to serve as templates. She and her team of assistants then assemble the pieces into a finished work by projecting these templates onto a wall. Boozer says although the template provides a guide, a significant portion of each work is created fresh during the fabrication process. When the piece is de-installed, individual parts can be combined into a totally new work, rendering her creations both temporary and permanent. Boozer named her exhibition Accumulation because it represents her years collecting pieces of the earth. Some objects have been manipulated, others she displays as she found them.
With “an eye for painting and a mind for experimentation,” her work is “unexpectedly recognizable as a variety of subject matter that crosses genres between representation and abstraction, painting and sculpture.” (Project 4) Boozer likes the detail and expanse of her projects, noting that her pieces are equally striking in full and in close view (see photos below). As she continues to play with shape, color and texture, Boozer’s creations become increasingly satisfying in their rich complexity.
Photos by Kendra Anderson
For more information on Margaret Boozer and Red Dirt Studio, visit http://www.margaretboozer.com.
To see Accumulation visit the gallery at 1353 U St NW, 3rd floor, or log onto http://www.project4gallery.com/
For more about DC Creates Public Art Artists, call 202.724.5613.
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