AN ARTIST TRANSLATES SIGNALS OF OUR TIMES
MARGO WOLOWIEC, LOOK TO THE OCEANS, 2020, HANDWOVEN POLYMER, LINEN, STERLING SILVER LEAFED THREAD, REFLECTIVE MYLAR EMERGENCY BLANKET FROM DISASTER PREPAREDNESS KIT, DEADSTOCK ORGANIC COTTON, DYE SUBLIMATION INK, ACRYLIC INK, MOUNTED ON LINEN SUPPORT. 46 1/2 X 72 INCHES
MARGO WOLOWIEC
BY ALISON REILLY
CGN: When did you know that you wanted to be an artist?
Margo Wolowiec, who lives in Detroit and studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), uses a complex process involving digital image manipulation, transfer paper, and a floor loom to create arresting textiles that, from a distance, read as paintings. Inspired by current political and social conditions, Wolowiec considers how existential threats like climate change are expressed through our increasingly digital lives. This fall, her work will be featured in an exhibition showcasing artists from the Midwest at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati.
MW: I’ve wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember. I was encouraged at a young age by my art and music teachers to pursue the arts. For a while I thought I’d study piano, but as I got older I became much more interested in painting and drawing. I begged my parents to help me go to art school. It was a tough sell, but I eventually convinced them that it was the only thing worthwhile, and they helped send me to SAIC. I’ve been focused on building a career as an artist ever since and worked service industry jobs for quite some time until I could make the switch to a full-time studio practice. I can’t see any other way of living—I know I’ll be making art in some form for the rest of my life.
CGN: How have the past 18 months since the pandemic started been for you (as an artist)? How has your art practice changed during this period? Margo Wolowiec: The pandemic has been a challenge for me, the early months especially drained my energy levels. It’s been pretty inspiring that a lot of artists and musicians have put out some really beautiful and thoughtful work throughout the pandemic, but for me it was a low time creatively. I do think it has influenced my practice quite a bit though. I have been making new work that I feel really connected to, I’ve been taking much more interest in my own mental health and wellbeing, so I’ve also slowed my pace; I say no to things more than I used to, and I take care to protect my energy. I feel like the work I’m currently making is a reflection of that right now.
50 | CGN | Fall 2021
CGN: What was your experience like at SAIC? Do you still have connections to the city of Chicago? MW: My time at SAIC was really expansive, and the interdisciplinary model really worked for me, especially since my understanding of art was pretty limited going in. I really had only a background in drawing and painting, so being able to take classes in any discipline and learn printmaking, lithography, darkroom photography, fiber and weaving, as well as the critical and theoretical foundations of each discipline, was eye opening for me. I fell in love with weaving while at SAIC and have been weaving ever since. I still have a lot of connections to people I went to school with, so many shows I do or lectures I’m invited to give are through SAIC connections. I also met
