Mari Marks Mondanelli, Artist and Curator

 

Hello and welcome to the 64th 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time I interviewed artist and curator Mari Marks Mondanelli. I first met her at Highpoint Center for Printmaking. She and I have an Italian connection and she was kind enough to put my paintings up at Fletcher's Ice Cream Cafe in northeast Minneapolis. She is awesome and her answers to my questions are awesome as well. Thank you for reading! (All images courtesy of the artist / Instagram: @marimarks.mm) 

Jackson: What inspired you to be an artist and a curator? Did you have an experience when you were young that sent you in an artistic direction?

Mari: I've always known that I wanted to be an artist. My first memory of art is in kindergarten when we painted figures inspired my Clementine Hunter. My figure had black hair and a magenta dress. My teacher held up my painting as an example of what not to do. My parents are not artistic people but they encouraged and supported all of my projects. My fifth grade teacher also gave me the space to be creative, and in high school my favorite teachers were the painting teacher Mr. Clercx and the ceramics teacher Mr. Moeller. They spent extra time with me and offered opportunities to do more. It was in painting class, creating a self portrait, when I first felt confident in my abilities.

In my current professional position, I don't have as much of a connection to art as I normally do so when I saw the opportunity to curate the art at Fletcher's Cafe, I talked to the owner Jason and basically gave myself the job. I love being connected to my community and showcasing beautiful and important work. It's important for me to showcase a variety of artists who might not have as many opportunities, or aren't well know yet, but their work is high quality. I also like the challenge of choosing art the community can connect with. Curating in Northeast would be different from curating a cafe in Eagan.

Jackson: How has becoming a parent changed the way you see and make art?

Mari: I appreciate the process of making art and what it does for my mental health. I don't get to be creative nearly as often as before I was a parent, and I miss it. I do my best to encourage exploration and creativity in every aspect of my daughter's life. Thick paint, beada all over the floor, and ribbons thrown everywhere are 100% acceptable and celebrated. I make a point to appreciate every brushstroke and meet hesitation with excitement. I point out every mural we see in the Twin Cities. When she gets frustrated with a problem I try to motivate her to solve it herself, which offers the opportunity to think creatively. Because of all the encouragement and joy I've received from my artistic practice, I see the importance of passing it on to my daughter.

Jackson: If you could meet any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

Mari: I've always loved Faith Ringgold. Her mix of paint and fabric, details and storytelling. I saw the Pacita Abad show at the Walker and it was one of my four favorite exhibits of all time. I'd love to meet Pacita. 

The other three favorite exhibitions I've seen are; Alphonse Mucha at the Mucha Museum in Prague, William J. O'Brien at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and his Contemporaries at the Milwaukee Art Museum.