Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcie Begleiter.
Hi Marcie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in NY and moved to LA to attend graduate school. Started out working in indie film as a storyboard artist and art director, at the same time attending the graduate program at Art Center College in Pasadena. Mentors in the program were a diverse group of artists from Lita Albuquerque to Mike Kelly. After getting my MFA I exhibiting photo installations at various DTLA venues while also teaching at Otis College and the American Film Institute. I was fortunate to receive early encouragement through project grants from the NEA, LACE and the Foundation for Art Resources.
I also received support in those early days from a publisher who encouraged me to write “From Word to Image”, a book focusing on visual storytelling. That project led to invitations to teach workshops at film schools in the US and Europe. My studio practice, which I’d put on hold to finish that project, stayed dormant until the pandemic. The force of that global experience combined with the quickening of climate collapse has propelled me to make work focused on wild eco-systems.
In the past 2 years residencies at the Banff Centre, PLAYA, Summer Lake and the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology have fueled my work. The experiences of engaging with those wild spaces are the foundation of my current solo show “Chimera: the Future of Nature” at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. (https://sloma.org/exhibition/marcie-begleiter/)
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My road has been circuitous. I’ve had wonderful opportunities and serious set-backs. I’m tenacious, so after licking my wounds, I get up and engage with the next thing. And as I’ve grown older, I don’t worry about the ups and downs as much.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a visual artist using installation, film, photography and sculpture to tell the story of stressed bio-systems. “Chimera: The Future of Nature”, my current solo show at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (https://www.marciebegleiter.com/solo-exhibitions) presents objects that are assembled from biological debris. The films, shot on dioramas built in the studio, are works of hopeful regeneration fueled by research in climate collapse and the ways biological entities evolve to meet the challenges of of a rapidly changing world.
My interest in the relationship of art and science was also featured in a 2024 project “Echoes of Voynich: Coded Systems in Contemporary Art”. The group exhibit, which I curated, was presented at LA’s Wõnzimer Gallery, and was part of the Getty’s PST Art and Science Collide program. (https://www.wonzimer.com/echoes-of-voynich)
Another project that’s been important is the documentary “Eva Hesse”, which I directed and produced. The feature-length film explores the life and working practice of the 1960’s artist (https://www.evahessedoc.com/). The film premiered at the Whitney Museum and was broadcast on PBS’ “American Masters” in 2018. Hesse was a deeply original and influential artist, who also lived an extraordinary life story.
How do you think about happiness?
In 2017 I traded a raucous life in LA for a quieter existence on the Central Coast. Surrounded by wild lands, my joy comes from living and making work grounded in the landscape and botanical systems. This moment of making and sharing my work has been hard won. I’m grateful to have the time and resources to explore these creative conversations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.marciebegleiter.com/solo-exhibitions
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdbegleiter_studio/
- Other: https://sloma.org/exhibition/marcie-begleiter/
