HILLYER SPEAKS WITH RACHEL SCHMIDT AND MICHELE MONTALBANO

After being closed briefly for renovations Hillyer is readily anticipating the upcoming September exhibition featuring the works of Rachel Schmidt and Michele Montalbano! With so much excitement for this upcoming show we spoke with both artists as they shared a little more about themselves and their work. These two individuals give a nice preview as to what the September show has in store; this is one you will not want to miss!

Rachel Schmidt draws inspiration from the way life exists in urban environments for her current show “Apocaloptomist: A Future True Story,” which utilizes scale manipulation, architecture, play, and landscape. Schmidt’s love for stories, both “those based in reality and those based on the “realities” found in a surreal myth, legend, or fairytale” is used as a guide for further artist exploration and the ability to touch on various topics and use of different mediums. Through the use of these tools Schmidt is exploring the myths that are developing in the always expanding urban wilderness that plays a dominant role in most contemporary human beings lives. Schmidt received a BFA in Textile Design and Sculpture from the University of Kansas and continued on to get her MFA in Studio Art from MICA, while always learning from experimentation and fellow artists as well. Most recently she has been working mainly with 3-D digital print collages and animation, as seen with these works.

Taking inspiration from the bible story of Babel, illuminated manuscript, and typography Michele Montalbano creates a series of mixed-media works that express the lack of understanding between individuals. It is this language barrier that creates a separation between “us and them” and spurs a growth of resentment.
The story of Babel tells of an angry god that has confounded human language making communication between people impossible. Words, letters, alphabets, and symbols, of various origins are used, in accordance with decorative elements from a variety of cultures. A mixture of elements borrowed from antiquity as well as contemporary art styles and forms of communication are used. As Montalbano states, “all of these elements live together in a beautifully composed but completely indiscernible world.” While she uses painting and printmaking most frequently these works embrace etching, aquatint, letterpress, gilding, drawing, among others. Montalbano received her MFA from George Washington University where she was able to gain a strong foundation of traditional drawing and painting, which she has been able to build on since.

Hillyer Art Space (HAS): What first got you interested in art?
Rachel Schmidt (RS): I have been interested in making art as long as I can remember. I always knew it was what I wanted to do and I have never regretted it.
Michele Montalbano (MM): I watched my father paint and work in wood and that is where my love and respect for art and beautifully crafted work began. I started drawing and painting with a passion when I lived on the island of Montserrat for a year. While there, I was given the gift of time and the inspiration of the beauty of the Caribbean. I went to art school when I returned home.
HAS: How do you feel your artistic process has evolved over time?
RS: I’ve learned to take more chances but at the same time trust myself and the viewer more. I have moved from the more literal to the more metaphorical and I have evolved to value a sense of humor in my artwork.
MM: After graduating from such a traditional school, I had to look for a way of breaking from tradition and finding my own voice. The process and experimentation became important. I am still drawn to traditional materials and techniques but I use and combine them in new ways. For example, with the Babel series, intaglio plates are created in the traditional manner then printed on metal leaf and combined with letterpress.
HAS: What are some themes that you explore through your work?
RS: I don’t have a central theme to all of my work, I like to wonder around in a thematic arena, but even then, so many ideas are connected to others that it is hard to nail down a particular one. I guess I am focused on stories that explore how we live and how we exist within the world.
HAS: What do you feel the viewer can take away after viewing your work? Is there anything specific that you hope the viewer comes away with?
RS: I hope the viewer can take away an experience. I would like the viewer to feel that I posed a question and that they came to their own conclusion.
MM: My objective is to create an exhibit where the viewer might reflect on the feeling of separation created by the language barrier and also see the beauty in the combination of materials and techniques.
HAS: Do you have any goals in terms of your work or where you would like to be in years to come?
RS: I would like to have a larger pool of resources to create larger more interactive projects.
MM: My future goal with this series is to play with other themes/ideas that presented themselves as I worked on this exhibit. I am adding other elements and techniques to the existing work.
HAS: What role do you believe art plays in society? And do you believe your work can contribute to that?
RS: The role that art plays in society is such a difficult role to immediately quantify. Art is a way of viewing, learning, and analyzing society that can have enormously positive impacts on other more measurable endeavors. Innovations in society don’t come from people who are taught to think like everyone else. So naturally I hope to contribute to society by continuing to offer an alternative way of viewing the world in hopes that it helps others find their individual voices as well. I also hope to contribute interesting experiences and the occasional laugh.
MM: Art can present a new way of seeing the mundane; it can stir the imagination and bring beauty to a space.
HAS: What are some other hobbies that you have outside of your art?
RS: I think traveling is extremely important; I am always game for a trip to a foreign country. And I have recently discovered the pure joy that comes from playing laser tag.
MM: I love to spend time outdoors, usually on my bicycle. I collect words and heart shaped rocks. I study Italian, cook a little and piddle around with interior design.
Make sure to check out our First Friday event on September 5thfor a first look at the exhibition which will run through September 27th.