AMES, IOWA.- Iowa artists, their vision, and inventive spirit are the focus in University Museums’ fall exhibition series. The Midwest Makers Series opened today at the Brunnier Art Museum, Iowa State University, with a celebration of paper artist Mary Merkel-Hess in the inaugural exhibition, Midwest Maker Series: Mary Merkel-Hess.
“As an artist, craftsperson, and maker, she has played an important role in extending the artistic possibilities of paper as a material,” said Adrienne Gennett, curator of the Brunnier Art Museum. “As an Iowan, she has further cemented what we all know about the state: it is a place of great artistic talent and individuals like Mary Merkel-Hess who see the vast fields of crops and prairies as inspiration for beauty and endless possibility.”
Inspired by Iowa
Mary Merkel-Hess (American, b. 1949) grew up in rural Iowa, where she spent much of her free time exploring nature, playing in creeks, and investigating the plants, flowers, and bugs that called Iowa ditches their home. In many ways, it was this foundation that led her to the path of artist and maker in the years to come.
“I have often referred to my works as ‘landscape reports," said Merkel-Hess. “Although this is meant in a light-hearted way, it is nevertheless true that I think of my role as an artist as being an ‘eye’-- an eye on the reality I see around me.”
Merkel-Hess received her BFA in metalsmithing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She loved the tools, techniques, and materials of the craft, and soon knew she wanted to specialize in metal forming. That path led her to the University of Iowa, where she pursued her MFA in a graduate program led by Chunghi Choo that emphasized vessel-making techniques. It was during this time that she began exploring paper as material, discovering new techniques along the way.
“My two preschool children were making papier mache’ animals mostly formed over plastic bottles,” she said. “Those animals were all over our house! I began to wonder if I could do something with paper over the molds too.”
A new craft form
While Merkel-Hess continues to explore new ways to work with paper, she is best known for one special technique: molding paper into basket and vessel shapes. This skill has earned her recognition across the country. Her vessels show how craft can become something more. What starts as a useful object turns into a piece of art and an abstract tribute to the natural beauty around us.
She is best known for her cord vessels, but her work with paper doesn't stop there. She keeps discovering new ways to use paper to explore color, light, and creativity–always honoring her Iowa roots along the way.
“Traveling to other cultures has influenced my sense of place and caused me to reflect upon my own personal place,” she said. “The circumstances of my life took me back to my native Iowa, and here I have stayed. I keep coming back to my environment to take another look.”
The exhibition is now open to the public at the Brunnier Art Museum, Scheman Building, 1805 Center Drive, Ames, Iowa. The museum is free and open to the public Tuesday-Friday from 10 am - 4 pm, Thursday's until 7 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4 pm. Visit museums.iastate.edu for the latest information on exhibitions, closures, and events.
