Natasha Johns Messenger on Site-Determined Installation and Public Art

Episode 28

2/25/20253 min read

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

Send us a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/InstallationArtPodcast

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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