Mark Newport is an artist and educator whose work explores ideas of gender and experiences of the body, primarily using fiber media and textile-based processes. His work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the collections of The Whitney Museum of American Art; The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Arizona State University Art Museum, the Cranbrook Art Museum, and The Detroit Institute of Arts. He is the Artist-in-Residence and Head of the Fiber Department at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Newport has a solo exhibition, Cut, Mend, Weave, opening November 12, 2020 at Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle.
For more information please see: www.marknewportartist.com and on Instagram @newportmark.
Mark Newport, Amends 3 (detail), 2018. Mending in wool. 80” x 40”. Photo by Tim Thayer.
First, and most importantly, how are you doing? How are you navigating the highs and lows?
I am fortunate to be safe and healthy, mostly staying at home with my family, and employed throughout the Codiv-19 stay at home orders and the “re-opening”. In March, April, and May, I did my best to adapt to working on-line with my students and colleagues and to keep a schedule that was as close to my usual school/ studio routine as possible. It was stressful and exhausting but also a time when keeping in touch with my students, colleagues, friends and family felt like a current that kept me (I hope us) open and energized. As the summer months passed, I was able to keep working in the studio, but I am also prone to let a day(s) slip away into puttering and wandering, which I am learning to be ok with. And a couple of people close to me have been challenged by serious health issues so my thoughts frequently move towards them.
Mark Newport, Amends 3, 2018. Mending in wool. 80” x 40”. Photo by Tim Thayer.
It's my experience that most artists engage with some level of self-isolation in their day to day art practice. Has this been your experience? And if so, have you found these innate rhythms to be helpful during this larger, world-wide experience of isolation?
Yes, I frequently spend days alone working in the studio. I think that is why I was able to move into the stay-at-home order and continue to be productive. But I should also confess that from mid-March through the beginning of June when we started to re-open, I was in the house with my wife and son, so I was always with them. We were in our respective rooms pursuing our interests/jobs – so together and apart. My wife and son design and maintain gardens so they have been working outdoors since the beginning of June and now I am alone more, but that is a normal seasonal change for us.
Mark Newport, Mend 12, 2017. Mending and embroidery on muslin. 17”x 13”. Photo by Tim Thayer.
It would be great if you could briefly talk us through your practice. Understanding it is integral to appreciating the multivalence of your work.
My work primarily uses fiber and textile-based media and processes to explore ideas of gender and experiences of the body. Since 2015, I have been using mending process from European colonial era darning or mending samplers. My pieces explore the connections between skin and cloth; the ways we mend each, how they record experiences, and reveal memories. Most of the pieces start with me cutting a hole in the fabric and then I use mending techniques to fill in the hole, weaving new cloth in the empty space. Recently I have been sourcing cloth from shirts purchased at the thrift store. I cut them apart at the seams and then put the pieces back together as flat yardage which leaves holes that I fill in.
Mark Newport, Repair 4, 2017. Mending in cotton. 17”x 13”. Photo by Tim Thayer.
Has any of your imagery shifted in a reflection to what's currently happening? And why, or why not?
Not in any conscious or intended manner. Recently I posted an image of a piece on-line and a curator mentioned that it looked cellular and germ like which is not something that had been said about the work before, so I expect the things we are living through will change how people see the work.
Mark Newport, Redress 4, 2017. Mending and embroidery in corduroy. 46” x 38”. Photo by Tim Thayer.
What is bringing you solace, or even joy, in this moment?
I have had news that my friends and family that were hurt / ill are improving or have good prognosis for full recovery.
Mark Newport, Redress 4 (detail), 2017. Mending and embroidery in corduroy. 46” x 38”. Photo by Tim Thayer.
Are you reading anything?
“My Grandmother’s Hands” by Resmaa Menakem and
“Teaching to Transgress” by bell hooks.
Installation view of Stitches at Simone DeSousa Gallery, Detroit. 2018.