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Shelsea Dodd | Episode 539
Shelsea is a ceramic sculptor from Binghamton, NY. She received her BFA in Ceramics from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2013, and she was a post baccalaureate student at the University of Alaska Anchorage from 2016 to 2018. Shelsea’s work primarily investigates feminist and queer issues, as well as human/animal relationships and the parallels she perceives between the two. She is currently a long term resident artist at Studio 740 in Helena, MT.
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Do you know where your work fits? What type of person does your work fit with?
Well, I guess the different between a potter and a sculptor for me, as a sculptor, I don’t think of my audience as a market I just think I would like everyone to have access to my work and I try to leave enough open in the work so there is many different access points so that different people can access and appreciate it and come to like it. To go off a little bit, and talk about the concepts behind it, when I was at UAA right when I got there was the 2016 presidential election and I was in class and they were tallying up the votes. Then it because apparent who was going to win and I began crying and that was the moment I realized I had always been interested in human and animal relationships, but that was the moment I realized that I needed to start making political work and be a representative and voice for people in my community.
How do you go about finding your audience?
Well, I think it’s crazy now because of social media, it’s crazy the amount of views and how far your work can go, just via social media. And I think it is a really good networking tool and just applying to shows and getting the work out there eventually you are going to have a certain type of person who admires the work and want to follow it.
How much do you rely on galleries for getting the work out there?
I currently don’t have a specific gallery that represents me but I do try to show in various juried shows, invitationals, and I do think that has gotten my work out there. I would like to have a gallery but again it is harder to get a gallery contract as a sculptor because there is more at stake, I think, for the gallery.
What percentage of shows do you apply for and actually get into?
I would say about seventy-five percent… I am fairly selective about the shows I apply to because it’s expensive. So I try to do a mixture of ceramic and general art show, but apply to annual juried shows or shows that are figurative or animal based. I’ve had pretty good luck thus far and hopefully that keeps on.
Do you try to attend the shows that you get into?
I do, although it has been hard these past couple of years- first I was in Alaska and now I am in Montana, so there is really not a lot within driving distance. But certainly if it is doable, I will try to attend the opening for sure.
Why do you love animals so much?
I’ve always loved animals since I was little. I think that, in regards to sculpture, animals allow you to relay messages and concepts that might be a little bit too direct if you if it was just a human figure. Human figures are too close to us, obviously, so with an animal you can evoke more sympathy or empathy and convey things that the view might shy away from if it was a figure just staring back at them.
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Ruby Fruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
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