Art & Life with Jennifer Niswonger-Morris

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Niswonger-Morris.

Jennifer, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in southern Indiana and spent most of my youth in Tell City, a small town with no more than 8,000 people. Though I spent most of my time performing and competing through the music program there, I decided to major in art at the University of Southern Indiana located an hour down the road. My amazing and supportive mother (love you, mom!) noticed I was creative early on so I had some practice in drawing. There were many different disciplines I thought I might try, but painting was not one of them! Lucky for me, my adviser and drawing instructor at the time, Sarah Bielski (who now teaches at Georgia Southern University), convinced me to take a painting class – I haven’t turned back since!

After graduating from the University of Southern Indiana, I was fortunate enough to receive the 2015 Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship – a $10,000 fellowship that provides a USI art graduate the opportunity to refine their portfolio in preparation for graduate study. Through the fellowship I was able to apply to multiple programs throughout the country. I decided to attend the MFA Painting and Drawing program at the University of Georgia in Athens where I currently live. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Lamar Dodd School of Art I teach an Intro to Figure Drawing course. I am also currently a volunteer attendant in The Glass Gallery, an exhibition space curated by the Graduate Painting and Drawing students at the school.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am often attracted to the ‘gray area’ between the opposing extremes of an argument and the spectrum of rationales individuals have for why they stand for whatever they stand for. I am particularly fascinated when someone’s personal web of beliefs and values conflict with their own actions – the moments we all fit under the word “hypocrite.” The narratives in my large-scale oil paintings are inspired by stories I see in the news that spark intense debates between individuals, both online and in the real world. Perhaps naively, most of my figurative paintings were created with the intention to present the audience with a scene that would allow them to sympathize with the opposing view – no matter which side of the debate they come from. At the very least, I am hoping people can sympathize with someone they would normally consider a “bad person” as, often, it is good people who do bad things. As of late, I am becoming more interested in reading books by psychologists such as Jonathan Haidt, Steven Pinker, and Jordan Peterson.

I’m starting to view these paintings as an experiment in better understanding the power of an image. What are the visual triggers that allow an image to have so many different meanings for different people and what images are more universal – and how does that change when it is translated through the hand of a painter, sculptor, photographer, etc?

What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
Admittedly, I am unsure of what role in the world I have as an artist (after all, I only left Small Town, Indiana two years ago). I am young and I am inexperienced. Like many other artists and young people, I want my energy and work to engage with current social issues in the hopes that it will inspire progression (whatever that may mean). However, constantly surrounding yourself with what is wrong with the world can make you forget what is right with it – and that can really wear a person down (perhaps this is a self-realization why I have switched from Facebook to Instagram recently).

I joke with my friends that sometimes I would rather paint clouds – you may want to check back in a couple of years, it might not be a joke!

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Currently, one of my paintings is on view at the LaGrange Art Museum for the Second LaGrange Southeast Regional Exhibition through April 20th. I am also exhibiting at Trio Contemporary Art Gallery in Athens for Trifecta – an annual, collaborative, juried show between the MFA programs of the University of Georgia, Georgia State University, and Georgia Southern University. Trifecta will be open through March 31st with the opening scheduled March 9th from 6 – 8 pm.

Fans can keep up with what I’m working on through my Instagram account, a platform I am only now becoming familiar with! Connecting with individuals through social media is a great way to support those you admire and to receive support as well – and a great way to keep up with the inspiring work everyone is making!

For those near Athens, my studio is located in the Lamar Dodd School of Art – I am always open for impromptu studio visits!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jenniferniswonger.com
• Email: jeniswonge2@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeniswonge_2/

Image Credit:
Caleb Craig for personal photo

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