Nancy Prudic

Nancy Prudic is one of Cleveland's active feminists who balances time between teaching sculpture, mxed media installation, visual culture and art history as well as feminist art and theory. With a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA from Vermont College, she's a distinctive lecturer, studio instructor and arts contributor involved in long distance learning, curating, and implementation of educational public programming. She's worked for The Cleveland Museum of Art and various educational institutions and galleries, and is immersed in improving the community by diversification of the arts. Meet Nancy at the Brandt Gallery Fri 8/13 at 7:30PM and stay for her lecture on art for the closing night of her show. Cool Cleveland sat down with this Lake Erie College arts professor and Collinwood resident to hear her philosophy on experimenting and collaborative art.

When you boast to people outside Cleveland about Cleveland, what's on your list?
Nancy Prudic: There is always something intriguing to do or see from cultural happenings to natural and industrial phenomena. There are lots of energetic people in town and they are always busy doing something for you to experience. It's also easy to be a part of the cultural offerings in Cleveland. The low cost of living makes it easy to launch artistic and/or business projects of your own, plus you don't have to spend all your money and energy trying to meet your basic needs. I also like to brag about the contrast of our abundant green spaces to the dark beauty of the urban industrial complex. Not every city has that to offer. Cleveland is simultaneoulsy a big and small town. There are world-class organizations and institutions, but it has a small town feel.

What's your vision of how Cleveland should look and feel?
I think Cleveland should revive its neighborhoods. I would love to be able to walk to the grocery store, the pharmacy, the dry cleaner, the movies, etc. There should also be some investment in housing, not necessarily all new building, but serious rehab of what already exists. Little things like planters and banners should be in all the neighborhoods trumpeting their assets. And most importantly, Cleveland should feel safe.

If you were in charge of Cleveland, what would you import and export?
I would export our cultural offerings. We have more than our share and we should spread it around. I would import someone who could clean up, develop, and market our lakefront because it wasn't done well the first time. It is an immeasurable asset and we should be enjoying it and letting everyone know about it.

What's been your best contribution to Cleveland?
Staying here. It's difficult to stay in this town and be in the arts; Cleveland doesn't appreciate its homegrown talent until it leaves town, so very few stay. But if you're always leaving on your way to find someplace better, where you are now will never be any better.

Do you have favorite quotes, sayings, or slogans you live by?
You gotta be tough. Cleveland is a hard town and you need thick skin to survive here. And here's a quote for the cliché hungry, "Winners never quit and quitters never win." These are things my dad told me as a child, and it really helps me keep going when things are rough.

What's the best learning/experimenting you've done in the last 5 years?
I can't sit still, so life in general is a learning/experimenting incubator for me. My goal in this life is to always stretch from where I am at the moment. My most recent stretches were working with 22 practicing writers on a visual art piece for an exhibition on censorship and banned books and also working as a visual artist with choreographer Lisa DeCato and dancer Carolyn Kelly to produce a piece for Food for Thought. Many visual artists don't have the opportunity to collaborate with artists outside the visual discipline, and I found that the coming together of ideas and approaches were extremely exhilarating.

Who's on your list of most admired and why?
My list is a mile long, but thinking about it I realize that it is composed of mostly women. I would have to say that women who have forged ahead and done what they loved in spite of opposition or interference are whom I admire most. They have wisdom and extremely valuable insights into life.

What's the best advice you've been offered?
1. You have a brain, so use it.
2. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
3. Think things through, then stand and speak up for what you believe - people will respond. If they don't, squeak louder.

Where are you most likely to hang out in Cleveland?
I hang at or in the Lake, or in the industrial section of the flats. Both are inspiring.

How can Cool Cleveland continue to be successful?
You guys have positioned yourselves at the heart of the creative community, which makes a difference. Rock on!!

Interview and image by Tisha Nemeth (:divend:)