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Artist’s Statement - PhotoGraphic Artistry by Heather J. Kirk
In our culture full of superficial images and value, people long for authenticity. My art is personal and real. Vulnerable revelations beg to be understood in both their uniqueness and universality. The presentation style provides accessibility in the current cultural context: computer generated. At the same time, I force the reader / viewer to work at entering the piece intellectually and physically. Many pieces graphically attract from a distance, but those who wish to know more must draw in close to a private and intimate realm in a very public space. Computer graphics not only provide for easy mechanical reproduction of art, but dabbles in the arena of mechanical reproduction of person, specifically the artist: personhood as commodity, not unlike the classifieds. Particularly in one style of art she creates called “Poetography,” the meshing of poetry and story with images.
Artist’s Bio - Heather J. Kirk
Takings risks, accepting and even choosing change, and the importance of individuality and self expression play major roles in Heather Kirk’s personal history. Heather holds a strange conglomeration of degrees, including Business, Spanish, and Social Work. She lasted only 9 months in retail, but 12 years as a drug and violence Prevention Specialist working with children. Her most exciting work involved a summer program two years running called Students With Voice that she created, and a colleague helped to implement, with high risk students. The children danced, sang, created in various art mediums, learned from guest artists, visited studios, listened to writers on tape, recorded their own poetry on tape then typed them into the computer, submitted to “Kids of Color “Magazine (several published), and taught each other extremely short grammar lessons. The program received a Teacher Venture Arizona grant for the 1996 program, and based on the improvements in students’ behavior and reading skills, was awarded an Honorary Mention at Teacher Venture’s 1997 Morton J. Newell Awards program.
Heather has been taking pictures and writing poetry and essays for years, but is now pursuing a career using her artistic talents. Her work receives an interested and welcome response to the uniqueness and to the sometimes hidden/sometimes in-your-face messages.
Unable to decide where exactly to focus, Heather Kirk jumps between poetry, photography, digital art and music. Just for fun, she often combines them all into one art event. A recent show sums up her life philosophy, 'The Beauty of Purpose'. We were each created for a wonderful reason, and when we live out that purpose (or at least try to figure it out!), there is a beauty in the way we touch each other's lives and souls, even when the contexts of this world and our problems tend to show their ugly sides at times.
Ms. Kirk addresses the contrast of pain and beauty in both her literature and art. Her essays and poems have been published in The Bible Advocate, Inglis House Anthology of Poems of Disability, Bibliophilous, Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul, Conversely.com and her own book of poetry titled 'We...a spirit seeking harmony for a world that's out of sync'.
Her art has shown in several National galleries:
de Young Museum San Francisco’s
The Hubbard Museum of the American West, Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico
dana Gallery, Missoula, Montana, Art Institute and Gallery, Salisbury, Maryland
Eleanor Bliss Center for the Arts, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Heather J. Kirk has also show locally in Arizona:
Off Madison Avenue and Gammage Auditorium/ASU, Tempe
Razz’s Restaurant and Gallery, Scottsdale
@Central Gallery and Herberger Theater’s Steele Pavilion Gallery, Phoenix
Van Gogh’s Ear, Prescott
Contents Interiors Annual Juried Art Show, Tucson
Public Institutions with Ms. Kirk’s art in their collections include:
▸ St. Josephs - Barrows Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
▸ American Sport Art Museum and Archives permanent collection, Daphne, Alabama
▸ Eller Graduate School of Management, University of Arizona, Permanent Collection,
Her photography, digital art ad literature can be seen at www.HeatherJKirk.com.
