I am excited to announce the next iteration of my multi-component soft sculpture Red Ratchet Strap Remnant Relationship (RRSRR2) alongside my wall-sized work on paper Impermanent, will be installed at Method Gallery this summer!
Detail of RRSRR1 installed at KCLS, Kirkland Library, Kirkland, WA 2023. Photo by Mark Woods.
Join me for the opening at Method Gallery, Seattle, WA for the first Thursday art walk, June 1, 2023 from 6-8pm!
More soon!
Recent mentions in The Seattle Times and Crosscut! (Click the links to read the articles.) It was fun to be out of town and find a copy of the article on Buy Nothing in the Sunday Seattle Times with a reproduction of my Jean Body sculpture, You’ve Been On My Mind! There something about being with something physically, holding it in your hands, that makes it feel real.
Virtual Book Club this Wednesday, March 1 from 6-7pm; join us on Instagram LIVE. Ellen McGivern and I will be discussing Circe by Madeline Miller. Check my companion book list for an insight into what inspires me! If you haven’t been to the Kirkland Library yet to see my installation, Seeing Remnants in Life, make sure you head over this month! It’s open through March 30.
Remnants are the leftovers in life. Frequently seen as invaluable and discarded. Remnants can be powerful when given a voice or even our attention. Choosing to notice and acknowledge what we throw away can inform what we take in. I ask myself what have I discarded recently and wasted without need? What do I take for granted, as a given? If I put in a little effort can I make that remnant a desired whole again? Reestablishing its value? Or give new life?
Megan Prince: Seeing Remnants in Life, featuring two large-scale works, is up now through March 30, 2023 the Kirkland Library, KCLS in partnership with The Kirkland Arts Center. This project is also supported, in part, by a grant from 4Culture.
My large-scale installation, Seeing Remnants in Life, is up NOW through March 30, 2023 the Kirkland Library in partnership with The Kirkland Arts Center! In support of my art installation I am offering four different FREE public engagements over the duration of the show. Our first event is just around the corner:
Meet the Artist: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at 6pm. I will be in conversation with Associate Curator and Gallery Program Manager of the Kirkland Art Center, Ellen McGivern about Seeing Remnants in Life. (Registration is requested, but not required.) Reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities is available by request. Email access@kcls.org at least seven days before the event. Automated closed captioning is always available for online events.
Installation of Megan Prince’s Seeing Remnants in Life at The Kirkland Library, Kirkland, WA 2023.
Seeing Remnants in Life, consists of Impermanent (red Sharpie on photography seamless, 80x105 inches, 2022), and Red Ratchet Strap Remnant Relationship (RRSRR, reclaimed red ratchet straps, 92x339 inches, 2023) a reconfigurable multi-component fibers sculpture. Impermanent is the largest work in my 1,000 Paintings of Love series, each unique piece points to the individuality and importance of each of us in this life. RRSRR, from my Remnant Relationship series, uses remnant materials as a micro look at what we consider as cast-offs in society; a vehicle to think about what we consider unusable or garbage.
Additional Events for Seeing Remnants in Life:
Studio Visit: Sunday, February 19, 2023 from 2-4pm at the Kirkland Library.
Virtual Book Club: Wednesday, March 1, 2023 from 6-7pm; join us on Instagram LIVE. We will be discussing Circe by Miller, Madeline Check my companion book list for an insight into what inspires me!
Friendship Bracelet Workshop: Sunday, March 19, 2023 from 1-3pm at the Kirkland Library (Registration is requested, but not required.)
This project is supported, in part, by a grant from 4Culture.
Reworked: Lee Davignon and Megan Prince, January 12 - Feb 11 at The Vestibule
Reception Saturday, Jan 14 4-6 pm
Tying/Untying Performance Hours: weekly on Thursdays from 5-7pm and Saturdays from 2-4pm watch Timelapse footage from my performances here.
Lee Davignon and Megan Prince rework textile and plastic into sculpture and installations. In her participatory, durational performance, Tying/Untying, Prince invites visitors to knot a mass of reused textile while she attempts to unknot it and remake it into a sculpture. The project echoes the frustration and reward of working with others.
Davignon, a weaver by training, unmakes material while keeping its history of use. They unwind marine rope, ball hair, break up plastic packaging, and then they reweave or resculpt it until it is almost unrecognizable. They model how art-making ought to be aware of its material history and material future.
Fiber Art Now Meet-Up Fri Jan 13 6-8 pm
Materials donated by Prarie Underground.
In this stop-motion video Megan Prince’s Jean Body, Banding Together in Our Humanity, experiences the group show Carbon at The Vestibule, visiting the works in the show and pondering the future… The soundscape was recorded at the reception for the same show.
I’m honored to be in this show with so many fabulous artists. Works in Carbon featured in this reel by the following amazing artists in no particular order:
#suzewolf
#seangallagher
@jossslug
#kathimiller
#peterchristianson
@arbol_arts_northwest
@colleenrjcbratton
@0framerate0
@laureniidastudio
Exhibition through Oct 16
Panel Discussion: Can art teach us to be good? Oct 15th
Burning and screaming, trees, regenerating mushrooms, plastic and concrete recycled into skulls and melting icons, sunburnt skin – all appear in this group exhibition. The work raises awareness of carbon footprints, emissions, and cycles through material, form, and content. The exhibition includes installation, sculpture, ceramic, photography, video, and painting.
Artists
Colleen RJC Bratton, Dain Susman, Erin Kendig, frameRateZero, Il,, Jocelyn Beausire, Karey Kessler, Lauren Iida, Megan Prince, Melinda Hurst Frye, Peter Christenson, Robin Green, Sean Gallagher, Serrah Russell, Suze Woolf, Vanessa Lanza
The Vestibule 5919 15th Ave NW Seattle, WA 98107 Gallery hours: Thur 10-3, Fri 12-6, Sat 12-6
Friends, my Communities will be available to visit hyper-locally in my community (!) at Molly’s Bottle Shop in West Seattle for the month of October. Come say hi during the West Seattle Art Walk on Thursday, October 13 from 5-late!
Polaris and Cassiopeia with Satellite, 2021, Gauche, oil pastel and graphite on Rives BFK paper, 44.5 x 63.25 in. (maple frame)
Now is the time.
Togetherness.
Love.
Community.
Solidarity.
Courage.
Hope.
Ignore the lies and find the hope.
With the works on paper, Communities, Prince explores aloneness, solidarity and togetherness. In Communities, the artist plots soft graphite stars on the mixed media works behind organic black forms in oil pastel, signifying our immediate people groups, and semi-circles of blue gouache, representing our earth. Each element points to levels of togetherness; we are not only in community with each other, but connected across our world and in the larger universe too.
During the early works in this series the artist intuitively placed the stars but as this series developed Prince was compelled to use real stars. For the later works Prince used a star app on her smart phone to take pictures of the current constellations overhead, which she then hand-plotted on to the paper, documenting the current time.
Relationships compel interdisciplinary abstract artist Megan Prince to create; relationships between people, to belongings, and to the earth. We are all tied together by relationship. Prince’s work points to the similarities we all share and the intrinsic desire we have of being together.
"Through my love for you, I want to express my love for the whole cosmos, the whole of humanity, and all beings. By living with you, I want to learn to love everyone and all species. If I succeed in loving you, I will be able to love everyone and all species on Earth. This is the real message of love." - Thich Nhat Hanh
Megan Prince: Communities
Molly’s Bottle Shop - West Seattle
3278c California Ave SW
Seattle, WA, 98116
Friends!
I’m excited to announce I’ll be recreating my site-specific piece Spinning Lines, complete with a new durational performance co-coreographed with the amazing Bryon Carr.
Join us July 21-24 for Howl, curated by Lele Barnett and Amanda Manitach, with Forest for the Trees.
Press Release below and more information to come!
COMING UP
Seattle, July 21-24
The Railspur
419 Occidental Ave
FFTT believes that artists play a vital role in the cultural ecosystems from which they grow, and aims to protect and expand their reach amid an ever-changing environment. We will be partnering with an array of artists and organizations that share these values with their respective communities. Visitors will experience seven floors of immersive installations, large scale murals, group exhibitions and a 4-day block party in the historic brick alley. Our hope is to increase public accessibility and engagement with a diversity of work from emerging artists, both local and visiting. Participating exhibitions include Forest For The Trees, Gaspar Yanga, Void Projects, Howl curated by Lele Barnett & Amanda Manitach, Ancient As Time by Christopher Martin, and XO Seattle.
The Space
419 Occidental Ave is part of the Railspur revitalization project by Urban Villages. It is a seven-story historic warehouse with an activated alley in the heart of Pioneer Square, 0.5 miles from the Seattle Art Fair at the Lumen Field Event Center.
Announcing my upcoming exhibition at the recently opened and long awaited Mini Mart City Park this summer!
With a closing reception on August 13 during Georgetown Art Attack.
Megan Prince, Jean Bodies installed at Alki Beach Park.
This July and August my Jean Bodies sculptures will be installed throughout Mini Mart City Park, in conjunction with selected wall works in the gallery space. With like-minded community and enviromental focus, I can’t think of a more perfect place for my Jean Bodies to be featured than MMCP!
Mini Mart City Park, 6525 Ellis Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98108
Mini Mart City Park is a community-focused project in the process of transforming a former gas station into a site-specific, pocket park and cultural center. There are over 700 derelict, gas stations in the Puget Sound region and over 200,000 nationwide. In 2005 it was our vision to identify and purchase one such property in King County and rehabilitate it, proving the potential of art to propel a project that simultaneously repairs damaged land while providing shared, multi-use cultural space.
MMCP is a project by the artist trio SuttonBeresCuller.
Don’t miss this opportunity to join the conversation; mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information as we get closer.
In this video I introduce my exhibition, Great Mysterious Heart, and talk about my Jean Bodies sculpture, Banding together in our humanity (image below).
Banding together in our humanity, 2021, donated and reclaimed cut denim jeans, 11x32x76in.
My soft sculpture series, Jean Bodies, points to a variety of ways that we come together in this life as people. One aspect of these sculptures is how their shapes reference forms found in nature, including the scale of the human body. The titles for these sculptures are culled from a combination of life experiences, and combined with intimate feelings as well as my reading.
The title for this piece, Banding together in our humanity, is inspired an interview by activist and UW runner, Rosalie Fish, who races with a red hand print on her face to raise awareness of violence against indigenous women. Learn more about Fish in this article.
For further information about my exhibition, Great Mysterious Heart, visit the exhibition catalogue; dive deeper into my Jean Bodies sculptures here; or join my Patreon for personal videos and in-depth writings and to support my art practice.
Variable West Founder Amelia Rina picks the most exciting events and exhibitions on the West Coast.
Each pick includes a question meant to act as a prompt for thinking about the art, artist, or exhibition.
What Rina says:
Textile arts have a natural affinity with narrative and the idiosyncrasies of relationships. In these sculptural textile works, Megan Prince weaves together conversations about interpersonal relationships, environmental impact, and the generative act of reuse. Made of hand-knit, donated second hand denim jeans, the "Jean Bodies" create literal and figurative connections between the jeans' original owners. Installed in the gallery space, they transform yet again into playful soft sculptures that invite interaction. Reflection: What stories do your clothes hold?
Megan Prince’s Jean Bodies at Alki Beach Park, Seattle, 2021.
Megan Prince: Great Mysterious Heart is featured alongside shows featuring artists Sofía Córdova and Gina M. Contreras.
Great Mysterious Heart: Megan Prince
Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland, WA
January 7 - February 12
Sofía Córdova: dawn_chorusiii: the fruit they don’t have here | 破曉歌聲 iii: 這裏沒有的水果 | coro_del_alba iii: la fruta que no tienen aquí
Chinese Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA
December 3, 2021 - January 29, 2022
Modern Folk
Stephanie Chefas Projects, Portland, OR
January 22 - February 19
Great Mysterious Heart (installation picture), 2022
Great Mysterious Heart (installation picture), 2022
Megan Prince: Great Mysterious Heart, January 7 through February 12, 2022.
Artist Gallery Hours: From 12-2pm, Saturday, January 8 and Saturday, January 15. Stop by and say hi!
At the Kirkland Arts Center, Gallery hours are Wednesdays-Fridays 12pm to 6pm and Saturdays 12pm - 4pm
Artist Talk and Closing Reception: Friday, February 11, 2022 (tentative)
Friends,
I’m so excited about my upcoming solo exhibition, Great Mysterious Heart, at the Kirkland Arts Center!
This exhibition will feature a selection of both my Jean Bodies sculptures and Communities works on paper. Below is my artist statement for the show:
Great Mysterious Heart
Relationships compel interdisciplinary abstract artist Megan Prince to create; relationships between people, to belongings, and to the earth. We are all tied together by relationship. Her work points to the similarities we all share and the intrinsic desire we have of being together.
Prince’s floor sculptures, Jean Bodies, are constructed from donated worn jeans, cut up and hand knit together. Jeans are the vehicle used to look at similarities and differences in communities. The process of donation creates the relational element, inviting and empowering people to participate in the conversation to examine their relationships to their community and belongings, as well as consider the environmental impact.
With the works on paper, Communities, Prince explores aloneness, solidarity and togetherness. In Communities, the artist plots soft graphite stars on the mixed media works behind organic black forms in oil pastel, signifying our immediate people groups, and semi-circles of blue gouache, representing our earth. Each element points to levels of togetherness; we are not only in community with each other, but connected across our world and in the larger universe too.
Community #18, 20” x 26.5”, oil pastel, gouache and graphite on Rives cotton paper, 2021
You’ve Been on My Mind, 10x38x100, donated and reclaimed cut denim jeans, 2021
(This image is from a recent field trip I took my Jean Bodies sculptures on to Alki Beach Park in West Seattle.)
My show opens one month from today, January 7th, 2022 and will be open through February 12. As I mentioned before we won’t be able to announce the closing reception until closer to the date so keep your eyes peeled for that, plus I’ll be announcing artist gallery hours soon.
Gallery Hours are Thursday & Friday 12 pm – 6 pm, Saturday 12 pm – 4 pm
Kirkland Arts Center is located at 620 Market St., Kirkland, WA 98033.
I am excited to share the dates for my upcoming solo exhibition at the Kirkland Arts Center this January 2022:
THESE ARE MY PEOPLE, THESE ARE MY FRIENDS (exhibition view from Interdependence at KAC), 2020, donated and reclaimed cut denim jeans, 8x156x60
I look forward to seeing you there! - Megan
Juror George Rodriguez took an extra moment to highlight my Jean Bodies sculpture, These Are My People, These Are My Friends. Thanks George!
My wall sculpture Wire Lace Relationship was selected to participate in SFVACC/SCORE’s juried exhibit: H x W x D – Celebrating 3D Art!
I created this piece as part of my Remnant Bodies, an ongoing series of small to medium sized hand-woven soft sculptures. Frequently made from leftover pieces of cast-off or remnant materials, the works range from lap to palm sized and are made from a variety of pliable materials such as cotton, plastic, vintage lace, and suede. The size of each piece is directly related to the quantity of material available.
The remnant material for this sculpture is from my great aunt, Ruth Janecke, an artist in her own right. When she passed away she left many many many materials for art and craft making. She not only painted with a variety of media on canvas and paper, but she made china dolls, their clothes and accessories. Her basement was her home studio and she used it well leaving it full of many amazing works of art and crafts when she passed away 30 years ago. My first oil paints and brushes came from her basement at the beginning of my own art journey.
Wire Lace Relationship, 2009, antique trim, 8x14x5
Visit www.sfvacc.org any time between Tuesday June 1, 2021 and Wednesday, June 30, 2021 to view the exhibit. This will be exclusively an online exhibit.
AND Mark your calendar to join us for a Zoom Reception Saturday, June 5, 2021, 5:00-7:00 pm PST.
Reception Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89283105571
I look forward to seeing you there! Thank you for supporting my work and the arts.
The work on my website is for sale unless noted. I love working to figure out the right piece for you, whether its a sculpture, painting, installation or a personal commission. Drop me a note of inquiry or just say hi. I love hearing from you!
Hi Friends,
I am pleased to announce that my Jean Bodies sculpture, These Are My People, These Are My Friends, has been selected for the upcoming exhibition Interdependence at the Kirkland Art Center.
As of right now there are no plans for a reception. If vaccinations continue as planned and the CDC begins to allow for larger gatherings there may be a closing event. I will update here if that happens so check back for more information.
Interdependence Exhibition Dates: May 27 - July 31st, 2021
These Are My People, These Are My Friends, 2020, reclaimed and cut denim, 8x156x60
In the meantime if you are on the east side stop by and see my sculpture in the exhibition. If you would like to meet up socially distanced at the exhibition drop me a line. The Kirkland Art Center is adhering to CDC protocol so make sure you wear a mask when you visit. I look forward to hearing from you!
