Photography – Stephanie Lynn Rogers

Make Yourself at Home

installation view of curtains by artist Stephanie Lynn Rogers at the Rochester Art Center

close up of curtains showing the fade to mulch at the bottom

appliqued imagery of worms on a floral pillow by artist Stephanie Lynn Rogers

Pillow with photo of log with lichens and slime mold by Stephanie Lynn Rogers

Pillow with fungus by Stephanie Lynn Rogers

Pillow with pom poms and photo of crab apples

torn orange construction fencing over a pillow made of camouflage fabric. Work by Stephanie Lynn Rogers

Camouflage pillow with a rabbit peeking out from between brances. Art work by Stephanie Lynn Rogers

Installation view of Make Yourself at Home

Image of an earth worm poking through a hole in a brocade couch repaired by artist Stephanie Lynn Rogers

artist-designed and -altered jackets at the entrance to Make Yourself at Home

Make Yourself at Home transformed a Rochester Art Center gallery into a domestic space, with artist-designed and altered furnishings including throw pillows, curtains, and a brocade couch.

I embrace both the beautiful and the grotesque aspects of nature. In this installation of photography and fiber-based work, fungi, worms and ants take their places alongside flowers, foliage and butterflies. The imagery touches on wide-ranging themes, including seasonal cycles, ecology, and the inevitability of decay, while remaining grounded in the landscapes of the upper Midwest.

Make Yourself at Home was part of the Jerome Emerging Artist Exhibition series at RAC, generously supported by the Jerome Foundation.

October 5, 2017

Alterations

photographic fabric patches of various insects and plants including butterflies and roses

table and chairs with colorful fabric patches

sage green jacquard couch that has been repaired with images of mushrooms and camouflage pillows

mushroom patches on a green brocade couch with an abstract botanical pattern

detail of mended couch showing camouflage patch and throw pillow

dress with daisies on a field of black with white polka dots, mended with insect patches

fabric patch showing a bee hovering over two flowers, sewn onto a floral dress

pale pink shirt with a unicorn eating a rainbow and a rose bud patch

pale pink shirt with bright pink rose patch

jean jacket with artist-designed patches featuring a butterly, a caterpillar, and a leaf

Personal garment with fiber-reactive polyester patches mended by Stephanie L. Rogers.

Reversible jacket with one side showing summer floral pattern of bright pink roses and the other side showing a winter version of those same plants, made by Stephanie Lynn Rogers

large, floor-length skirt with a floral pattern of bright pink roses

white winter camouflage with appliqued flowers

detail of spring flower imagery appliqued onto winter camouflage fabric

cotton duck cloth vest made of camouflage fabric showing winter branches with plastic bags stuck in them

framed photograph of a woodland floor with a camouflaged toad

Alterations at Temple Contemporary, Philadelphia, PA
April 6 – 9, 2016

Gender and identity are performative, an ongoing act of navigating shifting norms. Whether conscious or not, we all choose to present ourselves, in part, through the clothes we wear. In selecting them, we engage with layered lexicons of pattern, cut, color, and fiber.

I am fascinated by the cultural and historical roots of fabric patterns, especially those that relate images of nature to ideas of gender, class, and rural identity. There is often a disconnect between how plants and landscapes exist in the world and how they are represented on cloth. I explore this gap by altering existing fabrics through applique and patching techniques, and by making my own photographic repeat patterns. By crafting images into fabric and garments, I consider connections between the unrealistic ideals projected onto other organisms and those applied to the human body.

I am particularly interested in artistic interventions in everyday life, participatory and collaborative work, and the use value of art. To these ends, Alterations includes space and materials for people to (a)mend their own clothing. Viewers are welcome to become participants by taking a photo patch in exchange for their commitment to sew it onto a garment.

June 16, 2016

Flies Paper

Flies Paper is inspired by artists newspapers, books, and zines, by Hito Stereyl’s essay In Defense of the Poor Image, and by Gordon Matta-Clark’s Walls Paper.

If you’re in the U.S., send $5 and your address to stephanielynnrogers [at]gmail [dot] com via Paypal and get your own copy.

January 26, 2016

27 Dead Birds

27 Dead Birds was a site-specific installation in the main hallway of Tyler School of Art during October of 2014. The work included photographs, video, and a place for community members to respond.

The installation also included an image of the building’s footprint, which mapped the locations of the dead birds.

Dead Birds around Tyler School of Art:
Non-scientific Observations

Bird deaths due to collision with windows are common at Temple University. This is a likely cause of death for all of the birds pictured here.

All photographs were taken in the immediate vicinity of Tyler School of Art between August 30 and October 8, 2014.

Red dots represent the approximate location where each photograph was taken.

Presumably birds also die from hitting the eastern windows facing 12th Street. No photographs were taken there due to the thickness of the bushes.

Bird Breathing from Stephanie L. Rogers on Vimeo. 1 minute, 2 seconds.

January 22, 2016

Urban/Environment

Urban/Environment from Ben Hovland on Vimeo.

Urban/Environment explored urban ecology along Chicago Avenue, focusing on natural beauty in unexpected places, the fragility of life, and the tension between man-made structures and living organisms. Thirty-seven signs combining photographs and descriptive text were installed in public spaces for the summer of 2013. These signs mimicked the mannerisms of state park signage. Images focused on a micro view, encouraging a closer look at our surroundings.

The signs were installed along Chicago Avenue and immediate side streets – in front yards, businesses’ windows, community gardens, and public areas. Installation locations were chosen for their proximity to the places where the photographs were taken.

The text was developed in collaboration with Megan Buchanan and Jacob Richards, two biogeographers who live in the neighborhood. Richards and Buchanana ensured that the signs are as informative as they are lovely. Guided walks occurred in May, June, and July of 2013, as the public was invited to join in a hike along Chicago Avenue to learn more about our urban ecosystem.

This project is part of Arts on Chicago. The Arts on Chicago initiative is an arts-based community development project in Minneapolis, MN, led by Pillsbury House + Theatre, Upstream Arts, the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association, and MCAD Professor Natasha Pestich with support from the Ward 8 Council Office of Elizabeth Glidden. Arts on Chicago is funded in part by Artplace, a collaboration of twelve of the nation’s leading foundations, eight government agencies including the National Endowment for the Arts, and six financial institutions across the U.S.

Stephanie L. Rogers is a fiscal year 2013 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.