Abigail Doan is one of ArtConnect’s Artists to Watch '21

Abigail Doan’s environmental projects explore the visual intersections of site-specific landscape phenomena and art lab/design methodologies. The sculptural and organic forms populating her studio serve as an evolving archive of materials to be installed and documented in modifiable ways. These handcrafted and found objects undergo a process of categorization and selective recombination as a means to examine material life cycles, adaptability, and resilience. Abigail’s use of fiber, recycled plastics, soil/clay, and textile/tool components serve as a counterpoint to her photographic recordings of environmental stimuli and ideas about loss and preservation.

ArtConnect asked the winning artists to share with us a glimpse into their creative life to get a sense of their personal inspiration and artistic process.

How did you get started as an artist?

My childhood on our family farm in New York State’s Hudson Valley and the vision of the Hudson River School painters inspired me to consider how being ‘an artist’ might be a way to address environmental concerns and regional landscape narratives. My artist mother taught me how to spin fiber and wool from our farm, but I was ultimately interested in moving to an urban center and traveling overseas, which I was fortunate to find a way to do.

My grandparents were biologists and botanists, and this connection to science had a significant influence on my interest in the natural world and the role of observation in my practice. I have also worked as an art director/researcher for documentary film and publishing, so my interest in storytelling later evolved into multimedia narratives.

How would you describe your artistic approach?

My approach is really as a researcher for material preservation and site-specific explorations. I consider my studio to be more of a lab where I determine what materials and methods seem most apropos. I prefer to work beyond the confines of the formal studio, so I seek out opportunities that involve open-air fabrication and movement through space, interdisciplinary studies, and photographing and writing as part of the documentation process.

Where do you look for sources of inspiration?

Finding solutions inspires me. I do not wait for inspiration to strike but rather roll up my sleeves and seek out possibilities by doing, listening, and observing. Nature inspires me, but not in cliché ways. I like to examine the underside of things, the marginalized, the fragile or muted/silenced. This allows me to identify and highlight environmental stimuli that might otherwise be dismissed or overlooked. I definitely look to pioneering women of the land art movement as ongoing inspiration - Mary Miss, Michelle Stuart, Nancy Holt, and also documentary photographer, Dorthea Lange.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an artist?

Because I am not a painter, sculptor, or installation artist per se, it has taken time to clarify my intentions as an artist. My work is, on some level, a social practice, so it is often difficult for me to separate out art and life conundrums. I also feel that as an artist/activist, I have to work hard to determine how my work is relevant in the face of broader concerns.

Describe a typical day in the studio or where you make your work.

I often start the day with correspondence, research online, reading articles on the environment, cultural/political events, etc. This helps me to consider how the threads of what I am exploring might loop back to some of these issues. I spend a few hours working with the components of a new project and documenting how these materials interact. (The documentation of this work is as important to me as the making). I also do a lot of writing and ideally, walking, at intervals. As a parent, I am used to being interrupted, so my work also reflects this stop and start rhythm.

Is there a medium, a process, or a technique that you haven't used in your work yet but would like to try out?

I am trying to learn more about video and video production. Even though I worked in documentary film years ago, this was more as a researcher or content creator. I vacillate between traditional storytelling and finding more visual means to communicate a story. I feel that video might help me fuse these desires and layers of intention.


What are you currently working on and what’s coming up next for you?

I am currently working on a series called Floating Vessels, which is an extension of a project called Walking Libraries 2016-2020, a visual lab and materials library exploring the documentation and language of site-specific phenomena. The floating theme emerged during the past year and a half of living along the shores of Connecticut’s deepest natural lake.

I am also organizing materials from an autumn residency that I had at The Mastheads in the Berkshires in Massachusetts, as well as creating new works for PRAIRIE gallery. I have an evolving artist publication called Terrain, that is still in development, with more news to come in 2022

How does it feel to be selected as an ArtConnect Artist to Watch?

I love being connected with new people and ideas, so it feels wonderful to be selected. Art should essentially be about community building, and ArtConnect is a great platform for this to happen.

See more of Abigail’s work

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