Opening on Friday, June 5 is our group exhibition, "Bedtime Stories." Guest curated by Sonja Sweterlitsch for Future Tenant, Bedtime Stories is a group exhibition of artists working in a variety of media including painting, photography, sculpture and sound. To get a sneak peek of this exhibition, Sonja sat down with our Executive Director, Kate Lin, to discuss her work.
Photo provided by Sonja Sweterlitsch
1. Could you give us a brief introduction of who you are, your artistic background and related curatorial experience?
My name is Sonja Sweterlitsch, and I’m an artist and a curator. I grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and moved to Pittsburgh to attend Carnegie Mellon University where I earned my degrees in Art and in Creative Writing. I’ve taught studio art classes at the Smithsonian Institute, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and the Trust Arts Education Center, and I’ve curated dozens of gallery exhibits and coordinated large-scale art events in Pittsburgh. I live in Greenfield with my husband, Tom, and our daughter, Genevieve.
2. What is the concept of “Bedtime stories”? What experience/message is the show aiming to bring to the audience?
There is a time of night when we lie alone and the external clatter of our waking life is subsumed by the personal language of our dreams. This is a common human experience, but one we experience alone, which makes it such ripe subject matter for an art exhibit. Bedtime Stories opens a window to the seldom seen, seldom shared, personal experience of when waking life gives way to sleep, when we interpret our experiences, remember, and finally give way to dreams that take us off to completely new narratives.
3. Can you talk a little bit about your process of finding/selecting the showcasing artists and their work for this exhibition?
For Bedtime Stories, I purposefully selected artists whose work relates directly to the themes of the exhibit from diverse perspectives and approaches. I chose artists working in a variety of media including painting, photography, sculpture and sound. Most of the artists in this exhibition are mid-career professional artists, and all of the works on display are conceptually strong with a high level of artistry and craftsmanship. The exhibit features more figurative work than not, but dreams are seldom completely abstract…Dream narratives are most often populated with people, even ourselves. Fears, loneliness, memory, eroticism and loss are all themes that arise from the art in Bedtime Stories.
4. Based on your current and previous curatorial experience, how does your interaction with an artist evolve from your initial encounter with their work, to the planning process and to the realization of an exhibition?
My interaction with artists varies from project to project. Sometimes an artist knows right where she’s going, and other times she wants or needs more direction. I always have to have a good understanding of the artist and their work, their process, and their vision so that I can help present their art in the best way possible, so communication is key. I try to go to openings around town and stay abreast of what artists are doing, who is creating great work or who is on the cusp of something wonderful.
5. Aside from your curatorial experience, you are also an amazing artist. How does your curatorial experience help with your career/development as an artist, and vice versa?
I love to showcase and promote the work of other artists, and this has definitely enriched my life over the years, in many cases resulting in lasting friendships with artists whose work I admire. Although painting is a solitary experience, I am a bit of an extrovert, a “people-lover” if you will, which is why people are the subjects of my paintings. I love to surround myself with creative people and have definitely been inspired by other artists’ artwork and creative energy through curating shows. Curating has become another way for me to be creative as well, drawing relationships between works of art to support a theme. It’s a lot like creating an album of songs or a chap book of poetry, where the goal is always to have the individual pieces be able to both stand alone and build a greater whole, to communicate something more.
6. How did you know about Future Tenant, and how has your experience working with Future Tenant been?
I used to work in the Cultural District at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and the gallery I curated for the Trust, 709 Penn Gallery, is just a couple blocks away from Future Tenant on Penn Avenue. I’ve seen several shows at Future Tenant over the years. Working on Bedtime Stories, I’ve been so impressed by the high level of professionalism of Future Tenant. Kate Lin has been my primary contact, and she has been excellent to work with, and that reflects well on the entire team. Working with Future Tenant is certainly the professional experience that one would expect from Carnegie Mellon’s Masters of Arts Management program.
7. Is there anything else you would like to add for this exhibition?
Come to the opening party on Friday, June 5th at 6!
The participating artists in "Bedtime Stories" are : Aaron Blum, Olga Brindar, Ashley Cecil, Eric S Dickson, Gary Duehr, Charles Johnson, Michael Koehler, Victoria Mills, Josh Mitchel, Wanda Spangler-Warren, David Stanger, Christopher Ruane, and Sherry Rusinack.