“when something really works, or it’s super interesting, you just know it.”
— Mary Ann Crago, Artist
Westgate and Hilltop artist Mary Ann Crago has been creating throughout her life. Now recently retired from a career with the Columbus Metropolitan Library, she’s able to focus on her art. Among upcoming shows and events this summer and fall, Crago will be a vendor at Summer Jam West on July 9.
Danny: How did your life as a librarian affect your art?
Mary Ann: I don’t know that I always recognized how it did, but I think as my work evolved, something that has come out in recent years is that there’s a narrative. Having been a children’s librarian for so many years, there’s probably some influence there, and I like that. I don’t always know what the story is; it kind of evolves as the pieces evolve, but I like that there’s a story to tell, or the viewer has an opportunity to decipher what’s happening in the piece.
Danny: You seem to enjoy the exploration while working on something.
Mary Ann: I like the finished pieces, but I’m super inspired by the process, both the technical process of making things and trying something. I really like how it turns out, but I like the evolution of the piece. I don’t mind that I don’t know what it’s going to look like in the end. It’s an interesting way to watch it unfold.
Danny: How do you describe your art?
Mary Ann: [Laughing] Ever-changing! Even the work that I will have at this year’s festivals and shows is different from what I’ve done in recent years. I feel like I’m going back and revisiting things. I was very much a painter while I was in school [at CCAD], kind of landscape-inspired, but not traditional, still very experimental.
I shifted to little assemblage pieces and experimented with different techniques, and now I’ve come back around and I’m just painting again. I think part of that is me feeding whatever that little creative spark is in me; whatever helps me get it out.
I’m really intrigued by trees, birds and nature, but I also love old photographs — juxtaposing these really beautiful settings with other elements that don’t quite fit, or that might generate a little bit of a narrative.
Danny: When you’re trying to put things together that don’t quite fit, what are you looking
for?
Mary Ann: I think it’s just experimenting and exploring what happens when it’s like, “What if I put this thing with this piece” and then just doing it; following that and not listening to the “Oh, that would be weird” or “That’s not going to look that great” and just doing it and seeing what happens. And my favorite thing is when you do it and when you’re just like “Oh my god.” I don’t know how to describe that moment, but when something really works, or it’s super interesting, you just know it.
Danny: What do you hope retirement will mean for your art?
Mary Ann: I love the idea of being able to create whenever I want to, not being limited to a certain amount of hours in the day or in the week. I’m also excited to have enough time to let ideas build and evolve. That momentum — sometimes I feel like having a limited amount of time, ideas can’t evolve in a way — could build into this even greater thing, so I’m excited about the possibility of that. I’m excited about the possibility of doing more shows, maybe takin classes, trying mediums that I haven’t tried before.
Danny: What’s the best thing about the Columbus arts scene right now?
Mary Ann: It’s so active. There are so many people who are making things happen. I feel like we live in a community that supports the arts — people go to shows, they attend festivals and events, they buy art. I feel like Columbus is very supportive of its artists and creatives.
Hilltop Arts Collective is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing art to, and promoting the arts within the Hilltop. Summer Jam West, its annual arts and music festival, will be held at Westgate Park on July 9 from 11 a.m. — 7 p.m. It’s free and welcome to all!
Columbus Makes Art Presents is a bi-weekly column brought to you by the Greater Columbus Arts Council – supporting and advancing the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. The column is a project of the Art Makes Columbus campaign, telling the inspiring stories of the people and organizations who create Columbus art. Learn more about local artists, organizations, public art and events at ColumbusMakesArt.com.