Susan Begy, 2022 Artist in Residence
Susan Begy’s Wishbones collaborative community sculpture project explored the concept of caring. The artist invited community members to share stories of their cares, worries, hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Reflecting on these personal narratives, she carved a pile of raw alabaster rocks into a series of intimate, abstract sculptures.
Created in the tradition of worry stones, worry dolls, amulets, and milagros, Wishbones elevated listening and caring to an art form. Begy’s community project sought to bridge isolation and forge new connections.
The Open Call for Wishbones Stories
From April to June, participants were asked to submit narratives in any genre that did not exceed 200 words. Identities, as well as any identifying elements of their submission, were held in strict confidentiality. Over the next three months, Begy’s exhibition grew and transformed as more and more stories arrived. Each small sculpture was displayed with a short text explaining its origins.
Susan Begy is an interdisciplinary U.S. artist whose work focuses on the shared aspects of being human. Using twisting forms, she creates graphite drawings of large forms made up of small images. Using similar twisted forms, she also makes carved stone sculptures, sometimes incorporating other materials, including steel, glass, or found objects. She considers her sculptures as performances with components appearing in various “roles” at various times.
Begy’s collaborative projects playfully reimagine human interactions and institutions. Her Econival project was selected as a finalist for a 2015 Creative Capital grant in Emerging Fields and was featured on Creative Capital’s On Our Radar in 2016. She created Art Collision & Repair Shop in which teams of artists transform the “stalled” work of other artists. The project debuted at Center for Contemporary Art Santa Fe in 2014-15 and was a coalescing force in the Santa Fe art community.
Begy earned her MFA in Fine Art from the School of Visual Arts, New York City, in 2010. Her works have been exhibited in contemporary art centers and galleries in the U.S. and Europe. She has co-founded and co-directed artist-run exhibition spaces in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. She currently lives and works in Rochester, NY.