About Contemplated Commotion:
Speaking about her work, Rothman says:
"This body of work is a representation of my internal struggles of identity. These ceramic objects are categorized into themes of personality traits that could be my own or ones that I long to have. As humans we seek to find words to label ourselves to give us a sense of identity but by doing so, we create boxes of who we want to be versus who we are. Can these boxes overlap? Can these identities mold into one functioning vessel? As I explore this within myself, the style in which I create starts to change.
While I seek to be more calm, organized, and rigid I know that I am more chaotic, bold, and filled with constant movement. The calm and organized personality traits can be represented by the domestic space. Everything has its place and function, working seamlessly to create a place we all are familiar with. The chaos and movement traits can be represented by the abstract. The constant change of direction and repetition of form are up for interpretation; that may mean something to one person but mean something completely different to another. As I try to morph these opposite ideas, I fall to a gray area of objects that could be both. One abstract design turned into a functional form, something that resembles familiarity but changes the perspective.
These ideas battle in my head as I question what kind of artist I want to be. What is fine art and what is craft art? Can I break down the boxes and push through the labels? I decided that I can be all of it and none of it simultaneously. We use our own experiences and perception to make connections or judgements. These pieces embody the battling factions of my personality, but I invite the viewer to create their own narrative based on their relationship to these concepts, forms and colors."
Speaking about her work, Rothman says:
"This body of work is a representation of my internal struggles of identity. These ceramic objects are categorized into themes of personality traits that could be my own or ones that I long to have. As humans we seek to find words to label ourselves to give us a sense of identity but by doing so, we create boxes of who we want to be versus who we are. Can these boxes overlap? Can these identities mold into one functioning vessel? As I explore this within myself, the style in which I create starts to change.
While I seek to be more calm, organized, and rigid I know that I am more chaotic, bold, and filled with constant movement. The calm and organized personality traits can be represented by the domestic space. Everything has its place and function, working seamlessly to create a place we all are familiar with. The chaos and movement traits can be represented by the abstract. The constant change of direction and repetition of form are up for interpretation; that may mean something to one person but mean something completely different to another. As I try to morph these opposite ideas, I fall to a gray area of objects that could be both. One abstract design turned into a functional form, something that resembles familiarity but changes the perspective.
These ideas battle in my head as I question what kind of artist I want to be. What is fine art and what is craft art? Can I break down the boxes and push through the labels? I decided that I can be all of it and none of it simultaneously. We use our own experiences and perception to make connections or judgements. These pieces embody the battling factions of my personality, but I invite the viewer to create their own narrative based on their relationship to these concepts, forms and colors."
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About Madeline Rothman:
Known as Maddie Mae to her friends and family, Madeline is a free-spirited, ceramicist, and photographer. Originally from Pittsburgh, she moved to Philadelphia to attend the Tyler School of Art at Temple University where she received her BFA in Ceramics in May of 2018. During her time at school, she spent as much time in the studio as she did practicing and studying digital photography. Madeline has worked as a production artist at BDDW, a fabrication company in Philadelphia, as a studio assistant for Brian Giniewski. She has done a residency at the District Clay Center here in Washington, DC as well as at Watershed For The Ceramic Arts in Edgecomb, ME. Currently, Madeline creates all her work in her personal studio in Philadelphia while also teaching handbuilding classes at local community centers. |
