Artist Spotlight of the Month: "Ann Zelle"
Welcome to Dot Editions “Artist Spotlight” series, where we’ll be interviewing one artist a month and sharing a little about them with you. The team of artists at Dot Editions have collaborated to bring you a monthly celebration highlighting local artists we’ve had the pleasure of working with through the studio. By these artists sharing a bit about themselves we hope to inspire the artist community to keep pursuing their dreams.
Artist: Ann Zelle
Medium: Photography, Metal & Ceramic Sculptures
Experience: 50+ years
1-Q: Where are you from and where have you lived?
A: I am a Midwesterner, born in Chicago, grew up in Springfield, Illinois. Four years of college in Western Massachusetts, then a year studying Sculpture in Florence, Italy. I spent ten years working in museums: the Illinois State Museum, The Newark (NJ) Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art and ART & SOUL in Chicago. In 1969, I moved to Washington, DC to work for the International Council of Museums. I stayed in Washington for 40 years and spent summers after teaching reviving in the green forests of Michigan.
2-Q: How long have you lived in North Carolina and did your body of work change once you moved?
A: I. I retired to Brevard, NC, 16 years ago.
II. After working as a photographer for 50 years, I returned to my first love of sculpture: first welded metal and then clay. Having dedicated studio space allowed me to work in series and on projects over time. My interests have continued: gender, human rights, space travel, 19th century photography, animation, plants. No matter the medium, some of my images have always been based on nature: turtles, snakes, frogs, hostas, trees.
3-Q: What was the first medium you picked up to create something, what was it and how old were you?
A: First medium? Probably crayons. I loved to color and read picture books when I was very little, 2 or 3. Now, 75 years later, I still see colors and shapes that remind me of illustrations from my childhood.
4-Q:You spent most of your life teaching, when did you realize that’s what you wanted to pursue and how long did you end up teaching for?
A: I had summer jobs teaching young kids, but I never had a goal of becoming a teacher. I got into Teaching through my growing interest in photography. Whatever museum I was in, I always gravitated to the photography department. I invented an internship at the Smithsonian by volunteering to work in their printing lab and then polishing 19th century lenses for the Bicentennial exhibition. In those years in Washington, there was a generous and creative culture of artists, photographers, writers, and teachers who all supported and learned from each other. I learned to teach from watching the masters. I was freelancing and working parttime jobs when an opening came for an adjunct photography teacher at American University. I took the job and stayed for 30 years. It was a challenge in many ways, as there was little support for art and even less for women teachers, but I loved teaching and had great students from all over the world who enriched my life. Being a teacher allowed me to support myself and still produce my art without having to depend on the art market.
5-Q: You lived through major civil rights movement moments, how did this impact you and your work during that time? And does it still influence your work today?
A: Much of my work in museums and in my documentary photography was immersed in civil rights, anti-war, cultural politics, and the women’s movement. Those issues still inform my work today. Gun violence, mass incarceration, systemic racism, homegrown terrorism…..
6-Q: What’s your best advice on how to not procrastinate and get rid of creative blocks?
A: -Take three deep breaths, stretch, take a walk. Lie down and look up at the trees.
-Don’t worry about having a concrete plan or idea. Just pick up a camera (pen, brush, iPad) and start shooting/carving/scribbling. Things will emerge.
-In design: solve the big problems first.
-In tackling big projects/assignments/attics, isolate the smallest part, accomplish that, congratulate yourself. Repeat. [clean it drawer by drawer; learn it bird by bird; dance it step by step]
7-Q: What does your creative space currently look like? Show us a photo! Tell us what you're working on, if you’d like to share.
A: My studio is my garage, my first real studio space. I love it, as does my cat Luna Mae. I. have always made workspace and darkrooms in bedrooms or bathrooms or school space available at limited times. I have also taken great advantage of Community Colleges, their often great facilities, frequent great teachers, always great prices.
During the 3 Pandemic years I have been working on two series in clay:
- 6-inch tiles with short messages which reflect the issues of our times.
- 10-inch tiles about space travel and landing on Mars.
- In summer I always make Hosta bowls.
8-Q: What is one thing that most people don't know about you?
A: I am related to Mata Hari.
9-Q: What advice can you give to the artists that are just starting their creative careers? What can they do to help get their work out there?
A: Depends on the mood, the work, the day. If I need to be energized I play the Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, or ZZ Top. If I want to be entertained I listen to books on tape or storytelling podcasts like “This American Life” or “Moth Radio Hour”. If I need some quiet, Luna and I listen to the birds.
10-Q: Did you go to art school or are you self-taught? If you went to school, where? If you didn’t, how did you start and what has helped?
A: Don’t worry. Be happy. Do what you love. You only get one life.
Right before the pandemic hit we showed Ann’s work in our old gallery space. Check out this video by Colby Caldwell, Home School is a program hosting online talks, conversations, workshops, and other lively situations that connect us as we shelter apart. On July 9th, 2020 we joined Colby along with Ann for a review of her show and a discussion on her life’s work in photography. View the session below:
If you’d like to know more about Ann Zelle, her work will be up in our new lounge area where our “Tiny Wall Exhibitions” will be open to the public during business hours from July 8th - September 3rd, 2023. Stop by to see and support her work. We are selling her original hand made tiles and will have some limited edition prints at the end of August.
Thank you for reading, we appreciate your support!