Carolyn Swiszcz (Revolutionary)

Carolyn Swiszcz, Ruminating, acrylic and monoprint on canvas, mounted on wood, 27” x 37”, $1,500

ID: A mixed media painting, showing a woman walking through a neighborhood that has been pieced together using many different colors, shapes and textures.

Please tell us about the artwork you are showing in Revolutionary: The Feminine Perspective Beyond 50.

I turned 50 in 2022 - I had a hard time with this milestone. This self portrait is about walking around my neighborhood trying to shake off low feelings and anxiety. I’m feeling better these days. In this work - as in most of my work - I tried to take something that’s somewhat unpleasant and put a semi-whimsical spin on it with the patterned leggings and the lawn decoration thing. There’s a lot of experimentation in this piece for me - I usually work with collaged paper and this time I tried to use the same techniques but with canvas mounted on wood. I’m also experimenting with figurative work; normally I paint a lot of architecture. 

We are really excited about this exhibition. It's amazing to bring so many great women and femme artists together. How does it feel to be included in the show?

I am really honored to be showing with this strong roster of women and femmes. In my 20s and 30s I shied away from being put in any kind of show or group with a “woman artist” theme. I did not want to be labeled or categorized by my gender. Secretly I thought that my work would not be taken seriously. Now I am older and wiser. I have been able to reflect on how I’ve been helped along in my development by so many women: teachers, mentors, friends. There are so many that I hesitate to start naming people in case I forget someone, but I would like to single out one: my teacher and friend Judith Roode, who passed away in 2018. She was a founding member of WARM (Womens Art Registry of Minnesota) and was extremely proud of that affiliation. 

Carolyn Swiszcz in her studio, holding up a painting and gesturing to it as she speaks. Colorful paintings are laid out on the large table in front of her.

Photo Credit: Kevin Hendricks for the West St. Paul Reader

Tell us about Zebra Cat Zebra! What drew you to zine making, and when did you make your very first one?  

I'm not new to book arts having been an intern at Womens Studio Workshop, MCBA, and with book artist Gaylord Schanilec in my 20s. But I hadn’t made narrative work for a couple decades. Then in 2016 I taught an after-school book class at my daughter’s elementary school. I found the one-page size format on Pinterest and I was hooked. It was just the right container for the thoughts I had; I found the quick, low pressure format to be very inspiring. Making and sending these little books in the mail was a balm after the 2016 election. It made me happy to reach out to others in a way other than social media. I've made so many new friends through zine-making. I found about a dozen people who enjoy monotonous folding and envelope stuffing who asked to help me with production. I also met people in my neighborhood and got involved in community projects through zines. Instagram, zine festivals and other meet-ups have helped me connect with others in a way that is different from my more solitary painting work. 

Are you working on anything new that you would like to share with us? What’s next?

I just received a McKnight Printmaking fellowship through Highpoint Center for Printmaking. I’ll be able to make some larger prints there and experiment with some different processes. This will culminate with a show at Highpoint next January. I also have a show at Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery in New York in May.   

Born in New Bedford, MA, Carolyn Swiszcz followed an older brother to the midwest after high school, earning a BFA at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She spent the late 90's in Miami on a fellowship from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Inspired by Miami’s rapidly changing cityscape she began rendering buildings using paint and various printmaking techniques, stencils and collage. This thread continues to her recent work. Carolyn’s proclivity for experimentation has also led her to create songs, videos, and animations. She currently publishes a mail-order zine. Carolyn’s work has been exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery in New York, and Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis. She is a recipient of the Jerome, McKnight, Bush, and Minnesota State Arts Board artist fellowships. She lives in West Saint Paul, MN with her husband and their daughter.

You can find more of Carolyn’s work on her website or instagram.