PHOENIX —
Name:
Megan Merchant
How did you get started in the art or music world?
When Covid hit, we ended up quarantining for an entire year, during which I took on the role of educating my children. I am a poet, a professional writer, and editor, and during this time the words just weren’t available to me. Once I was shut out from the noise and visuals of the everyday, my own internal word went quiet.
Also, a lot of my attention and energy were funneled into my children’s needs and well-being. To balance this, I needed a different creative outlet, one where I could still engage with image and imagination. I tried painting for the first time in my adult life. I had no idea what I was doing, but it was something that I could experiment with while still helping my children with their lessons.
The more that I engaged with a canvas and brush, the more I realized how much I loved the process. It offered a lot of enjoyment and enough sanity that I kept at it, eventually moving into collage and mixed media.
How would you describe yourself as an artist?
I love asking the question “What would happen if …?”. Because I don’t have any formal training in visual arts (my MFA is in International Creative Writing), it’s all playtime.
I am curious and constantly trying new things—incorporating new elements, layering, exploring unconventional materials, etc. I am also an artist who strives to find / echo / or create meaning in my work. I recently started a new project embedding pieces into vintage ammo boxes.
The art pieces themselves are composites that illuminate an image of an “Unidentified Female” from the Smithsonian Open Access Archives. That relationship between the ammo boxes and these women who have been lost in the archives of history feels really important.
What is your favorite medium?
I love collage—using my hands and an array of elements. It’s not unlike building a poem—making greater meaning and wisdom from fragments, images, echoes of life, and representations of experience/self.
What motivates you to create?
If I am not creating, then I feel like I’m disappearing. Without art, writing, or poetry, I am consuming more than I am offering the world, and my sense of self gets swallowed in the everyday to-do’s of mothering, work, and adulting. Creativity is a way of moving through the world, not just a thing that I do. It draws my attention to details, conversations, and moments that I might otherwise overlook. It’s also an important bridge that offers connection and community.
What was the inspiration behind the piece selected to be featured as an ArtPop?
This piece is a composite that uses hand-dyed tissue paper, a glass negative, and a photo that I took of my youngest son. The meaning behind it is two-fold. One, I have a lot of concern for the future that my children are inheriting. It feels like they are up against so much—the sea-level rise due to global warming, the deluge of violence in our society, a widespread lack of empathy, and the destruction of our planet. Something as simple as dropping my children off at school can feel overwhelming. I wanted to create a piece that reflects this.
The second meaning behind the image is more intimate. My youngest son has special needs (he has epilepsy and is on the spectrum) and daily life can sometimes prove to be a struggle. There are days when I watch him try his best to navigate the complexities of this world or to engage with his peers, and it’s like I’m slowly watching him drown. I wanted to give that feeling of helplessness a container.
How can people find you?
My art, books, and writing can be found here: https://meganmerchant.wixsite.com/poet. I can also be found here: www.shiversong.com for editing and professional writing services. Additionally, I have a few pieces as part of the “Embedded Art Program” at the Found:Re https://foundrecontemporary.com/?s=Megan%20Merchant&post_type=product&fbclid=IwAR1qNU9S3pB4CekjAEo2KUeVS2Voxr3D3fQvKasJ8_ilZa8d9krSxZYDBT0
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