New Show! Opening Fri. 9/2

 

Present Parent?  New Art SHOW by Marin Magat

Present Parent?  Being a parent is a practice in staying present and being authentic.  Artist Marin Magat shares her experience as a new parent with two books designed to help us to have a daily, monthly, or annual conversation with ourselves and our children about who we are and what matters to us.  Illustrated with drawings and photographs, the books “May Your Jar Always Be Full” and “Let Me Tell You About…Our First Year,” will be displayed at Constellation Gallery (511 Congress St.) during the month of September.  This interactive show opens on First Friday, September 2, from 5:00-8:00 p.m.  There will also be a “Children’s Opening” from 10:30-12:00 a.m. which will have live music, crafts, and child care.

The show will benefit Birth Roots, a nonprofit that provides non-clinical, community based education and support through pregnancy and the first year of parenting.  With over a 1,000 grateful alumni on Facebook alone, Birth Roots is a unique resource to families navigating the challenge of becoming parents in today’s world.

Marin Magat is a multimedia visual artist.  Her work asks contemporary questions that connect us to our personal stories and to each other.  Magat’s show at Running with Scissors Gallery last April included four generations of women from her family.  The Portland Press Herald wrote “an unusually innovative, honest and engaging show… that virtually explodes with the conceptual and cultural potential of her straightforward questions.”  Magat has a B.A. in Studio Art from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and was trained at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina.  

Constellation Gallery is an artist collective in the Arts District of downtown Portland.  The Gallery houses six individual artist studios and also showcases other artist members working in a variety of media.  

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Marin to Present at PechaKucha Night!

Join me and 9 other presenters on Thursday, February17th

at SPACE Gallery 538 Congress St., Portland, Maine

(Doors open at 6:30 p.m.  Presentations start at 7:20 p.m.)

What is PechaKucha?  This is a presentation style developed in Japan where “creative” people have 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide to speak about their passions and projects.  Presentations tend to be lively and eclectic. 

My presentation is a letter to my daughter, Wesley, telling her about how she came to be (how by recovering my creativity I recovered from my physical illness.. enabling me to conceive her.)  The story is illustrated with my artwork.

Camp Sunshine Pumpkinfest @ L.L.Bean

It was a thrill to be hired by Camp Sunshine to carve 48 pumpkins for their annual PumpkinFest on the L.L. Bean campus.

The theme of the instillation was a “Lobster Parade.”   A Lobster Parade is the annual migration of lobsters in which they go in single file to avoid predation.  In the instillation some of the lobsters are caught–in traps!

The instillation was so popular that 1/2 of the pumkins were stollen!  Even the traps were sprung!



Spotlight on SEA Artists: MARIN MAGAT

Published in the July 2010 edition of the Munjoy Hill Observer

By Lori Rae Curole

Take the influence of three generations of women artists (including one artistically eccentric Ukrainian great grandmother)… add One smart cookie determined to sneak a Studio Art Major into a her more traditional studies of Anthropology & English at Bates College, and fast- forward 10 years from Bates & you get Marin Magat who discovered that art-making is a “window to the soul.”

So Marin, where did you grow up? I grew up in Durham, NC.

And you have lived since? I came to Maine for college and have lived off and on here for the last 10 years.

When did all this crazy art business begin? My great-grandmother came from Ukraine via Paris to live near us in North Carolina. She brought with her a fascination for the Expressionists and a strong odor of Linseed Oil that permeated her apartment/studio. Since I was young I was good at creating with my hands–whether figuring out an origami pattern or making a creche of figures out of red clay–yet it was my great-grandmother’s presence that filled me with interest and imagination for the larger world of art- making. At Bates College in 2000 I had my first opportunity at studio work and to participate in a gallery show. Believing that upon graduating I had to get a “serious job,” I put aside “serious art making” until late 2009 when I was laid off from a job. I challenged myself to create work for a new show/venue every month for 6 months. This culminated in a well-received show at running with scissors studio and gallery and included work of four generations of women in my family.

It would be hard for me not to focus on your last line “four generations of women artists.” Will you first talk about “nature” of coming from four generations of artists, and how your work may be similar/different…evolved? I actually do not think my experience is much different than any other great-granddaughter, granddaughter, niece, or daughter. This is why: most of the women in my lineage took many years to claim themselves as artists. I think this is probably pretty normal. Being a creative soul, an “artist”, is not an easy thing to do in our culture. The women in my family value being modern, independent, and professional. They did not see artists as having these characteristics. My grandmother did not start making art until she was 85 (she still calls it a “hobby”). My aunt did not start painting until she was 50. I was not comfortable claiming myself as an “artist” until I was 31. Only my great-grandmother, born in Ukraine, was an artist as long as I am aware.

Clarify if you majored in art, and/or were exposed to studio/ gallery work at Bates. I’m curious about “nature” of a natural gift vs. “nurture” of schooling and training. I majored in Studio Art (actually I majored–my other major was a combination of anthropology and English. My thesis looked at how native and non-native writers perceived rock art). Part of the way I justified being an art major was, not only that I did a second major, but also that I would be able to have my own studio space. I saw this opportunity as a once in a lifetime fix. After graduating I would not need to keep creating. Boy was I wrong. It just took 10 years to figure it out. I was exposed to a good art education at Bates but I think my experiences abroad in my childhood were the foundations for my connection to art. My family took 2 sabbaticals in France where we looked at the great artists of Europe. Going to 1-2 week workshops at Penland School of Crafts, renowned craft schools in the North Carolina Mountains have been of great influence to me.

Is there anything else you want to share with our readers, after all, it’s your 15 Minutes of Fame? Just 15 Minutes? True fame lies in the heart I would like to share that art making is a window to the soul through which I have found a deeper connection with family and myself. I think it takes great chutzpa to put oneself out there in this way. For this I am proud. I hope that my work moves others to look more deeply into themselves and the connections around them. What else is life for?

You can get a sense of my drawings and prints at: www.creativityisourtruecurrency.wordpress.com

Lori Rae Curole, is a SEA Member who shares a love for painting, writing, & raising awareness of emerging local artists. Join our SEA mailing list or become a member at www.seaportland.org

Art Review!

April 25                                                  Portland Press Herald

Art Review: Identity-oriented art asserts itself well at galleries

By DANIEL KANY

“….An unusually innovative, honest and engaging show of identity-oriented art is Marin Magat’s exhibition at Running With Scissors, “The Last Magat?” In it, the artist shows works by herself and three previous generations of women who have carried the Magat name.

In prominent label copy, Magat openly explains how the women in her family have been the artists while the men have passed on the name. The Bates College graduate informs us how she has chosen not to take her husband’s name and muses about what will happen when they have children — since she is the last of her named line.

While Magat shows some real promise as a printmaker, her exhibition virtually explodes with the conceptual and cultural potential of her straightforward questions…”

Read the full article

Welcome! 2 Weeks Left to See..

THE LAST MAGAT? ART BY FOUR GENERATIONS OF WOMEN WHO CARRY (OR CARRIED) THE NAME

Friday’s “Last Magat” Art Opening–Gratitude, Answers, & Photos

Dear Friends-

Friday’s “Last Magat” Art Opening was a many-layered and very special experience.  Thank you for sharing it with me and my family.

My gratitude to: Dear Penny and Linda for getting the space clean and ready, to gorgeous Amanda and Tara for graciously welcoming everyone, to swell Molly for her homegrown grounding eats and treats, to steller Liz and James for wo/maning the card/print table, to our INCREDIBLE musicians Laura and Matt who absolutely blew me away (still waltzing to the memory of your tunes), to awesome Brian (a.k.a. DJ Yimca) who wrapped up the night in his typical style including tango and mesmerizing bellydancing (by Emma Holder not by Brian), to my grandmother, grandfather, and aunts for the beautiful flowers, to my husband Ian for feeding me, and to the rest of you for wine, photos, feedback, and your presence.

In response to your questions:

YES INVITE your friends and colleagues to see the show (or come back for a second peak)!  Please refer back to this blog for updates of photos of the artwork and Opening.    The exhibit is up through the end of April and the gallery is (generally) open M-F from 10-5.   For a “tour” or other hours contact me directly at 207-252-9520 or marin.magat@gmail.com.

YES THE ARTWORK is for sale.  The prices range from $50-100 for my prints and drawings.  If you are interested in the Bennard oil painting, cast leaves, and redwood tables by my aunts I will put you in touch with them directly.  Please contact me if there is a piece that has stayed with you and that you would like to own. (also please keep in mind that some pieces may have sold.)

Lastly, upon leaving a guest said:
“This will stay with me for some time.”

This is exactly what I had hoped.

Love,
-Marin

Marin Magat

Dear Friends & Family-

I am excited to announce a new show:

THE LAST MAGAT?:  ART BY FOUR GENERATIONS OF WOMEN WHO CARRY (OR CARRIED) THE NAME.

The opening reception will be Friday, April 2 from 5-10 pm at running with scissors studios and gallery at 54 Cove Street in Portland.  (More info in Press Release)

This is my first gallery show in 10 years!  I am thrilled to be able to share my work with you.

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