Doing Public Art His Own Way: Aaron T Stephan

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Aaron T Stephan is a sculptor and public artist who is so interested in process and materials, he builds and installs nearly every project himself. His permanent installations can be found all over the USA and he has also created numberous gallery installations and performative events. His work has been acquired by institutions like Portland Museum of Art, John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Farnsworth Art Museum.

This conversation is candid, funny and full of hard-won insight. Aaron grew up on a self-sustaining hippie farm in rural Maine where self reliance, making and fixing things was expected. That relationship with objects, materials and technique has never left him and sits at the core of everything he makes.

What we cover:

• Proposing projects you have no idea how to execute and teaching yourself new fabrication techniques on the fly

• Performative works where he builds structures around audiences mid-dinner or installs work as a live performance on-site

• Navigating job sites where artists have essentially no power and the only leverage you have is that they want you to leave

• What it actually takes to work at public scale and establishing a practice that lets you fail before you're locked in

• Why the projects that nearly break you are always the best ones

• Advice to artists who are intrigued by public art

Aaron T Stephan lives and works in Portland, Maine. You can see his permanent installations across the US, for example Woven Lines at City of Altoona, IA, Paths Rising at Tampa International Airport, Point of View at Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City and more.

More information on his website: https://aarontstephan.com and his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aarontstephan/

Watch Aaron’s TED talk performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=697QUP6iYw8

05:23 Childhood And Making

08:14 Art School And Wandering

09:46 How He Got Into Big Installations

11:12 Guardrail Knot Story

13:35 Torture And Magic

18:01 Building It Yourself

19:45 Funding Realities

24:48 Building Site Chaos

29:30 Hiring An Actor To Play Him At Openings

33:57 Public Art Hard Truths

38:59 Concrete Block Vortex Idea

47:13 Advice To Artists

Also mentioned in this episode:

Tampa International Airport: https://www.tampaairport.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/flyTPA | @FlyTPA

San Diego International Airport: https://www.san.org | https://www.instagram.com/sandiegoairport/

Texas Tech University: https://www.ttu.edu | https://www.instagram.com/texastech/

La Croix: https://www.lacroixwater.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/lacroixwater/

The Art Angle: https://news.artnet.com/multimedia/the-art-angle | https://www.instagram.com/artnet | @artnet

Purchase College: https://www.purchase.edu/ | https://www.instagram.com/purchasecollege/ | @PurchaseCollege

SUNY New Paltz: https://www.newpaltz.edu/ | https://www.instagram.com/sunynewpaltz | @sunynewpaltz

TEDxDirigo: https://www.tedxdirigo.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/tedxdirigo/

https://www.ted.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/ted | @TED

Maurizio Cattelan: https://www.perrotin.com/en/artists/maurizio-cattelan | https://www.instagram.com/mauriziocattelan/

Sears, Roebuck & Co: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sears

Matthew Mazzotta: https://www.matthewmazzotta.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/matthewmazzotta/

The Installation Art Podcast is a show about people who love and work with the contemporary art medium of installation. The host Anastasia Parmson, an artist herself, interviews internationally renowned artists and arts workers about the intricacies and behind-the-scenes stories of creating and showing work that is site-specific, ephemeral, large scale or immersive.

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