ARTIST STATEMENT

Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go. – Hermann Hesse

My creative practice explores relationships, choices, and human behavior. Daily, we are faced with easy access to short-term fulfillment and instant gratification. Oftentimes, the opposing choices that require patience, that contribute to a long-term sense of well-being, can get drowned out. My work is keenly aware of these dualities and illustrates my struggle with facing these choices personally, or recognizing their affects socially and culturally. The narrative format of my work is inspired by childhood experiences. I grew up watching Looney Toons, listening to bedtime stories, and being captivated by theatre work. Though based on a sense of play and fun, when I take into account the deeper-seated meaning that was often times embedded, there seems to be a potentially darker side to what is portrayed. I find these types of narratives appropriate to how I portray the content within my work.

BIOGRAPHY

Meghan O’Connor studied printmaking at East Tennessee State University and earned an MFA at Clemson University. In addition to teaching at Coastal Carolina University, she is also active within Southern Graphics Council International, Mid America Print Council, and FATE (Foundations in Art: Theory and Education). O'Connor's work has been exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally. In addition to solo exhibitions, she has had work included in the Parkside National Small Print Exhibition, Southern Graphics Council International Members Exhibition, and A Curious Bestiary: Chimeras and Cryptozoology from American Printmakers at Davidson Galleries in Seattle, WA. Her work can be found in permanent collections, such as Columbia College in Chicago; Gippsland Centre for Art and Design in Australia; the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division; Proyecto’ace Print Collection in Buenos Aires, and many other universities around the world. In the summer of 2017, she completed a printmaking residency at the Arquetopia Foundation for Development in Puebla, Mexico, which inspired many of the pieces in this exhibition. This created a foundation and interest in creating artwork with community engagement such as Fuercitas! the arm wrestling table.