ARTIST STATEMENT
I believe we’re all storytellers at our core. Regardless of the materials used, each collage I create is meant to spark a story in the mind of the viewer. I assemble the necessary props to support a story and carefully title each piece. Theater is a conversation between the storytellers (director, actors, designers, etc.) and the audience. My collage work strives to be interactive and engaging. The materials I use range from paper, ribbon, golf pencils, food items, feminine products, hair curlers, vintage jewelry, etc. And, like the theater, after my Theatrical Set Collages are staged and photographed, they are struck. The props are stored for future use, or, as in the case of my husband’s bow tie, returned to their rightful owner. Creating traditional paper based assembled collages and Theatrical Set Collages has been a wonderful way to continue staging stories in the midst of illness and this current global pandemic. All the world’s a stage and we need to continue to tell stories.
ARTIST BIO
Jennifer Sampson is a collage artist with a 25+ year background in the theater. She directed and performed with theaters all across the country, most notably, The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego where she was a graduate student. She was fortunate to work with several Tony award winning directors who influenced her future work as an actor, director and collage artist. After settling in central California, she published a play and focused on directing shows in found spaces, such as an art museum. In 2017, Jennifer was sidelined by a chronic illness and began to story tell exclusively through the medium of collage. Her book, CUT IT OUT: Theatrical Set Collages was underwritten by the Doug + Laurie Kanyer Art Collection and is available on Amazon. Jennifer holds a BFA from the University of Evansville and an MFA from the University of San Diego/Old Globe Theatre. She is the recipient of the Old Globe Theatre’s Craig Noel Award and the Bakersfield Museum of Art’s Marion Osborn Cunningham Award. She is a former member of Actor’s Equity Association and the Voice and Speech Trainer’s Association.