Anonymous
The Guise of Providence, 2016. Embroidery on Wood, 18"x 30"
How did you get into debt?
Student loans, Medical bills, and Tax debt.
My Unemployed Life series [Control, Prone, Benefit, & Luck], 2011. Satin & cotton thread hand embroidery on handmade linen. 4 in series, each 11” x 14”
How does your economic reality effect your art?
I avoid picking up my phone from phone numbers I dont know, leaving me to wonder if I am missing opportunities to show or sell work. I have no bank account. I have no savings. Everything is hand to mouth, even with the work. I scrounge for materials from other artists, keep the work small
Blanc| Blanco, 2013. Video Still from Performance. Pioneer Works, Brooklyn.
Would your work look different if you weren't in debt?:
I might have the time and money to go to a residency or go back to school and focus on my practice if I wasn't in debt. I regret not finishing school. I would still make work about issues that concern me, as I do now.
The South Bronx Gold Rush of 2015, 2015. Embroidery on Wood. 9.5" x 26"
www.melissacalderon.com