ANN RESNICK

Statement

Over the last several years, I developed a body of work that was an examination of grief, love and loss. In recent months, that work has evolved into a contemplation of time. In many ways, the two themes are linked. As time goes by, grief is a constant companion and a constant reminder of the limits of time. When I was younger, there were more demands on my time and I felt I could give more freely. Now I recognize how little time there is, or ever was, and how much of it I’ve wasted. Comprehension of this basic fact of life has turned my daily endeavors into an existential exercise.

Marking time; keeping track of how long it takes to make or do something, reminds me that there will never be enough time. Each piece I make now will be a record of how my hours passed on earth. Questions regarding the value of my activity arise in relation to the entire production of living artists—does my work have value compared to other artists? Upon asking that, it seems natural to then ask, “Is this a worthwhile pursuit?” These are questions artists ask throughout their lives, but it seems to me, that when mortality looms, the questions become more compelling, and infinitely more difficult—maybe impossible—to confront. To move forward does not necessarily require an affirmation of one’s value, only a modestly persuasive calculation that it is better to forge ahead.

Process, media and content have mostly been agreeable companions in recent work. I use a combination of hand-made stencils, spray paint and burned paper to make my work; media that has appealed to me on a metaphorical level for the amount of ash it produced (“ashes to ashes, dust to dust”) and its ritualistic properties. My current work privileges process over content, using the same methods as previously, but charting a different route.

Biography

Ann Resnick (b. Syracuse, NY), received a BFA, magna cum laude from the University of North Carolina after studying in less traditional programs in Alaska and upstate NY. Currently living and working in Wichita, KS, Resnick has exhibited throughout KS and MO, as well as NY, NC and Japan. Recent solo exhibitions include Local & State at Steckline Gallery, Newman University, Wichita and Inconsolable at Bethel College, Newton, Kansas. She has been included in numerous group shows including Arts Pure Voice at the Wichita Art Museum, Art on Paper, Obihiro City, Japan, New Growth, KC Jewish Museum of Contemporary Art, and ReGrowth, GreenHill Center for the Arts, Greensboro, NC. She has been awarded both the Kansas Arts Commission Mid-Career Artist Fellowship and the KAC Individual Artist’s Mini Fellowship, as well as several Arts Council of Wichita Individual Artists Grants. Her work is represented in the collections of the Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS and the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC and numerous private collections. In addition to her studio practice, Resnick operated Project, a contemporary/alternative art space in her studio in downtown Wichita for more than 10 years.

Learn more about the artist at www.annresnick.com.