Natasha Johns Messenger on Site-Determined Installation and Public Art

The Installation Art Podcast

Episode 28 features an in-depth conversation with Australian-American artist Natasha Johns Messenger, renowned for her architectural interventions, site-determined work and public art commissions.

Key insights from this interview include:

• How her educational journey shifted her from figurative painting to abstraction and then installation art and filmmaking.

• The distinct creative and logistical differences between public art and to museum installations.

• Behind-the-scenes stories of unexpected technical issues and the importance of the right collaborators in her creative process.

• The impact of her filmmaking studies on her artistic career and the dream projects she envisions for the future.

00:00 Quick Fire Questions

03:38 Early Artistic Influences

07:23 Art School Journey

12:48 First Exhibitions and Installations

16:19 Expanding Horizons: New York and Beyond

37:13 Public Art vs. Installation Art

42:17 Public Perception of Art

45:30 Challenges in Public Art Installations

48:23 Unexpected Installation Issues

55:10 Career Decisions and Filmmaking

59:09 Significant Opportunities

01:04:11 Dream Projects and Future Plans

01:05:55 Meeting the Queen of Holland

01:09:06 Current and Upcoming Projects

01:15:15 Public Artworks to Visit

Find out more about her work on her website: https://www.natashajohnsmessenger.com/ Follow her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natashajohnsmessenger

Also mentioned in this episode:

Robert Irwin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Irwin_(artist)

RMIT: https://www.rmit.edu.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/rmituniversity/ | @rmit

Gertrude Contemporary: https://gertrude.org.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/gertrudecontemporary/ Bala Starr: https://weareuntold.org/2024-women-of-gold/bala-starr

Kate Shaw: https://www.kateshaw.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/kateshawart/

Bus Projects: https://busprojects.org.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/busprojects/

The Museum of Dirt: http://www.artdes.monash.edu.au/globe/issue9/mdtitle.html

Max Delaney: https://www.instagram.com/maxdelany/

Australian Centre for Contemporary Art: https://acca.melbourne/ | https://www.instagram.com/acca_melbourne/

MCA: https://www.mca.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/mca_australia | @mcaaustralia

Centre for Contemporary Photography: https://ccp.org.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/ccp_australia/

ACP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Centre_for_Photography

Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts: https://pica.org.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/pica_perth/

International Studio & Curatorial Program: https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-studio-&-curatorial-program-iscp-/ | https://www.instagram.com/iscp_nyc/

Creative Australia (formerly Australia Council): https://creative.gov.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/creative.australia/

Sara Reisman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-reisman/ | https://www.instagram.com/reismansara/

Station Gallery: https://stationgallery.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/stationgalleryaustralia/

A Streetcar Named Desire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Streetcar_Named_Desire

BAM: https://www.bam.org/ | https://www.instagram.com/bam_brooklyn | @BAMorg

Cate Blanchett: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000949/ | https://www.instagram.com/cate_blanchettofficial/

Bowness Photography Prize: https://maph.org.au/bowness-photography-prize/ https://www.instagram.com/maph_photography/

Strange Engine: https://www.strangeengine.org/

John Wardle Architect: https://wardle.studio/ | https://www.instagram.com/wardle.studio/

Jacaranda Industries: https://www.jacarandaindustries.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/jacarandaindustries/

European Museum Technology: https://europeanmuseum.tech/ | @europeanmuseumtech

Monash University: https://www.monash.edu/ | https://www.instagram.com/monash_uni

Bluebottle: https://bb3.net.au/#/ | https://www.instagram.com/bluebottle3/

Brian Scales: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-scales-01566745/?originalSubdomain=au

On Beam Engineering: https://onbeam.com.au/

Derek John: https://djprojects.net/ | https://www.instagram.com/julie_derek_djprojects

Vault by Rob Robertson Swann: https://acca.melbourne/education/resources/public-art/melbourne-public-art-trail/1-ron-robertson-swann-vault-1980/

Richard Serra: https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/richard-serra

Public Art for Public Schools: http://nycsca.org/Community/Public-Art-for-Public-Schools/About-Us Percent For Art NYC: https://dcla-percent-for-art-nyc.hub.arcgis.com/

Columbia University: https://www.columbia.edu/ | https://www.instagram.com/columbia/ | @columbia

Heide Museum of Modern Art: https://www.heide.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/heidemoma

Escher Museum: https://www.escherinhetpaleis.nl/ | https://www.instagram.com/escherinpaleis/

No Longer Empty: https://www.nyc-arts.org/organizations/no-longer-empty/ | https://www.instagram.com/nolongerempty/

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Your host Anastasia Parmson: www.anastasiaparmson.art | https://www.instagram.com/anastasiaparmson.art/

🗣️ Join the conversation in our Linkedin group The Installation Art Society, a space for conversations about installation art and a platform for practitioners to share insights, discuss technical aspects, and exchange behind-the-scenes stories:

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