"I Never Start with Nothing": Mary Lum on Collage and Constructed Geographies

In this episode, Caitlin Woolsey (Assistant Director of the Research and Academic Program at the Clark) speaks with Mary Lum, a visual artist based in North Adams, Massachusetts, about how her intricate collages, paintings, and photographs explore the margins of city life, constructed geographies, and her use of text as image. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Radcliffe Fellowship for Advanced Study, and several MacDowell Fellowships, Lum taught at Bennington College from 2005 to 2022.  Her work has been exhibited in and commissioned by MASS MoCA,  The Drawing Center, and Oxford University, among numerous other venues.

Om Podcasten

What does it mean to make art history? In the Foreground: Conversations on Art & Writing considers the role of art in society, how knowledge is shared (or obscured), and the way histories are made and unmade—while also considering the personal stakes of scholarship. Each episode offers a lively, in-depth look into the life and mind of a scholar or artist working with art historical or visual material. Discussions touch on guests’ current research projects, career paths, and significant texts, mentors, and experiences that have shaped their thinking. We invite you to join us and listen in on these conversations about the stakes of doing art history today.