June 2013

A Recursive Lens

This vignette attempts to hone in on what it was to be inside of the 7-hour endurance performance, Thirst, and the Martyr, originally performed during the (e)merge Art Fair in 2011: The weight of water in pottery and gourds strapped to the backs of two women; the force of the other’s pulling; the dead, dry grass underfoot; the dry, cracked clay on skin. Water is present but the body is denied access. Thirst, and the Martyr was a polar struggle between two characters tethered together and unwilling to compromise. J.J. McCracken says of the project:

“The Martyr is at once a hoarder and a provider. She may be viewed as opposing sides of the same character, at war with each other. Or, she is two individuals at odds, refusing compromise and unable to work together. By examining actions of self-service, self-sacrifice, and selfcenteredness, Thirst, and the Martyr questions the availability and distribution of resources critical to our survival on this planet. Hope is challenged but never fully extinguished as the struggle continues.”

J.J. McCracken received a B.A. in Anthropology from The College of William and Mary in 1995, an M.F.A. in Studio Art from The George Washington University in 2005, and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2012. McCracken is the recipient of numerous awards and grants, recently including a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award, a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award, and a grant from the Puffin Foundation.

J.J. McCracken teaches at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. and has exhibited at venues across the United States. She is currently building large scale projects with the generous support of a position as Artist-In-Residence at Margaret Boozer’s Red Dirt Studio in Mt. Rainier, MD.