THE ARTIST

JOANNE ECHEVARRIA MYERS

Multi-Media

Born in New York City to artist parents I was an artist before I knew I was. After attending Syracuse University and Philadelphia College of Art I began a 55- year exploration of provocative possibilities.

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I employ many diverse techniques of expression: painting, collage, installations, sculpture, book-making and conceptual art. Making artist's books is extremely satisfying as the process provides me with an incomparable venue for my sense of humor, abundant verbiage and a variety of disparate images. The endless need to produce steers me without regard to criticism on to purpose. This freedom has allowed me to grow, to go wherever it takes me, often to places of self-astonishment.

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Having always been irritated by issues of political and social environments I had become extremely annoyed with the state of the world's situation. I noted that enormous individual strength appeared to be weakened as the current rise of entitlement saturated the atmosphere. Thus, when the social and political tenor piqued in 2017 I found it too overwhelming, rested my case and turned to painting landscapes and portraits (which I ordinarily don't do) in oil stick. This temporarily eased my discomfort, serving as a protest while I rested my case. Soon after, I discovered that during the Cultural Revolution in China artists were forbidden to paint landscapes! Thus, my protest continued as an unintended consequence. Further, I learned that in 17th century Holland the System of Guilds forbade women to paint in oil as they considered it to be a more polished medium not for use by women. Again, unintended.

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I continued in this vein until 2020 when my prior obsession surfaced. I returned to a powerful epiphany I had in 2012 that revealed that I had been ignoring numerous examples of females perpetrating abuse that closely surrounded me and the unpopular issue of females' involvement in violence: physical, sexual, emotional and psychological, and its role in posing a threat to feminist theory and challenge of feminism. At that time I found myself at the height of displeasure regarding the oft ignored unpopular topic of disabusing the definition of abuse to focus on women and the role of the feminist state. Results of this revelation spawned my book, Residue (a small amount of something that remains after the main part has been taken or used). When I had originally conceived this book I had intended it to be about abuse in general, however, after deep scrutiny I determined that I should expand to encompass ALL abuse, not just including women.

My intention is to not only highlight the enormity of abuse by both sexes, but to put a chink in the stereotype of the woman to open more roads in the determination of social problems so that they can begin to be properly addressed.

After resting my case then proceeding with a new, more contentious approach to abuse, I reached a saturation point - sated for the moment enough to continue in another direction.

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Almost 40 years ago I launched a project whereby I sent one dollar bills to famous artists asking them to alter the bill and return it to me. Fascinating responses warranted my documenting the results in an artist's book, Money. Two decades ago I endeavored to continue the dollar bill adventure, but sadly 9/11 and the Anthrax scare interrupted the process.

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Presently, in 2021 I have once again set in motion the Dollar Bill venture with plans to document these extraordinary pieces (plus 8 others that had been received before the 2000 event came to a halt) in another artist's book, More Money: Global Artists Embellish Bills, Comment on Powerful Currency.