Artist Insider: Jessica Spring
CONGRATULATIONS, JESSICA!
The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation believes "Thriving Arts & Culture" are necessary for a Vibrant Community. This annual program was established by the Community Foundation to honor professional artists living and working in Pierce County. The award is possible thanks to a fund created to support the Pierce County art community.
The $7,500 award recognizes talent and commitment to the creative community of Pierce County. This regionally significant award results in a commissioned art piece for the Community Foundation.
Jessica Spring has been designing, papermaking and printing for more than twenty years. She makes artist books, broadsides and ephemera incorporating handmade paper and letterpress printing. Small finely-crafted editions consider historical topics and popular culture from a unique perspective. She is the founder of locally-based Springtide Press, has an MFA from Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper and teaches book arts and graphic design at Pacific Lutheran University.
Describe your work as an artist, including style:
It's difficult to describe artist's books, but the consistent feature in my work is in its interdisciplinary nature. I combine writing, graphic design, papermaking, printmaking, binding and letterpress printing while drawing upon popular culture, wordplay and history. The appeal to multiple senses factors in as well, expanding the reader's experience.
Describe the importance of "community" to either you as a person or as an artist:
Community is a critical component of my work—there's not much separation between "person" and "artist" especially in Tacoma. I work in a studio behind my house and there's a fairly steady stream of collaborators from my son to local high school and college students to other artists in town. I teach there as well as at Pacific Lutheran, and as a practitioner of an arcane craft, I'm compelled--and fortunate--to share that knowledge every day. Community also figures into where I can show my work, from local libraries and universities to King's books and local cafes, it's very local and nurturing. The past seven years I've been in Tacoma have offered an incredible opportunity to grow as an artist.
What has been an inspiration for you in your work:
Inspiration comes in strange ways, but it often starts with found material--actual objects, a turn of phrase, historical "facts"—that provide a starting point. (Some people are very linear railroad track sort of thinkers, while I think more like a rollicking game of table tennis.) Friends, students and collaborators are inspiring too: I'm fortunate to work with some very talented people.
How do you see the Tacoma/Pierce County art community changing/evolving:
In the short time I've been here, I've seen the community change and grow. I've described the scene as nimble because if someone has a good idea and the energy to make it happen, there's a strong possibility of success. That aroma of possibility smells real good, and it's wafting up and down I-5.
Click here to see an online gallery of Jessica's work