ARTIST STATEMENT:
\nI was never meant to be an artist. I was born to poor Appalachian farmers who didn&rsquo\;t even graduate from high school. I spent my youth workin g in my father&rsquo\;s fields and sawmill. My unique hardships growing up poor in the dying agricultural landscape and culture of Appalachia has pr ofoundly shaped my vision of my own country and world. I have been able to tap into a deep vein of suffering produced by being chronically poor\, is olated and disrespected. My work focuses on the struggles of women and oth er underrepresented groups.
\nIt was highly unlikely that a child\, especially a girl\, born into this environment could ever find the resourc es and opportunities to study art. My experiences\, however\, showed me th at being an artist is not always afforded through affluence\, opportunity and privilege\, even though those advantages may help tremendously. Being an artist was written into my DNA. I strived and fought for the ability to make my work throughout my entire life. It was like a weed that couldn&rs quo\;t be killed. No matter the circumstances that tried to strangle and s tarve my desire to make art\, that desire always survived and grew anew. L ike a shadow\, it has followed me throughout my life\, never leaving me\, never forsaking me.
\nAs an artist\, I have explored many different styles and media. Printmaking\, book arts\, collage\, drawing and painting are my preferred means of expression. \; My working process involves creating numerous sketches for each work\, including numerous layers of dr awings on tracing paper or vellum. Sketching initial ideas quickly and spo ntaneously has become an essential ritual in my working process. I believe that creative ideas are unique and powerful\, sometimes even magical\, of ten only appearing once. It is\, therefore\, the artist&rsquo\;s responsib ility to capture these inspired phenomena while still vividly alive in the mind&rsquo\;s eye and commit them to paper. If not\, these creative burst s\, suddenly conceived within the artist&rsquo\;s mind\, may disappear for ever\, never to return.
\nARTIST BIO:
\nArtis t Nancy Steele-Makasci was raised on a farm in rural southeastern Indiana in a family and community with strong Appalachian roots. From an early age \, she worked in the fields\, cared for the farm animals\, stacked lumber in her father&rsquo\;s sawmill and helped her father and brothers make pal lets and furniture. She firmly believes that her farm upbringing greatly i nfluenced her artmaking by showing her that making objects by hand was an integral way of life\, as well as\, a means of livelihood.
\nNancy e arned an MFA in Fine Art Printmaking from the University of Nebraska-Linco ln. Additionally\, she completed a MA in Art and a BA in Art Education fro m Ball State University in Muncie\, Indiana. She has traveled extensively including studying art and languages in Germany\, Italy and Turkey. Nancy exhibits her creative works regularly and teaches fine arts courses in the Department of Art &\; Design at Utah Valley University in Orem where s he is an Associate Professor of Art.
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