As an art educator I think it is essential to be a maker. As a young girl I loved to create, which is what led me to sharing this love with others in my chosen career. I think much of my creativity comes through during the development of my lessons and while problem solving alongside students creating their own works of art. Sometimes, the demands of this creative process leaves me little time to create personal work. Because of this, I find myself making about the things I love the most when I can. Nature, travel, my family, my students. They are all so vital in making me who I am that it seems impossible for them not to appear in the creative extensions of myself.
After years of very little art-making outside of my classroom, I have found a new motivation to create through my graduate studies. I have always been drawn to photography, especially the magic of the darkroom, but recently I have rediscovered my love of fiber arts. I love the tactile nature of fibers and how it tethers so much of my past and present. The possibilities of combining different textures and materials excites me most. My current work is based primarily on my daily lived experience from birth to present day. Each day is marked with a single embroidered stitch. I have allowed my life’s journey to dictate the direction and color of the stitches, slowly revealing a portrait of myself that is yet to be seen in its entirety. I was inspired for this work by the data collection present in Nathalie Miebach’s art, the repetition found in Jesse Pasca’s work, and the meditative marks made by Agnes Martin.
I am hopeful that my artistic voice will resurface as I continue to push myself to model positive maker behavior for my students.
After years of very little art-making outside of my classroom, I have found a new motivation to create through my graduate studies. I have always been drawn to photography, especially the magic of the darkroom, but recently I have rediscovered my love of fiber arts. I love the tactile nature of fibers and how it tethers so much of my past and present. The possibilities of combining different textures and materials excites me most. My current work is based primarily on my daily lived experience from birth to present day. Each day is marked with a single embroidered stitch. I have allowed my life’s journey to dictate the direction and color of the stitches, slowly revealing a portrait of myself that is yet to be seen in its entirety. I was inspired for this work by the data collection present in Nathalie Miebach’s art, the repetition found in Jesse Pasca’s work, and the meditative marks made by Agnes Martin.
I am hopeful that my artistic voice will resurface as I continue to push myself to model positive maker behavior for my students.
Current Work
Emma (in progress)
“In Freud’s famous analysis of the repetition compulsion, obsessive repetitive behavior is a disguised reenactment of a repressed trauma. But repetition has also been cultivated as a technique for the spiritually meditative: Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have all used the repetition of gestures, sounds and words to draw the mind inward, away from the contingencies of ordinary life.” -The Brooklyn Rail. (2023). Painting Center: Repetition in Discourse
What makes a person? What defines them? What marks them extraordinary in an ordinary life? How do we truly reflect on such moments and recognize the value of each moment?
Each day, a singular sage mark represents the mundane nature of a life lived. My life. Despite the repetitive experience of the average life, there are outliers. Moments of time in each life that impact the overall composition of a person. Where assumed trajectory is disrupted and the form becomes something other than intended. Something unique from others around us. Despite, in spite, the uncontrollable circumstances.
In this work, 35 years of my life (27 in progress) have been noted by notches strung along a blank canvas. Each day unsubstantial, but essential for the overall composition unfolding. In a life unremarkable to most, the reflective nature of this work served as a creative, meditative, and monumental release. A deep dive into what has unfolded to reveal what I am. A visual representation of the data I have accumulated over 12,775 tallies (9,855 in progress). Each mark that is subtly noted by a variation in color marks an impactful moment in my timeline. Those that both transition in color and direction mark the moments in my life where my anticipated trajectory was disrupted and therefore altered. Each mark being made with care, while also becoming routine, reflective, and at times exhausting all at once. With each breath in, a mark. With each breath out, a mark. As I approach the moments that are marked by trauma, I reflect and breath deeper. I remember the impact they have made on the composition of this work and the value that they hold. Without them, the rows of marks would be unremarkable. The repetitive act brings me to a space made specifically for me. Creative, but precise. Emotional, but methodical. Free-spirited, but contained. We are each made of great complexities that weave together the fibers of our being. Each set of data creating a different set of marks despite using the same algorithm. This work serves as a way to demonstrates the true power of our daily experiences to define us a individuals, while also sharing the human experience.
What makes a person? What defines them? What marks them extraordinary in an ordinary life? How do we truly reflect on such moments and recognize the value of each moment?
Each day, a singular sage mark represents the mundane nature of a life lived. My life. Despite the repetitive experience of the average life, there are outliers. Moments of time in each life that impact the overall composition of a person. Where assumed trajectory is disrupted and the form becomes something other than intended. Something unique from others around us. Despite, in spite, the uncontrollable circumstances.
In this work, 35 years of my life (27 in progress) have been noted by notches strung along a blank canvas. Each day unsubstantial, but essential for the overall composition unfolding. In a life unremarkable to most, the reflective nature of this work served as a creative, meditative, and monumental release. A deep dive into what has unfolded to reveal what I am. A visual representation of the data I have accumulated over 12,775 tallies (9,855 in progress). Each mark that is subtly noted by a variation in color marks an impactful moment in my timeline. Those that both transition in color and direction mark the moments in my life where my anticipated trajectory was disrupted and therefore altered. Each mark being made with care, while also becoming routine, reflective, and at times exhausting all at once. With each breath in, a mark. With each breath out, a mark. As I approach the moments that are marked by trauma, I reflect and breath deeper. I remember the impact they have made on the composition of this work and the value that they hold. Without them, the rows of marks would be unremarkable. The repetitive act brings me to a space made specifically for me. Creative, but precise. Emotional, but methodical. Free-spirited, but contained. We are each made of great complexities that weave together the fibers of our being. Each set of data creating a different set of marks despite using the same algorithm. This work serves as a way to demonstrates the true power of our daily experiences to define us a individuals, while also sharing the human experience.
Where Your Feet Are
Though my feet desire to float, I am grounded by the earth beneath me. This photographic series speaks to the idea of changing landscapes with an ever-present horizon. It is a physical representation of my passion for exploring and perspective shifting, but always being called back by the immense love that tethers me and the gratitude I have for their consistency. The cyanotypes included in this series are works created at home with my anchors. The imagery pays homage to the landscapes pictured while utilizing natural materials from my most sacred ground. Additionally, this body of work stands a reminder of mindful presence.
Unwanted CollaborationsThis series is a collection of works created by the discarded beginnings of student artworks. What I dig from the trash becomes my own with the addition of my craft. This series represents my current creative process on a number of levels while simultaneously connecting to the creative struggles of my students. Unwanted Collaborations stems from the struggle between my desire to be a maker and to be a highly effective educator.
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The Apple Doesn't Fall FarThis series is a work in progress inspired by my maternal grandmother, Liz (Busia to me). In the weeks leading to her passing in 2017, I struggled deeply with her impending loss. By combining my love of film photography and my passion for cooking instilled by her, I was able to capture the essence of what her presence brought into my life. Growing up, she played a key role in my upbringing. She instilled in me a many qualities to which I am often told: "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" prompting the title of this series.
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Collegiate Works
Illinois State University 2007-2012
Below is a collection of works from my collegiate career. They span different media dependent on the studio course I was enrolled in. I found photography and jewelry to be my strengths throughout my undergraduate experience, but have included a small sample of drawing, painting, ceramics, and glass works as well.
High School Works
John Hersey High School 2003-2007
Though many of these works have been lost to time, they are the foundation of my current process. Under the direction of my immensely talented and beloved art teacher, Mr. Drake, I experimented with a wide range of media and methods. Many of the lessons learned within the walls of my high school art room are applicable to my experiences as an art educator now. For my senior portfolio, I focused on the concept of layers. Through my experimentation with layering different materials, I found a natural gravitation towards collaged elements and the mixing of materials. I feel this is still a common tie to my current work.
© 2010 Emma Long. Email me: [email protected]. Last updated: 9/15/23