Jill Foote-Hutton on art as a catalyst for social engagement

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with ceramic artist and curator Jill Foote-Hutton. Her totemic sculptures reference gods, monsters, and heros. She is interested in the psychological role these archetypes play in our society. She says of her work "There is an interminable distance between one human and another. In attempts to bridge the distance we climb through hierarchies and assumptions to find there are no monsters and there are no gods. Simultaneously we realize there are only monsters and there are only gods."

In the interview we discuss how art can be a catalyst for social engagement, the role collaboration plays in her art, and her curatorial practice. For more information about Jill's work please visit www.whistlepigstudio.com. When not in the studio Jill is the gallery coordinator for Red Lodge Clay Center. To find our more about Red Lodge Clay Center please visit www.redlodgeclaycenter.com.

A large part of Jill's recent work has focused on facilitating collaborative projects with public audiences.  In the interview we talk about her project "Communal Narratives" project in Fargo, ND. She says of the project, 

"Together we engaged over 50,000 visitors at the mall this weekend with the Monster Chalk Boards and Story Writing Stations. Forty participants joined us to build their own monsters, infusing their creatures with history and purpose. We asked the community two questions: 1. What is a hero? 2. What is a monster? The answers fell, for the most part, where you think they might. But we found when someone had a personal experience, the kind that creates an epiphany, the standard definitions of hero and monster take on new depth."

For more information on Jill's collaborative projects please visit her website.