Meet the Artist: Ruthann Mazrim

Interview with Mixed Media Artist Ruthann Mazrim

Curiosities on view in the Prairie Art Alliance Gallery until Thursday June 19th

Cicadas, mended leaves, old books, silk covered bark, binary code?  Where did the inspiration for your work in the Curiosities show at the Prairie Art Alliance Gallery start?

I collected the cicada wings in the summer of 2011. Our backyard was literally teeming with cicadas. I couldn’t avoid them. As they died, I picked the wings off the bodies – with no idea what I would do with them.  They stayed in an empty yogurt container for months. Then I happened to read a delightful book about a Victorian era butterfly collector.  That led to more reading about botanical collections and curiosity cabinets. I was intrigued. The cicadas became a somewhat curious collection.

The artwork in this exhibition contains a lot of text.  What made you decide to include text in your artwork?

I wanted to label the collections and identify them, but found so much interesting information I guess I just wanted to share it.  I had to learn to limit what I wanted to share – at times I would include so much text that the object would get lost.

What comes first in your process, the art objects or the text?

The objects come first, and then I spend hours looking for scientific and literary references. I especially enjoy finding 18^th or 19^th century text. The language is so interesting.

How do you get the text on the glass?

I use a Dremel etching tool.

You have used binary code in some of your book pieces.  What inspired the pairing of the organic antique books with the computer language?

The binary code is a symbol for the speculation about the possible demise of printed books.  Might books become a curiosity?   The books I use have paper so brittle that it sometimes crumbles, much like the dried plant material. It seems a natural addition to botanicals and curiosities.

What message do you hope to give visitors to your show?

Stop and take a closer look. Be curious. Wonder.

What is next for you as an artist?

I’ll probably experiment with botanical material for a while – see where it takes me. I wish I could say I have a plan, but I don’t. I seem to work better without one.

Stay turned for interviews with the other artists featured in Curiosities on view in the Prairie Art Alliance Gallery until Thursday June 19th.