Today we’d like to introduce you to Suellen Parker.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After graduating with a degree in interior design from UGA and working many years within the field, I found myself unhappy in my career and knew I needed to make a change. Remembering a photography elective class I took during my last quarter of college, I enrolled in photo classes at Georgia State University while working part-time to see if it was my path. At the time, I had no confidence in my ability or vision for where photography could take me, but I enjoyed the medium and the process. With the encouragement of my life partner (now wife), I took a leap of faith and continued my education by enrolling in graduate school at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.
Living and studying in NYC really changed my life and catapulted me into the work I do now. I developed a process that allows me to creatively express psychological spaces by combining multiple materials – sculpture, photography, & digital art. The hustle and bustle of NY was inspiring, but it was not until I moved back home to Atlanta, that I was able to truly to develop my work. Doors started opening, initially because of being a part of the traveling exhibition reGeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow in 2005, resulting in exhibitions in Switzerland, NYC, and Atlanta. This also introduced my work to the New York Times Magazine photo editors, with whom I worked with on several projects.
While growing my art practice in Atlanta, I started teaching at Savannah College of Art and Design on the Atlanta campus. Teaching has been an incredible experience. Seeing the creative process first hand through so many artistic souls is inspiring and intimidating. My students keep me on my toes, challenging me and teaching me. It has been an honor to mentor and guide so many.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My road has been anything but smooth and has definitely been curvy. My struggle has been to keep the noise of life from influencing my decisions and reactions, but instead stay true to my inner voice which always takes me to where I need to be. When I listen to my intuition, life is better and I am more confident and happy.
Part of my challenge as a Gen Xer were the limited role models for girls when I was growing up. The women and girls portrayed in pop culture were portrayed to be not as smart as a man, dependent on a man, and used a certain type of pretty to achieve their goals. And in life, the amazing women in my community were still held in their prescribed roles and jobs, only being given a few options of what to be when they grow up. Being aware of the women who have come before me and their limited freedom has helped me to appreciate all of my generation’s opportunities. Gradually, I am understanding the complex nature of the limitations and perceptions STILL placed on women and girls today, even by the best of intentions. The lack of role models and examples can really hold a person back, after all, it is difficult to imagine yourself as something you have never seen before. I find that instead of focusing on what I think I should do and be, actually listening to myself has led me to stand in my truth of being who I am. I am a dyslexic, gay, artist, mentor, wife and mom of two. And I am a woman. I don’t exactly look like the stereotypes of any of those categories. None of us do. I am human and so are you. Let’s treat everyone as such.
Some advice I would like to share has to do with the space we take up in the world. Through the years of teaching, being aware of dynamics within a group has helped me to notice which voices are being stepped on and which are being heard. Sometimes it fits in the gender stereotypes, but not always. My advice is to be aware of the space you take up in the room. If you are not taking any – take the space that is yours! Bring others in with you. If you are taking up all the space, allow silence in a room, it lets some of us collect our thoughts and then speak them. The more voices that are heard, the more rich the dialog and the more compassion and understanding we can have for each other. The more we will see each other as human.
Please tell us about your art.
My art process developed out of my frustration with the limitation of one material to express my ideas. I found that using multiple materials together pushed the work visually, creating tension between the materials that added to the conceptual intent of the work. Ultimately, I developed a combination of techniques which included sculpting, photography and digital arts.
Conceptually, my first body of work, Incurable, focused on the tension between the physical reality of ourselves versus our internal ideals. I continued the work with Letting Go, which explores “letting go” of preconceived ideas of how we present ourselves, especially when looking at the constraints of societal gender rules. Brene Brown’s research helped me to put words to this idea of allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, which in essence is us being ourselves.
My most current work is influenced by what is happening politically in the United States combined with my need to find powerful female role models. It is titled God has given us Minds, taken from a speech written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1880. It was a part of a powerful show Against the Tide at Whitespace in Atlanta, February 2019 with artists Sandra Lee Phipps and Elizabeth Turk. We collaborated in creating work from three different voices in response this moment in time. Look it up on www.whitespace814.com. I created 6 portraits of women in congress. These were created before I knew that three of them would be running for president in 2020! The portraits portray these congresswomen as strong and serious, yet silent. Waiting for the moment to speak, keeping the turmoil inside, carefully choosing their words, while wearing the fiery words of Stanton’s speech “For Our Girls” and photographs from suffragettes in DC 1919. Many of these works were made while watching the Brett Kavanaugh hearing, which was an emotional experience, to say the least. Imagining what it must feel like being in congress, as a woman, learning how to take up space, but not too much space. How to negotiate being heard and not being judged unfairly in a world where a white man is who is listened to. I will continue to add more women to this collection.
In addition to God Has Given You Minds, I am experimenting with making quick small busts of political leaders while watching them speak during a trial, debate or another public forum. Starting with Robert Mueller during a recent hearing, I sculpted him during his testimony and shared it on Instagram in order to connect with others. During the 2nd Democratic Presidential debate, I sculpted Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, and Cory Booker. I didn’t quite finish them but enjoyed the process. Concentrating on making art during this difficult and uncertain time, and focusing on those who give me hope helps me to digest what is happening and to find faith in our country. Using art to work through complex emotions is therapy and is how I speak up.
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well-positioned for?
The short answer is ALL of them. We need to imagine ourselves in the places where we can do the most to contribute to the betterment of our world, regardless of gender. It will look different for each of us, depending on our passions and talents. If we can see each other as human, then we will see ourselves as equal. If we can see ourselves as equal, then the world opens up. This is for everyone regardless of gender, race, or class.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.suellenparker.com
- Email: suellenparkerart@gmail.com
- Instagram: suellenp
Image Credit:
Sara Holcombe, portrait, Suellen Parker, artwork
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