Interview
Carlos Llobet: Into the Wild
“Into the Wild” is a regular interview with early career print artists. Interviews will highlight the varied paths the subjects are taking to strike an accord between life and their artistic practice. Expect a balance of approaches, from those hopping the residency circuit, to those teaching part-time or who snagged the elusive tenure-track gig right out of the gate, or those working a desk job or waiting tables to afford access to a community print shop or maker space. In short, there’s many ways to “make it” and we want to share the all!
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Carlos Llobet, MFA
Category
Matthew Willie Garcia earned his MFA from the University of Kansas in 2020. He lives in Kansas City and is currently the Studio Coordinator at Lawrence Arts Center. Since 2020 he has participated in over twenty major national and international exhibitions. Some recent projects are in conjunction with Shawn Bitters. This summer he will be part of the Wassaic Project: 2023 Summer Exhibition Invitation, and will show at Indianapolis Arts Center in September.
His work is a continuing exploration of science and science fiction through a queer lens. By employing manual disciplines like Mokuhanga, screenprint, and monotype in conjunction with contemporary approaches like projection mapping, animation, and installation Matthew embraces the atemporal and unidentifiable in an expansive and inexplicable universe.
The Interview
Blake Sanders: You graduated from University of Kansas in 2020. You’re now the Studio Manager at the Lawrence Arts Center. How did you decide to stay in the area? What are you enjoying about the position? How has your relationship with the city, and the region’s art scene changed now that you’re out of school?
Matthew Willie Garcia:
I have grown really fond of Kansas City and Lawrence, I have lived in Kansas City for almost 14 years now. My partner is here, my friends are here and there are a ton of opportunities for artists here too. It really wasn’t a hard choice for me. Working at the Lawrence Arts Center is a bonus. The commute is hard some days but it’s worth it.
I mean the Lawrence Art Center is an incredible place to work and it’s because of all the people that I get to work with. The Lawrence arts community is amazing and supportive. It’s wonderful to work with and around people who celebrate all aspects of art making! They are also very supportive of my studio practice, giving me time for professional development. Allowing me to take time off for exhibitions and residencies. It’s truly a great place.
I don’t know that my relationship has changed that much with the regional art scene other than the fact that I get to enjoy it more. I have met a lot of amazing local artists and makers in Lawrence and in Kansas City.
B: The Arts Center’s biannual Print Week is coming up this fall. What can attendees look forward to? What have you learned about arts management, education, and curation from organizing a big event like this?
MWG: It’s been a blast working towards Print Week. I have always enjoyed attending and participating, but being able to manage and curate this year has been exciting and challenging. As for what’s to be expected is a celebration of printmaking in all its forms. We will be featuring some amazing printmakers and have a lineup of local exhibitions and events happening all week. After being away for a few years I hope that the regional print community will come out in full force!
10/24-10/28
Lawrence Print Week is a week-long, city-wide celebration and exploration of all things printmaking! After a short hiatus we are excited to welcome back local and regional printmakers and print lovers to celebrate the joy of printmaking! Lawrence Print Week 2023 will feature exhibitions by artists Heinrich Toh, Amanda Maciuba, a Group exhibition curated by Taro Takizawa and many more amazing artists. There will be demonstrations, workshops, our print fair and lectures for direct public engagement with printmaking rich history in Lawrence, Kansas.
Flexibility in the Studio
…if I don’t have time or energy to, say, carve a block, I can shift gears and work on a digital drawing of some animation. I tend to work on many different projects at once, some with hard deadlines and others with more nebulous deadlines.
B: Please tell us a bit about your work. How has making your artwork changed since you left school?
MWG: Coming out of grad school I expected to slow down a bit with my studio practice, mainly because it felt as though I had been running for three years. Then the lockdown happened and instead of stopping I allowed the momentum to push me to create more. If I had stopped at that time I might not have been able to get going again.
I was fortunate enough to start working at the LAC during late 2020 so I gained access to the print shop down there which helped keep me engaged in my making. In early 2021 I got a studio in Kansas City’s west bottoms. Now I split my time between working in Lawrence and KC. This is both a benefit and a hindrance to my studio practice, having access to the print shop helps me do lots of prep for when I can be in the studio but having to commute sometimes makes wanting to go into the studio difficult.
I keep a pretty fluid studio practice so if I don’t have time or energy to, say, carve a block, I can shift gears and work on a digital drawing of some animation. I tend to work on many different projects at once, some with hard deadlines and others with more nebulous deadlines. This really keeps me engaged in my making, if something isn’t working or if it gets tedious, instead of giving up I can shift to something else and come back when I am ready.
I am finding ways to balance not only work/life but also working full time, commuting and studio. It’s difficult at times and my personal life tends to suffer most when I am up against deadlines but I think I’m starting to figure out how to balance it all, and be a human in the process.
B: With upcoming shows at Wassaic Projects and the Indianapolis Arts Center your career is on a roll! Would you mind providing some insight for how you apply for and/or field opportunities? Are there other recent shows, residencies, or events you would like to highlight?
MWG: It has been a very exciting and busy past few years! I apply for lots of shows and exhibitions. I say yes to most opportunities that are offered to me. I try to meet and make connections with anyone I can, I found that networking leads to invitations that might not be obtained otherwise. I really never know what opportunity might lead to something else so staying open and willing to say yes has been a big part of why I think I keep getting opportunities. The Wassaic exhibition is up till September so if you’re in upstate New York check it out. I have a few things that I am working towards but not quite ready to talk about them.
B: What are your goals for the next couple years? How have your goals/priorities changed since being out of school?
A: It’s hard to say exactly what my goals are for the next few years. I tend to plan in short chunks of time, but I would like to find a better balance between work/studio and my personal life, it’s hard to give equal attention to everything. That said I don’t really see myself slowing down anytime soon, I will apply to everything I can afford to and take big risks with my work and continue to say yes. I would love to keep doing site-specific installations and working with institutions to do so, hopefully work on some more permanent installations.
B: What advice would you give current students as they’re about to journey into the wild? What do you wish you’d been told or prepared for?
MWG: Say yes to everything you have the capacity for, there is no exhibition, exchange, meeting that is too small. You really never know what is going to lead to something else. Give yourself time to be a human, it’s okay not to be in the studio every free hour of the day. If you make large scale work you have to store it somewhere.
