August 25, 2020

Meet Marsha Mack

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marsha Mack.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Marsha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always been a maker and always regarded my art practice as the most important thing in my life. From my career path to my student debt, I have made every major decision in service of my art-making. I am grateful that I wound up in Denver with exhibitions on the schedule amidst pandemic, a generous and talented partner at my side, and a network of incredible artists and friends.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think for a creative person the biggest struggle is to maintain integrity and stay vital. For me, the scariest time I can remember was a six month stretch in 2015 where I was so overwhelmed with work that didn’t make any art. Truly horrific, dipping into the well and finding it dry.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
My art practice is very versatile; I work across media but these days I primarily land in ceramic sculpture and installation. Viewers can rest assured that I will never ask someone to be interested in work I am not interested in myself. That is, I am always pushing myself to find nuance in ideas and make weirder objects. I am utterly uninterested in churning out similar works to anyone else or anything I have made previously. This can make my practice tricky to pin down, but honestly that’s how I like it.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
This month I installed my first large scale public art piece, curated by the fabulous duo Deanne Gertner and Castle Searcy, in downtown Denver off the 16th Street Mall, on Tremont to Glenarm on an exterior wall at the Denver Pavilions. We were originally scheduled with installers just days before lockdown started, so I couldn’t be more excited to finally see this piece go up.

Additionally, I recently had 3 ceramic and mixed media wall pieces at Lane Meyer Projects for their newest exhibition project called PDA, curated by Brooke Tomiello. Lane Meyer Projects has generously forgone their gallery commission and I will instead be donating 50% of sales to CHARG Denver, a local nonprofit that works on the ground providing crucial services to those living with mental illness.

Lastly, I will be in a two person exhibition with Lindsay Smith Gustave at Leon Gallery opening September 12th called Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. While in quarantine we both revisited our works and ideas, updating where necessary, and it feels like a fever dream to finally realize this project. Animal, Vegetable, Mineral is an exhibition roughly two years in the making, hopefully aging like a fine wine.

Contact Info:

Website: www.marshamack.com
Email: marshachristinemack@gmail.com
Instagram: @yaymarshamack
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshaCMack/

Image Credit:
Matthew Pevear, John Roemer, Sara Ford

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