Meet Susan Clinard | sculptor, educator, activist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Susan Clinard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Susan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think creatives are all risk takers. The freedom behind being an artist, creative new, thoughtful and timely works of art is an incredibly liberating experience. I have found myself many times over the decades making clear and conscious decisions to take risks with my art because the opposite of that is staying safe which has always lead to complacency…something I really have a hard time with.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
By carving wood, forming clay, bending wire, and using found objects, I hope to reveal something that you already know but have never felt or considered before—someone else’s story or beauty—so that in turn you see yourself reflected. My body of work at its core is about connectivity; compositions that tell stories and speak about our shared humanity. After working for three decades with diverse communities in the arts I have found the same desires, shared fears and beauty throughout countless voices. My figurative large-scale sculptures illuminate these connections by incorporating expressive faces and hands with found objects that exaggerate and abstract the body’s history and layered symbolism. The sculptures reflect the times in which we live. What I find easy about my journey thus far is staying honest to myself and my process of creating. When I create work that I deeply care about, it can felt by others. This is not to say I have been without challenges during my thirty years of making art. It is the rejections I have received, and the many failures I have made in making hundreds of pieces of art that has taught be most and helped me grow.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take my friend to the many incredible restaurants in New Haven; the delicious Sally’s apizza, Tavern on State, Salsa’s, Poppy’s breakfast and coffee. We would defiantly check out live jazz at Firehouse 12, Cafe 9, International Festival of Arts and Ideas. We would take long walks in the many forests and state parks and end the day with ice cream at Arethusa’s Farm Dairy. The visits with friends would take us to all neighborhoods.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout is to the countless people I have met along the way in Chicago and New Haven who are the unsung heroes; those caring for others in need, providing support and guidance to children and youth who are often silenced. My work has been seriously inspired by these beautiful humans.

Website: www.clinard.org

Instagram: clinardsculpture

Facebook: Susan Clinard

Image Credits
Cate Berry and Lotta Studio