Stephanie L. Rogers
Stephanie L. Rogers is fascinated by insects and plants, the relationship between decomposition and new growth, and the intersection of artistic and scientific processes. These interests were formed during childhood visits to an entomologist grandpa and teenage backpacking trips with the Girl Scouts. St. Olaf College later provided a place for continued exploration. A former professor’s statement that, “the best art is always at the intersection between art and something else” continues to resonate. Rogers’ work with Public Art Saint Paul and Wing Young Huie has sparked her interest in art that occurs in public spaces.
In addition to the Arts on Chicago project grant, a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and a 5th year Apprentice Fellowship from St. Olaf have provided opportunities to focus on these themes. Rogers’ work has been shown at venues including the Northrup King Building, and The Third Place Gallery (both in Minneapolis), the Northfield Arts Guild in Northfield, Minnesota, and Concordia College in Austin, Texas.
Artist Statement
I explore the complexity of urban detritus by depicting the uneasy co-existence of the natural and the man-made, using photography to draw attention to scenes we see every day but rarely notice or avoid stepping on. Everything in my photos is visible to the naked eye, yet finding these scenes often requires me to crouch down and look closely.
I see echoes of human experiences in the struggles of organisms beneath us. My Arts on Chicago project, Urban/Environment, uses macro (close-up) photography to focus on the under- and over-looked aspects of our neighborhoods. I am most interested in the way plants and animals interact with each other and with human beings in an urban setting.
and The Third Place and MCAD Professor Natasha Pestich
with support from the Ward 8 Council Office of Elizabeth Glidden