Artist to Know: Heather McMordie - Inside Art with Michael Rose

Artist to Know: Heather McMordie - Inside Art with Michael Rose

 

In a community of active artists, Heather McMordie might be one of the busiest in the state. Currently the focus of two exhibitions, McMordie also teaches and maintains an active studio practice. In June, she will participate in a residency at the Newport Art Museum. A multi-talented artist who makes drawings, prints, and fiber work, McMordie’s vision is an asset to the Rhode Island art scene.

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The key throughline in McMordie’s work is an interest in ecosystems as well as the observation and appreciation of the natural world. Speaking of the connection between  science and art that is involved in her work, McMordie says, “I first started exploring the overlaps of art and science over ten years ago. It started with an interest in the parallels between printmaking processes and soil formation process — the physical pressures, variability, and transformation that are inherent to both. After developing collaborative relationships with sciences, my interest has shifted to how experiences with artworks may parallel field research experiences, and offer alternative pathways into scientific bodies of knowledge.”

 

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Originally from the Philadelphia area, McMordie attended the University of Pennsylvania. She received a printmaking certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was active at organizations like Second State Press in Philly before relocating to Rhode Island, where she earned her MFA in Printmaking at RISD.

 

Asked what she enjoys most about being involved in the arts here, McMordie answers, “One of the things that I love most about the creative community in Providence is that there is so much going on, and so many opportunities for emerging artists to make things happen. I've been struck by how much the community really rallies together to support and celebrate each other. Providence is a large city, but that type of personal support feels very ‘small town’ to me, and I love it.”

 

 

A member of The Wurks in Providence, McMordie creates art in a variety of media in her busy studio. She is the subject of a show titled Quadrats of Growth at Overlap Gallery in Newport through June 11. Her drawings and quilts, which focus on carefully observed natural subjects, are being shown concurrently with textural and geographically inspired pieces by Matt Tracy. She is simultaneously featured in a solo exhibition at the Block Island Airport, which continues through mid-May.

 

Asked what she hopes viewers experience when viewing her art at Overlap Gallery, McMordie states, “The squares of printed fabrics and black-and-white ink drawings in my exhibition at OVERLAP, draw inspiration from the practice of quadrat sampling — a practice of placing a square frame directly on the ground to create an isolated area for assessing species within an ecosystem. Using the square format, I hope to present two different ways of looking at a landscape. The quilts, which are composed of multiple, movable pieces that can snap together, are a more aerial view that considers human impact on a changing landscape, while the drawings are much more personal up-close investigation that asks, ‘What impact does a landscape make on us?’”

 

 

McMordie pairs an active exhibition schedule and a practice of making work with her job as an Adjunct Professor of Art at Brown University. She has also served as a Critic and has taught students at RISD.

 

Reflecting on how teaching has informed her own artmaking, McMordie explains, “In a way, I think the common thread between my teaching practice, curatorial practice, and artistic practice is a desire to build community. Since I've started teaching, I've begun incorporating more collaborative and interactive projects into my work. Seeing generous and generative communities develop when students share creative space (especially in a print shop), has inspired me to seek more of that in my own practice and has been one of the things that informed the development of my current project, The Providence Community Herbarium.”

 

 

McMordie was the recipient of an Interlace Project Fund grant for her Providence Community Herbarium, which is described as “an unofficial survey of Providence vegetation as seen through the eyes of Providence citizens”. Through the project, she will be seeking plant stories from fifteen Providence residents and will work with them to create prints based on local flora.

 

McMordie’s work shows off her keen eye and deep curiosity but also celebrates her passion for connecting and inspiring. Whether in carefully drafted ink drawings or finely crafted textile works, she helps viewers to see and appreciate landscapes and plant life anew.

 

McMordie’s artworks will be on view through mid-May at the Block Island Airport at 4 Center Road in New Shoreham, and her exhibition Quadrats of Growth continues through June 11 at Overlap Gallery at 112 Van Zandt Avenue in Newport.

 

Learn more about Heather McMordie at her website, www.heathermcmordie.com.

 

PHOTOS: Michael Rose