“I’m all over the place”

April 12, 2015

Sarah Abend’s entire life is intertwined with art and the creative process. As the art teacher at Benzie Central High School, her task is to ignite creativity in her students and educate them on particular artistic techniques. After the school day is done, she focuses on her own work, creating intriguing pieces in a variety of mediums, including sculpture, metalsmithing, performance art, drawing and painting.

"I’m all over the place," says Abend, who has been teaching at Benzie Central for just over two years. "My art is conceptually driven. I like to say it’s multi-disciplinary. But it’s really exhausting doing your own work because you put so much into teaching. When I get home, it’s really hard to create."

Abend grew up in the Detroit suburb of Roseville, earned a fine arts degree at Wayne State University and took advanced courses at the College for Creative Studies before moving to Benzie County in 2012.

HOW I GOT STARTED

I got started by drawing for fun, then when I got to high school, I took art as my elective, did well, and decided to major in Fine Art at Indiana University in Bloomington. While I was in college, I was asked to design a poster. That’s the first artistic thing I remember getting paid for. I was a double major of Fine Art and Interior Design with an Art History minor. Art has always been a part of my life and it has changed as the roles in my life changed as an artist, art teacher and interior designer. Now, I am only interested in being an artist.

THE STORY BEHIND MY ART, MY INSPIRATION

I suppose I am inspired to tell stories or create visual poetry with my work. Many things inspire me and my work is quite varied. My work is conceptually driven. I usually start with an abstract thought or analysis of something and then transform it into something visual. On the other hand, I am often inspired by objects, which guide me to discover why I feel a connection to them.

WORK I’M MOST PROUD OF

The work that gives me the opportunity to interact with other individuals in the process is what excites me the most. Every artist has those "Aha" moments working alone, but I feel those moments are exponential when you connect with others in the process. In these moments, the art truly exists. I suppose it’s like the proverbial tree in the forest. If an artist isn’t heard, do they exist? I’ve felt the biggest connection, and have felt most at home, with collaborative performance art pieces, public art projects, working in the studio with friends and working with my students.

YOU WON’T BELIEVE

In college I worked with five classmates to design and build an iron-casting furnace called a cupola. As female sculpture students, we were quite frustrated with the difficulty in operating the existing furnace, as it was very heavy and difficult to operate. We solved that problem by designing a modular furnace that could be broken down for cleaning and moving. The project opened doors to other opportunities, such as attending an artist in residency at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop in Lumsden, Scotland, where I had the opportunity to cast iron and work with other artists.

MY FAVORITE ARTIST

I don’t have a favorite artist in the same way I don’t have a favorite color. However, I admire and feel connected to many. Most of them are contemporary living artists and include Linda Montano, Janine Antoni, Marina Abramovic, Kara Walker, Richard Serra and Ai Weiwei, to name just a few.

ADVICE FOR ASPIRING ARTISTS

As an educator, I work with young artists almost every day. The thing that strikes me the most is that most young people don’t believe that they are creative, and have difficulty generating ideas. My advice, not only to young artists, but all young people, is to fight to hold onto, or regain, their creative self, that little explorer that they likely left behind in their action figures, dolls, pots and pans and mud puddles. Also, represent your best self – pajamas are not acceptable attire outside of your house – and be confident. Stay true to your voice as an artist and, most of all, do what thrills you and makes you happy.

MY WORK CAN BE SEEN/PURCHASED

My work has most recently been shown at the Oliver Art Center in Frankfort. Also see my new web site at www.sarahlabend.com.