STATEMENT
I believe in second chances. My work offers second chances to pushed-aside materials and objects, bearing witness to that which is useless, invisible, or for those who cannot come forward for themselves. My own loss and trauma draw me to this practice and these materials. The theft of a body of work in 2019 emotionally crippled me for a time. As I emerged in 2021 I found solace in not only resurrecting objects from the past but seriously addressing my own history in an open and honest manner. I resonate with these pushed aside and discarded items because I understand useless; a creator without creations, in the end stages of early onset menopause, addressing long-term unresolved damage. They are me, but they are also a bit of everyone who has struggled.
Each piece begins with reclaimed objects that are no longer useful for their intended purpose, discarded or buried in deep corners of closets and storage units. Presented as sculptural mixed media, each one is driven by the nature of its source material. I join each item’s history with a new future. By altering these objects, I retell their story. The Walking Canes are in direct response to my sister’s Parkinson’s while the Top Hat speaks to my first artistic inspiration – my grandfather.
From tiny to enormous, scale is a key factor in the work. The challenge of scale breaks expectations for any given object, offering altered perspective. Highly representational tiny scale model environments are contained inside objects once precious and defining to their owners, such as a pan, a shoe, or a toilet. Additional near-exact-replica scale pieces address topics such as challenged mobility, as in my Walking Canes constructed of spiraling staircases. Discarded bedlinens, pillowcases, rags, and dish towels are morphed into large scale pieces. The hand embroidery harkens to the history of women’s work.
The work prods the viewer to lend their own experience to a narrative that is constructed within each piece. Wonder at beauty is contained in each work, inviting the viewer to come close, and they also allow space for hard discussions of women’s place, disease, aging, reproductive rights, abuse, mental illness, and assault. They connect the viewer to their own moment of introspection, creating space for deeper societal and cultural discussions.
BIO
Joanne Steinhardt (b. 1966 New Jersey, USA) explores the intersection of disposability and invisibility specifically in consideration of people who do not fit-in or serve the acceptable purpose they were culturally assigned. Steinhardt considers the idea of of “second chances” for those set aside through reclaiming materials left, discarded, or saved but buried in deep corners of closets that are no longer used for their intended purpose. She brings these objects to a new purpose joining their history with a new future. Steinhardt holds a Master Fine Arts degree from Maine College of Art and a Bachelor of Science in Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. Steinhardt's work has been exhibited at Les Moulins Gallery, Boissy-le-Châtel, France, El Barrio ArtSpace, The Equity Gallery, Carter Burden, Artsy, The Shim Network (New York) and The Tampa Museum of Art, Polk County Museum, and Covivant Gallery (Florida). She has lectured and led workshops at numerous institutions around the US and abroad, including New York University Tisch ITP, Parsons, The Garden School, The Pingry School, Harrison School for the Arts, and La Biennale del fin del Mundo in Ushuaia, Argentina. Before relocating home to NYC, Steinhardt achieved tenure in both the Art and Communication Departments at the University of Tampa where she conceived a multidisciplinary Electronic Media Art and Technology Program designed to support those interested in a self-directed academic Major combining art, communication, English, music, computer information systems, and entrepreneurship. Steinhardt lives and works in the metro New York Area.