Blog Post
Night Moves & Funny Dudes: Matt Braunger at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase
by christopherporter
Portland-raised, Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian Matt Braunger has been a regular fixture in comedy clubs and on late night talk shows for over 10 years with his brand of introspective observational comedy. Braunger, 42, will be getting married later this year for the first time and is currently working on new material for a new hour-long special during his Enraged to be Married tour that hits Ann Arbor this week.
In the late 1990s, fresh out of college, Braunger moved to Chicago where he worked with improvisational guru Del Close, and along with comedians like Hannibal Buress and Kyle Kinane helped create an alternative comedy scene in a city that didn’t have one. Finally deciding on stand-up instead of improv, Braunger moved to Los Angeles to further his career, eventually landing a spot on the final season of MADtv in 2009.
Since the end of MADtv, Braunger has been a regular on the NBC comedy Up All Night, had a recurring role in the second season of Agent Carter on ABC, and most recently appeared on Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher’s Seeso comedy Take My Wife. Along with his acting appearances, Braunger has also released three comedy albums and appeared as Bruce Springsteen in the Channel 101 series Yacht Rock.
Braunger will appear Thursday, March 9 through Saturday, March 11 at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, and we talked to him about Midwestern comedy scenes, his upcoming special, politics, his podcast, a new Amazon Prime series, and Bob Seger.
Q: You’ve come through Ann Arbor a few times over the past couple of years. What is it about Ann Arbor that keeps you coming back?
A: Just the raw anger that everyone seems to have and the non-livability. No. It’s an incredibly awesome place just to be. It’s this Midwestern gem that not only has a love for the arts, and for sports, but also great food and drinks with lively and interesting people. And the Comedy Showcase is kind of evocative of that because people just go without knowing who’s playing because Roger (Feeny) and company are so good at what they’re doing, they’ve been doing it for so long. I don’t want to go so far as to call it an oasis -- but screw it, it’s an oasis.
Q: Speaking of the Comedy Showcase, Ann Arbor has comedy clubs and open mics, but making a career out of stand-up comedy in the Ann Arbor/Detroit area can be kind of tough. You started in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles. Do have any advice for local stand-ups who are thinking about going to the next level somewhere else?
A: If you’re going to make the jump I wouldn’t be too impatient. One thing to keep in mind is that Rodney Dangerfield didn’t start doing comedy until he was 40, so you got to look at it in terms of the long game, and kind of define what your definition of success is and maybe even refine it. I think the goal is to obviously a) make a living at it and b) just be happy in your life. I know a lot of people who are very successful, who are absolutely miserable, and I know people who you might have never heard of, but they live amazing lives by making a living through their art. As soon as we can throw out the model of what it is to be a star I say the better because pretty much any of us can do something dumb on the news and be famous. If you’re going to be a comedian try to do the stuff that makes you laugh, that works for you and for the viewing public because all we want is to see uniqueness, someone who is delivering their perspective. Work really hard on that, but don’t neglect the rest of your life, and don’t drive yourself crazy by wondering why you aren’t further along. One of the best quotes I’ve read is, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Q: You’re currently on the Enraged to be Married tour, and you’re working on material for a new hour-long special. How is that going?
A: I’ve got about an hour and a half to two hours of material that I keep interchanging. My last special came out in 2015, and since then I’ve been writing and moving things around. Last year, I did the Made of Mistakes tour, and this one is Enraged to be Married. I pretty much name my tours on what makes my fiance laugh. People shouldn’t come and expect stuff all based on my upcoming nuptials, but there are things from that. I like to pick a silly name that helps the theme move along, but it’s not a one-man show.
Q: If people follow you on Twitter and have listened to your sets they have a good idea of where you stand on issues and your political beliefs. Have you noticed any changes to the atmosphere of the rooms you’ve been playing since November?
A: No, not really. The great thing about comedy clubs is that they’re still a bastion of relief where you get to escape the rest of the world even if you are talking about current events. I play a theater once a year in Portland, Oregon, and last time my first five minutes were getting the political situation out of the way. One of the tenets of therapy is that if you’re feeling something you share it, especially with yourself, so I got into that a little bit, but it was just to clear it out of the way to get to the funny stuff. I think with being political is that you just have to make it funny, and with what’s going on right now so often you get so mad that you’re screaming or ranting. I think you can make anything funny, but it’s up to you on how to do that. I wouldn’t say the atmosphere has changed, but people need to laugh now more than ever.
Q: Do you think that has raised the importance of comedy? To laugh away some of the fears some of us may be having.
A: From that perspective, absolutely. Sadly, it’s the comedians like John Oliver, Samantha Bee, and Stephen Colbert that are doing the reporting through satire. I get it if someone wants to off the news, turn on America’s Funniest Home Videos and watch a montage of babies fall down carpeted stairs. I get it, I understand. You need that release to be healthy, otherwise, you’ll put your head through a wall. I know people who say, “I feel guilty enjoying things now,” and I’m like, "Don’t let anything rob you of your joy."
Q: I find myself using Twitter more now as an outlet to get something off my chest or to comment on something ridiculous someone has said or done.
A: I find maybe I share too much political stuff on Twitter and Facebook, and maybe I should limit myself to one a day, and the rest of the time do some funny stuff. I really bristle when people are like, “Go back to the funny stuff,” and I’m like, "Where do I send the refund?" For the most part, I’ve stopped responding to those people.
Q: The New V.I.P.’s, an animated show for adults, has been announced for Amazon’s latest Pilot Season. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
A: I really hope that does well because Steve Dildarian (HBO’s The Life and Times of Tim) created it, and this is like that, but really, really dark, and funny. Myself and Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) are the main guys in an office that is getting downsized in almost absurd ways, accidentally murder their boss, and spend the episode trying to bury his body. There’s not just cursing, but also dark themes that always makes me laugh in animation. It sounds all over the place, but I remember when we were doing it, and having to stop takes to laugh because we were riffing on each other so much. I’m definitely biased, but it’s one of those things where you take some of your favorite comedic actors, turn them into animated people doing terrible things, and that’s comedy to me. I hope people like it.
Q: Your podcast, Ding-Donger, will be premiering on Feral Audio soon. When will that be available, and you’re giving advice with this version?
A: I’ve recorded three episodes so far and that will come out by the end of March. People can write to dingdonger@feralaudio.com with questions. I can do abstract stuff, but I want to answer questions if people need advice because I’m a 42-year-old guy who’s getting married for the first time. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, so I feel like I’ve lived through a lot of stuff that people might be curious about, and I can give them honest advice without any kind of judgment. I also want it to be funny, but I’m not going to try and abuse people’s trust. I genuinely I want to help.
Q: Finally, because we’re an Ann Arbor-based site, I wanted to ask what it is about Bob Seger that makes you such a fan of him and his music?
A: I think a lot of it is my friends from Michigan like Mike Burns (creator of Twitter’s @DadBoner), Dave Lyons, and J.D. Ryznar (Yacht Rock) they’re some of the funniest guys I know, and a huge part of my Los Angeles experience. I also liked a lot of that music growing up, and you kind of get a sense of humor about the partying old guy especially as you become more of a partying old guy. It kind of has that unapologetic, ridiculous, rock guy bringing the beer hall feeling to a stadium. You can genuinely enjoy “Turn the Page,” but you can also laugh at it. We did a Bob Seger musical in 2014 (A Night of 1,000 Bob Segers) with Kyle Kinane, Tim Heidecker (Tim & Eric), and a bunch of other friends, and we each played Seger at a different part in his life. I got to be “Night Moves” Seger, it was a blast, but it was arbitrary based on almost no history. For me, Seger is about how unabashedly fun the music is, how dramatic it is, and how ridiculous it is, but it rocks. I also kind of like that rock purists think he’s garbage.
Jeremy Klumpp is a freelance writer based in Ypsilanti.
Matt Braunger will be appearing Thursday, March 9 through Saturday, March 11 at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase, 212 S 4th Ave. Visit aacomedy.com for tickets and more info.
Blog Post
Turn and Face the Strange: Cartoonist Casey Nowak's big life changes have invigorated her art
by christopherporter
The two years since Casey Nowak last answered questions for Pulp have been filled with personal changes and critical success. Followers of Nowak’s on Twitter may also have noticed her using the platform to discuss her own experiences with sexuality, divorce, mental health, and recently a series of tweets discussing her name change from Carolyn to Casey.
Blog Post
Art Matters: Jenny Robb of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
by christopherporter
As curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (BICLM) at Ohio State University, Jenny Robb may have one of the coolest jobs in the country. With its current holdings of original cartoons, books, manuscripts, and comic strips in the millions, the BICLM is the largest cartoon art library in the world. Started in 1977, the library is primarily a research collection for American cartoon art, but with the addition of three exhibition galleries in 2013, the BICLM is now a destination for comic fans as well.
Blog Post
From "Lumberjanes" to Chad's Mom: Carolyn Nowak | A2CAF
by christopherporter
Ann Arbor-based cartoonist Carolyn Nowak may have reached a larger audience with her work in 2015 on the critically acclaimed and award-winning comic series Lumberjanes, but it’s her funny, introspective self-published comics, such as Lazy and Girl Town, where Nowak truly shines.
Last year, one of those works, Radishes, received the Ignatz Award (named for the character in George Herriman’s classic Krazy Kat comic strip) at the Small Press Expo for Outstanding Minicomic, and Nowak herself was nominated for Promising New Talent. Radishes was a shift for Nowak into fantasy comics and tells the story of two teenagers, Kelly and Beth, who play hooky from school to visit a wondrous market filled with mysterious shops and a tiger hairstylist. Nowak’s follow-up from late last year, Diana’s Electric Tongue, is set in a futuristic society where people purchase androids for companionship, is her most mature work to date, and possibly her best.
Nowak will be joining over 50 other comic creators who are displaying, selling, and signing their work on Artist’s Alley at this weekend’s Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival (A2CAF). The A2CAF is a free event starting on Friday, June 17, and running through Sunday, June 19, at the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch. Nowak partnered with AADL to create the all-ages comic Chad Agamemnon for the recent Free Comic Book Day, and you'll also be able to get a gratis copy at A2CAF.
Nowak was kind enough to answer a few questions via e-mail for Pulp ahead of the festival.
Q: A2CAF is a celebration of all-ages comics. What are some of your favorite all-ages comics?
A: My absolute favorite is Laura Knetzger's Bug Boys, which follows the adventures of two beetle best friends. It's kind, funny, fun, wonderfully unpredictable, and almost frighteningly sincere. It's a book I would buy for literally anyone.
Q: You partnered with the AADL on Chad Agamemnon for Free Comic Book Day in May and A2CAF. Who inspired Chad and have you ever lived in an Ann Arbor co-op?
A: I really don't know where Chad came from. He is my weird son. I lived in Michigan House in the summer of 2008. I was a really, really bad roommate. The co-op (in the comic) is clearly a direct reference to Mich House, and the room Chad shares with Scott is the room I inhabited that summer!
Q: Calvin and Hobbes and Mad Magazine have been noted by you as early influences. Do you still see their influence while you’re working on something new today?
A: Calvin and Hobbes, maybe! But I was so young when I read Mad Magazine I might as well have been a literate slug. To be honest, I think I've just always hated reading, and I absorbed a lot of Mad and Calvin and Hobbes just because those were the books in my house with the most pictures.
Q: You won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Minicomic for Radishes last year. Will we be seeing any further adventures of Beth and Kelly in the future?
A: Probably not! I've definitely thought about it, but these girls were so specifically created for the story of Radishes, and even though I love them and see them weirdly as complete people, I can't imagine them going on a different adventure. I feel like I would end up just repeating the themes of Radishes over and over again, and I'd rather move on to something else.
Q: Before working on Radishes you attended a workshop by Fantasy Sports creator Sam Bosma. How much did that workshop influence Radishes, and has it continued to influence your work?
A: Sam is so nice! And that workshop is basically where Radishes was born. It wouldn't exist without it. I even got Radishes printed on off-white paper because Sam had been printing his fantasy mini comics on off-white paper. I told Sam later that Radishes was just a rip-off of his stuff, he gave me a friendly shrug, and said, "I can't make all the comics!" He is just the best. He's an amazing teacher, and I owe him so much.
Q: What advice do you have for other creators who are either considering or already are self-publishing their comics?
A: Write yourself a budget! I've never done this, but I feel like it's probably a good idea. And go to festivals! I feel like nobody can succeed in self-publishing without going to independent comics festivals. Even if you're just attending, bring some little cheap mini-comic, and get it into people's hands.
Q: When you’re working on something like Diana’s Electric Tongue and Girl Town, how much are you pulling from your own personal experiences while creating the story?
A: I'm pulling, like, everything from personal experience. I don't know how to write any other way. Diana is basically me. The main character in Girl Town is also me. Both girls in Radishes = me. I've never been an astronaut or bought a sex robot, but I do derive a ton of power from my gang of girlfriends and I do have an intense fear of true intimacy.
Q: How did you end up working on bigger properties like Lumberjanes and Spongebob Squarepants?
A: Blackmail
Q: The podcast you co-host, We Should Be Friends, is billed as a podcast “about exciting work by cool people.” How did that start, and what kind of “cool people” are you discussing in each episode?
A: My beautiful friend Carta started it all. She's a comics genius, a comics ... shark ... I'm trying to think of a good metaphor here. She thinks about comics all the time and reads comics all the time. The "cool people" we talk about in each episode are the creators that Carta finds and brings to the table. Then we talk about their work and try to get them to be friends with us. Doing this podcast has made my work so much better.
Q: What are some of the projects you’re currently working on?
A: Right now I'm working on a few things, a couple secret things, but honestly, there's nothing solid on the docket for me, which is good because I've completely overcommitted myself in the past few months. The one thing I can talk about in a real way is No Better Words, an erotic comic I'm making for fun, which I will release on my birthday, July 29.
Jeremy Klumpp is a freelance writer based in Ypsilanti.
The Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival (A2CAF) is at the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch from Friday, June 16, to Sunday, June 18. Click here for the full A2CAF schedule of activities and guests, including Jarrett J. Krosoczka ("Lunch Lady"; read our interview with him), Raina Telgemeier ("Smile", "Sisters"), and Ben Hatke ("Zita the Spacegirl"), who has an exhibition of his artwork on the third floor of the library's downtown branch; a reception will be held there on Friday, June 16, from 6-8 pm.
Blog Post
From Lunch Ladies to Wookies: Jarrett J. Krosoczka | A2CAF
by christopherporter
Like many illustrators, Jarrett J. Krosoczka set course on making his dreams come true at a very young age. His maternal grandparents, who had been raising Krosoczka since he was three, saw a desire in him to create, so they enrolled him in art classes at the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts. In elementary school he wrote his first books, and as he got older his work began to be influenced by comic books, leading to him writing a comic strip for the school newspaper, and eventually being accepted to the Rhode Island School of Design after graduation.
While still working on his degree at RISD, Krosoczka started submitting picture books to publishers, and after two years of rejection letters, Random House published Good Night, Monkey Boy in 2001. Over the past 16 years, Krosoczka has published numerous picture books, created the Lunch Lady and Platypus Police Squad comic series, and was recently tapped to replace Jeffrey Brown on Star Wars: Jedi Academy with his second book in that series, The Force Oversleeps, set to be released next month.
Krosoczka’s plate always seems to be full, but he still finds time to visit schools to promote literacy and creativity. He has also established the School Lunch Hero Day, which annually asks students to recognize the work done by their school’s nutrition staff, and the Platypus Police Academy, a community read-aloud program for police officers at their local libraries.
As the keynote presenter for this weekend’s Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival (A2CAF) at the Ann Arbor District Library downtown, Krosoczka will continue to be busy. On Saturday, June 17, from 3-4 pm he’ll demonstrate his story-making process, followed by a Lunch Lady event and signing. On Sunday, June 18, he’ll be making an appearance from 12:30-1:30 pm at Vault of Midnight on Main Street, and will have a signing later at 4 pm at the downtown library.
Krosoczka was nice enough to answer some questions via e-mail for Pulp before this weekend’s A2CAF.
Q: A2CAF is a celebration of all-ages comics. What are some of your favorite all-ages comics?
A: We devour kids’ comics in my home. One of my recent favorites is the Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey. Those books make us laugh right out loud, Dav is such a comedic genius. Raina Telgemeier is another favorite. Sisters was was a breakthrough book for my eldest daughter. I read aloud the present-tense scenes, and she read aloud the flashbacks. It was the first time she read aloud that much text, and it filled her with so much confidence. After that, she started ripping through books independently. I can’t keep up with her now.
Q: You’re a big advocate for using graphic novels and picture books to help promote childhood literacy. What is it about these books that you believe helps them connect with children?
A: Graphic novels are like magic. When kids are emerging readers that picture-to-text connection is key for building them up and helping them grasp the understanding of words that they might not be familiar with. The illustrations draw them in and excite them to dive into the story.
Q: What would you say to parents and educators who may look down on graphic novels?
A: I tell them that it isn’t productive for us to prejudge the reading material in our children’s reading lives. I share a story about how I kept getting tweets of young readers enjoying Lunch Lady on electronic devices. At first, I was a bit crestfallen. But then I saw that these kids were reading voraciously and I had to check myself. I was judging how these kids were reading because that isn’t how the information was delivered to me when I was a kid.
Oftentimes, librarians will be faced with teachers or parents who instruct their children to only check out “real books,” not comics. There is this librarian that I met in Houston who tells those adults that when we take our children to the playground, we let them gravitate to the piece of playground equipment that they are most comfortable with. Those kids might be terrified of the monkey bars, but maybe they really like the swings. So, for now, let them enjoy swinging. They’ll eventually get up onto those monkey bars and there is nothing wrong for them to continue enjoying that swingset, too.
Q: You started writing and drawing books at a very young age. What advice do you have for your young fans who want to create comics?
A: I tell young writers and young artists to just create, and create whenever they can! If you’re passionate about making comics, you’ll make comics in your free time. Whether you want this to be your vocation or not, it is a wonderful way to spend your time, and it can even help you process, or escape, whatever you may have going on in your life.
Q: What has it been like working on Star Wars: Jedi Academy? Were you a Star Wars fan growing up?
A: It has been a tremendous amount of fun. Sometimes, I just feel like I am making fan art, but then I remind myself that I have entries on Wookieepedia with characters that I invented. I actually didn’t see any of the Star Wars movies until my freshman year of college. My grandparents, who raised me, took me to a showing of E.T. when I was four, and I left the theater in tears because I was so spooked by the alien. As that movie was released a year before Return of the Jedi, they weren’t about to make a return to the theater for Episode VI. My grandparents weren’t pop-culture aficionados or early adopters of the VCR, so I missed out. But I did have C-3P0s and was obsessed with the droids toys. And I loved the Return of the Jedi arcade game. While I didn’t get to enjoy Star Wars when I was a kid, I’m definitely making up for lost time now!
Q: Can you give us any updates on your titles that have been optioned for movies?
A: Lunch Lady, Punk Farm, and Platypus Police Squad have all been in various stages of development since 2006. I’ve been close to having something go to green light, but then tides shift, and the studio changes its mind. However, I’m lucky that other studios have then picked up the books for option, and that is about all I can reveal for now. Fingers are continually crossed!
Q: The series Platypus Police Squad takes place in the fictional Kalamazoo City. Have you ever been to Kalamazoo? And is the series finished, or will there be more monotreme adventures in the future?
A: I have flown in and out of Kalamazoo, but I have never visited. With the word “zoo” in an actual city name, it struck the perfect balance of seeming real and fantastical for these books. The Platypus Police Squad series is indeed over. I always imagined the story would have a concrete beginning and ending over the course of four books. Perhaps I’ll revisit that world, but I don’t have any plans to at this moment.
Q: You always seem to be busy, what are you currently working on?
A: I do keep myself busy! Aside from all of my deadlines, we have three kids at home -- aged 8, 5, and 11 months. On top of all that busy family life, I am often found visiting schools leading assemblies. And then there are the deadlines, all the deadlines. ... Wait. I’m starting to stress myself out! AGH! OK, book-wise, right now, I am writing the third book in Victor Starspeeder’s story in the Jedi Academy series, and I am readying a whole slew of new book ideas.
Jeremy Klumpp is a freelance writer based in Ypsilanti.
The Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival (A2CAF) is at the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch from Friday, June 16, to Sunday, June 18. Krosoczka will demonstrate his story-making process followed by a "Lunch Lady" event and signing on Saturday, June 17, from 3-4 pm. On Sunday, June 18, he’ll be making an appearance from 12:30-1:30 pm at Vault of Midnight on Main Street, and will have a signing at the downtown library at 4 pm.Click here for the full A2CAF schedule of activities and guests, including Carolyn Nowak ("Lumberjanes"; read our interview with her here), Raina Telgemeier ("Smile", "Sisters"), and Ben Hatke ("Zita the Spacegirl"), who has an exhibition of his artwork on the third floor of the library's downtown branch; a reception will be held there on Friday, June 16, from 6-8 pm.
Blog Post
"Here and There": The voyeuristic art of Tracey Snelling
by christopherporter
Upon entering the U-M Institute for the Humanities' gallery room that houses artist Tracey Snelling’s latest exhibition, lsa.umich.edu">Here and There, one is immersed in a life unfamiliar to some and unimaginable for others. Neon signs flash “drift” and “Lost City” to light up the darkened room while several tiny, connected rooms hang from one wall all bustling with sights and sounds to tempt the viewer to look closer and give in to their voyeuristic desires.
The rooms, each about the size of a shoe box, were completed during the Berlin, Germany- and Oakland, California-based Snelling’s recent residency at the University of Michigan’s Institute for the Humanities. While viewing the rooms from afar gives you an idea of how the entire piece moves as a whole, Snelling wants to get up close and explore the rooms. Upon closer inspection with the Bee Gee’s “Night Fever” as your soundtrack one begins to notice the details placed in each room to give them character; a shotgun leaning on a recliner, the Jack Daniels poster on a wall, High Fidelity playing on a screen in the record shop, or a pool cue leaning on a pool table in a bar.
The centerpiece of this exhibition is Snelling’s signature work, One Thousand Shacks, a 15-foot tall installation teeming with life via photos, sound clips, and small screens playing video throughout the sculpture. According to Snelling, One Thousand Shacks is about global poverty and the inequalities that lead to divisions among classes and races.
The exterior looks like a massive, colorful tenement building, and is beautiful on its own, but Snelling’s real goal, once again, is to get you close to One Thousand Shacks. Tiny windows fill the sculpture from top to bottom like peepholes enticing you to witness the ups and downs of the daily lives of those in poverty. The experience can be just as enlightening and inspiring as it is infuriating and heartbreaking.
Both the tiny rooms and One Thousand Shacks are slices of life. Snelling is inviting us to enter worlds we may be hesitant to step foot into, but have no qualms about observing and judging from afar. Her hope is you’ll take the bait and immerse yourself in the atmosphere created by the fascinating and intriguing world of Here and There.
Prior to her Penny Stamps Speaker Series talk at UMMA on March 20 that launched Here and There, Snelling answered some question from Pulp over email.
Q: Did the Ann Arbor area inspire any of the works included in Here and There?
A: The small-scale bar ended up with a few images that I added from Powell's Bar in Ypsilanti, and I used a few images from Detroit, but mostly the work represents "anyplace.” Places that can be found anywhere.
Q: Can you discuss your decision to make One Thousand Shacks so large, and the amount of time that went into creating an installation that includes so many different elements?
A: I initially had an image for this work in my mind. It was even larger, actually much wider. When I sketched it I decided on the size. I spent almost a year working on it while working on other projects at the same time, and with the help of two assistants, I built it in 9 pieces that fit together like a puzzle, which makes for easier transport. I made the work about extreme global poverty and was influenced by many places around the world.
Q: Your work regularly uses moving imagery to immerse the viewer deeper into the piece. Is this an attempt to make the viewers focus a bit closer on something that may make them uncomfortable?
A: The addition of video to most of my work adds another layer. In relation to One Thousand Shacks, it's an additional way that I can add information. Global poverty is a very complex issue with many facets. I wanted to show as many as possible -- hunger, environmental issues, drugs, etc., but also the resiliency of the people living in these areas. There's laughter, religion, people starting small businesses, musicians, kickboxing classes for kids, etc.
Q: You tend to focus on places that many people may think are a little less glamorous: adult bookstores, a male metalhead’s bedroom, a 7-11. What is the draw for you to re-create these places in miniature?
A: I've always been a bit of a voyeur, so I like to look at places that are "forbidden" in some way, such as adult bookstores, strip clubs, and massage parlors. These are interesting to me because there are many facets: desire and want, the idea of power and who has it, and the manufactured and surface idea of satisfaction and if that's really attainable. With places like 7-11, a bar, or a beauty supply shop, I like to look at the mundane places we see everyday and elevate them to the sublime. I'm fascinated by the signage, feel, and smell of these places. I frequent many of these places, so while I like to observe the people who go there, I am one of them, too.
Q: At the beginning of your career your work was mainly in photography. When did you make the move to sculpture, and how has your photography background helped your sculpture work?
A: While doing a photo degree at the University of New Mexico, I started making collages using old Life magazines. One had a brownstone with many apartment rooms; this inspired me to make a three-dimensional sculpture, which was covered in collage and had lights. This was in 1998. I would then often photograph the rooms or buildings. I've moved organically from photo to sculpture to video, installation, etc. I like the idea of experimenting and not limiting myself to any one medium.
Q: What are you working on now since Here and There is finished?
A: I will be returning to Berlin for at least a year, for residencies at ZK/U and the Bethanien. I'm finishing up a sculptural installation for the Frankfurt Historical Museum, and several works for the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. I will also be working on a solo exhibition for the Bethanien next year.
Jeremy Klumpp is a freelance writer based in Ypsilanti.
"Here and There" is open 9 am-5 pm until April 28 in the Institute for the Humanities gallery, 202 S. Thayer, Ann Arbor. Visit lsa.umich.edu for more information. Snellings' Penny Stamps talk will be uploaded to the series' YouTube channel soon.