October 24, 2023 • 21 mins
Join us as we highlight our remarkable guest - Jill Althouse-Wood, an emerging DDOA fellow in the world of visual arts, whose work is heavily influenced by the culture of Arden, Delaware and the serene landscapes of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Jill shares her artistic evolution, from gilded abstract forestscapes to the forest as a symbol of mystery and transformation, and how she's managed to keep her creativity alive in the challenging times of the pandemic. She also gives us an inside look at the Arden Artisans Collective, where she plays a crucial role, and their exciting future exhibitions.
Get an insider's view of Jill's recent show at the Buzz Ware Gallery, where she uses art to navigate through the complex emotions stirred by the recent past, inspiring others to share their narratives. Gain insights into how her fellowship has expanded her artistic practice, and glean priceless advice for budding artists. Lastly, stay tuned as we give you a sneak peek into her upcoming exhibition at the Arden Buzz Ware Gallery. Be prepared for an inspiring and enlightening journey into the world of an artist, guided by Jill Althouse-Wood herself.
The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Learn more at Arts.Delaware.Gov.
Delaware State of the Arts is a weekly podcast that presents interviews with arts organizations and leaders who contribute to the cultural vibrancy of communities throughout Delaware. Delaware State of the Arts is provided as a service of the Division of the Arts, in partnership with NEWSRADIO 1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Andy Truscott (00:09):
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guest today is JillAlthouse- Wood, an emerging
individual artist fellow in thefield of visual arts.
Painting.
Jill follows multiple creativepathways the written word and
the visual arts.
After graduating from theUniversity of Delaware with a
degree in fiber arts and metals,she worked for 15 years as a
(00:31):
textile designer.
Recently she pivoted and hasnow made more time to devote to
both writing and the visual arts.
Jill resides in Arden andyou'll learn more about some of
her new initiatives there lateron in this segment.
Jill, thank you so much forjoining us today and I wonder,
as we kick off here, if you canjust talk to us a little about
your creative journey and howyou find yourself where we are
(00:54):
today.
Jill Althouse-Wood (00:55):
Well, thank you for having me.
First of all, andy, my creativejourney.
Let's see, I don't think thatthere's a beginning and an end
to it.
It's just life.
That's the way I see it.
But I will say that our move toDelaware 10 years ago really
helped spark a lot in me,especially moving to Arden as an
(01:16):
arts community and having justthe environment that we have in
Wilmington right now.
I was lucky when I moved herethat one of the first jobs that
I got was as I wrote articlesand I got to talk to a lot of
the people, the artists, peoplein culture in Wilmington
(01:37):
philanthropic area.
I just got to meet a lot of themovers and shakers and it was a
great introduction and itreally inspired me in my journey
.
Andy Truscott (01:47):
You grew up in Lancaster County, pennsylvania,
and I'm sure that brings someinfluence both to your artistic
viewpoint and also how you grewup to craft your art currently.
Talk to us a little bit about,maybe, how those influences
shaped your work today.
Jill Althouse-Wood (02:03):
Oh, of course there's a lot of makers
in Lancaster as well.
They have a really thriving artscene, especially in the city.
I admire so many of the artiststhere.
I would say initially I was inFibers.
I was inspired by Amish Quilts.
I was an art history minor andI did a study on quilts.
(02:24):
I'm just fascinated by them,not just Amish Quilts.
I got to see branch out fromthere and learn all about all
sorts of fiber arts and I thinkthat really drove me when I went
to school to learn more.
Andy Truscott (02:36):
Your art has largely evolved from gilded
abstract forest scapes toexploring the forest as a place
of mystery and transformation.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthat shift and where the forest
has emerged into your artwork.
Maybe what inspired that?
Jill Althouse-Wood (02:52):
Yeah, when we moved to Arden, my living
room looks out onto the forestand I've always wanted to live
in the forest.
It's interesting because whereI lived before, I was surrounded
by cornfields and when youwould go for a walk you would
just walk and you would see outover the whole landscape.
I had these big, long, sweepingthoughts.
(03:15):
And when you walk in the forestit's very focused walking.
You're making sure you're nottripping over tree roots, things
like that.
I was just really inspired.
Also, I joined a hiking group.
On Sundays we hike and that'skind of my Sabbath now is hiking
in the forest.
It just really became, insteadof going to church, this is
(03:38):
where I was and it brought outsomething in me.
I was really inspired by thenature, the rhythms of the trees
as you're walking, the rhythmsof your footsteps.
It was a whole new way oflooking at things when we moved
here.
Andy Truscott (03:56):
Talk to us about the challenge you feel that
sometimes artists face in justfinding the time or the space to
pursue all the different formsof creative expression you're
passionate about.
Jill Althouse-Wood (04:07):
I feel like I go in so many different
directions all the time.
I'm writing and I'm doing myart and it really is.
I wouldn't say a strugglenecessarily, because I move from
one to the other, but it's hardto, you know, plan my day.
Basically, I Really aspire tobe that person that has a
(04:28):
schedule and does things atcertain times, and I really try.
You know, come first of theyear, january, I'm mapping out
my calendar and it never worksout that way.
Things pop up and, honestly, Iwork best when I'm moving back
and forth from writing to art.
It really allows me to take thebeat and Come back refreshed to
(04:50):
whatever I'm working on.
I really would like to get alot more work done.
Also, I'm working out of myhouse and we have a small house.
I don't have the studio space,but recently I went to an Alice
Neil exhibit in New York Cityand I saw all of her portraits
and she did everything out ofher New York City apartment.
(05:13):
So I'm thinking, you know, ifsomebody like that can function,
I can too.
And recently my husband and I werenovated our house a little
bit, mostly visual stuff, youknow, painting and things like
that but we did carve out alittle nook for me.
That hasn't been there beforeand I I realize how important
that is.
Since the pandemic, we all wereusing our house differently
(05:36):
than we did before the pandemic,because my husband's working
from home, part-time, we hadkids come back from college and
working out of our house and,like I said, it's a small space.
I think you just do what youhave to do.
There's times when I'm workingon the kitchen table, there's
times when I'm working on mypatio and depends on the size of
the canvas that I'm working on.
(05:57):
And what's really nice right nowfor me is that my husband works
in New Jersey for half the weekand I'm able to spread out over
the whole house For severaldays and then I put it all away
and that's kind of when I do mywriting.
When he's home, I kind of go toa coffee shop and hang out and
we call that my office.
But yeah, it's, it's somethingthat you have to.
(06:20):
It's part of your journey and Idon't think you can use it as
an excuse.
You just have to work around it.
Andy Truscott (06:26):
You're one of the few artists I've interviewed
this year that kind of Gravitatetowards two different art
styles and I wonder, maybe youcould share with us a little bit
how Either they inform eachother you know, do you find your
paintings often or mayRepresent the the work that
you're writing about, or viceversa.
Jill Althouse-Wood (06:47):
Well, I think my paintings have a
storytelling quality to them.
So there's that.
I don't think that they're adirect relation to my writing
right now.
I was working on a novel beforethe pandemic.
I put that aside and now I'mI'm just finishing up a book on.
It's a nonfiction kind ofmemoir, personal growth, about
(07:08):
our journey in Arden and utopiaand finding community.
Right now, I think deficit forpeople in community because
people are moving away fromtheir families.
They're moving away fromchurches where we've found
community before.
We have this online community.
I've really found somethingSpecial in Arden that I want
(07:30):
other people to know about, andcommunity is work.
So I think if there's anythingthat informs both my art and my
writing, it is that sense ofcommunity.
You know the pandemic.
We're not even working.
We're working from home more sowe don't even have our work
families like we did in the past.
So we have to really work hardto Create that element for
(07:50):
ourselves and put ourselveswhere we're meant to be and
Situated around people that willinspire us and will drive us to
the next level bit of atwo-parter here.
Andy Truscott (08:00):
Talk to me about what Collaboration and maybe
kind of that community aspect ofbouncing ideas off of each
other.
It looks like for a writer onone side but then an artist on
another.
Jill Althouse-Wood (08:10):
I don't put a box around anything like.
I can get inspired by writingin my art and vice versa.
You just never know where anidea is going to come from.
I don't do a lot ofcollaborative work, but I'm
working on some things likegroup exhibits, which I haven't
(08:31):
done too much in the past, and Ithink that's an interesting
concept.
Because of having this grant,my work was displayed at the
Biggs with the rest of thefellowship award winners.
So what I find interesting aboutthis group exhibit was when you
walked into the room.
First of all, there were a lotof portraits in the whole
exhibit and there was a lot ofcolor, and it was just amazing
(08:54):
how the artwork seemed to talkto each other and I just had
that notion in my head, likewhat happens when the museum is
closed?
Do all these pieces interactand talk to each other?
They just seemed like there wasa story there, that there was
something going on, and I thinkthat energy from multiple
artists is palpable, especiallywhen you walk in.
(09:16):
So I'm really excited aboutbeing involved in some of the
group exhibitions that arecoming up.
Andy Truscott (09:20):
I want to take just a minute here to remind our
listeners that you're tunedinto News Radio 1450, wilm and
1410 WDOV for Delaware State ofthe Arts, jill, arden is a
really special place and,frankly, a really artistic place
.
For those that know what Ardenis, talk to us a little bit
(09:41):
about the benefits that youfound for even yourself, just
kind of living and working inArden and kind of what are some
of the really proud things thatyou shoulder as it relates to
making sure Arden remains areally artistic and positive
location.
Jill Althouse-Wood (09:58):
When I first heard about Arden it was in
terms of it being an artscommunity and I was really
excited to learn about that.
It existed when I lived beforein Lancaster County.
I lived out in the middle ofnowhere and I couldn't tell you
where the nearest artist lived,like I didn't know where that
was.
So for me to have so manyartists within walking distance
(10:21):
of my house and you see iteverywhere.
You see it in public art, yousee it in, you know you go into
people's houses and they haveartwork from all their neighbors
there to see it from many yearsago to, you know, present day.
You have it in the Art and Fairwhere they support artists.
They have at the Buzz Ware thatthey have at monthly exhibits,
(10:44):
everywhere you look.
You know even the Arden Club.
It's the cultural umbrella forthis area.
Because you've got the concertguild, you're able to walk to
concerts 20 times a year if youwant to, and that's just been
fabulous for us.
One of the things that happenedis that Arden was featured in a
(11:06):
PBS special recently Well, theMovers and Makers.
They were nominated for an Emmyfor that episode and they came
and they interviewed a lot ofthe artists in Arden and it was
a great PBS special.
However, there was no way tocontact any of the artists,
there was no way to figure out,you know, if you wanted more
information about the arts inArden.
(11:26):
So we have this great communityand I realized that we don't
have anywhere to point people toto get an understanding about
it.
So I got together with some ofthe artists and we created Arden
Artisans Collective, which canbe found at ardenartisanscom,
and we have now we have a webpresence and we're working on
(11:49):
some.
That's some of the groupexhibitions I was talking about
coming up.
They're coming up in 2024because you have to plan way
ahead for your exhibitions.
But we do have a small art showin December at the Buzz where
you can purchase art and seewhat the collective is doing.
And I'm really inspired by theway that people are stepping up
and, you know, forming thiscoalition so that we can, you
(12:12):
know, be more, send ourawareness out into the world and
people can be more aware of thearts that we have here in.
Andy Truscott (12:17):
Arden, you mentioned the Buzz Ware.
You've got a show coming upthere in November, reception on
November 3rd during theWilmington's Art Loop.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthat show, maybe the common
theme of it and some of the workthat you're going to be putting
up.
Jill Althouse-Wood (12:31):
Yeah, my show is the work that I've been
doing over the past year and ahalf and since I've gotten this
grant and the show is called Allthe Feels and I have I'm
working on some bigger worksthan I've worked on before
previously.
They're all paintings.
Well, there's some digital work.
I have some digital work inthere that I've had printed and
(12:52):
then I go back and embellishafter the fact.
But mainly it's portraits andit speaks to like the last show
that I had kind of went into thefolklore of the forest, like
kind of the storytelling aspectswhere the forest is a place
where you go to.
(13:14):
It's a mysterious place and thenyou come out, having been
changed in some way, and I thinkthat we've all kind of gone
through the forest of coventogether.
You know this was an unknownplace.
We've never been here before.
It was dark, we weren't surehow we want to emerge out of it.
But we are emerging out of itand my pieces the show is called
(13:37):
All the Feels, so my portraitskind of show the range of
emotions that we all wentthrough trying to get to this
place that we are now but havingto go to places we did not know
we were going to.
So I have works about anger,works about joy and everything
in between.
Andy Truscott (13:57):
As you have audience members that come not
only look at this upcoming showbut look at your work.
What do you hope audiencemembers or art lovers kind of
take away from your art,especially when it's transformed
by their own individualexperiences or interpretations?
Jill Althouse-Wood (14:13):
Of course I love that audiences bring their
stories to my art.
So you know, when I get donecreating, it's when I hand it
over to the audience and thenthey get to interact and have
their experiences.
Of course everybody has hadtheir experiences with COVID and
even the political climate thatwe're in, which is kind of
(14:36):
changing every moment, and Ihope they bring to it and say,
either you know, I've had thatfeeling or I know what that
feeling is and they can kind ofconnect it to their stories that
they've had during this timeperiod, which I think is a very
I mean, for me it's been a veryunique time period in my life.
I've never experienced anythinglike it.
So I know that everybody hastheir stories and we're still
(14:59):
processing all of those and Ihope that through my paintings
that people can, you know, startto talk more about their
stories and in doing thatprocess, and move through them
to the next phase of life.
Andy Truscott (15:14):
Talk to me a little bit about kind of the
background of you know how youuse art to explore and express
some of these.
You know complex topics,complex feelings.
Jill Althouse-Wood (15:24):
Well, I'm a little selfish in that I do it
for my own personal venting, Iwould say, and I listen to
different playlists fordifferent paintings that I'm
trying to evoke of a mood it'sfunny because I'm trying to come
up with a playlist for the showto have in the background which
nobody can ever hear.
But I like to know is there andand move through the emotions
(15:44):
that I moved through when I waspainting.
But yeah, for me it's, it's adistillation of what I'm going
through and it really helps meto process and I worry less
about the end result than whatit's doing for me personally.
Andy Truscott (16:04):
Talk to me a little bit about how the
fellowship has allowed you totry something new, how it's
allowed you to grow yourpractice, or maybe you know what
, what uniquely, it has allowedyou to do this this fiscal year.
Jill Althouse-Wood (16:17):
I don't know that necessarily.
It's made me try new thingsthat way.
I think what it's done morethan anything is given me more
contacts, you know, and allowedme to move in circles that I
wasn't in before, and I'm hopingto exploit some of those
(16:40):
contacts and move my art to anew level.
And it's also.
The other thing is that it'sreally given me a lot of
confidence.
You know you work in isolationand you want to eventually be
seen.
I mean, a lot of artists aren'tnecessarily comfortable with
opening night, but it's it's thepart where you know you're
(17:00):
giving your work to the biggerworld and yeah, I have, I'm
coming away with kind of it's,it's the pat on the back.
It's yeah, you're doing whatyou're supposed to be doing.
Keep doing it and and grow andmove and tell your story.
Andy Truscott (17:17):
What advice would you give to either a younger
you or an aspiring artist who'slooking to really step their way
into, you know, an artsy world?
Jill Althouse-Wood (17:27):
Wow, that's a good question.
I think maybe slow down, listen, everybody wants to get to the
next level all at once and wedon't take the time to kind of
listen to our inner voice andand to learn and to talk to
(17:50):
people that have been therebefore.
That's, that's something I didas I sat down and I had coffee
with previous grant winners whenI got this grant to find out
how I should use this, you know,to take my art to the next
level, what they did, what theywould and, and they said the
(18:10):
same thing.
You know, just, it just putsyou in a space where, like I
said before, you're moreconfident.
So in that confidence comes arelaxation and I think that's
the big thing to just be able tothe sigh and, you know, not be
so hard on yourself and then leteverything come through that's
(18:32):
supposed to come through.
We're in such a fast-paced worldand you know artists are
supposed to be doing all thismarketing and we have to wear so
many hats.
As an artist, I was justwatching a video of Lauren
Peters taking down a show and Ilove that she posted this on her
on her Instagram.
(18:54):
You know where she the processof taking her art down and
that's all it was.
Her taking her art down andboxing it up, but people don't
see that part of of what you do.
So I think a lot of artists arereally hard on themselves, but
they have so many things thatthey're trying to do and yeah.
So I would just say, kind of bekind to yourself.
Andy Truscott (19:14):
Acknowledging in this next question right that
everyone's answer looks a littledifferent for Jill today.
What does success in the artslook like for you?
Jill Althouse-Wood (19:24):
Yeah, I've been asking myself that for a
long time.
I don't think there's anarrival, because you're always
striving for the next level inwhatever you do.
So it's kind of hard to saywhat you know.
You artists crave that outsidevalidation, but at the same time
, you have to know when you'redoing good work.
(19:45):
And just because you're notgetting that validation and
you're doing and you know you'redoing good work, is that not
successful?
I think you know it was reallyfunny, because I wrote a novel
that came out in 2007 and Iwrote the novel five years
before it came out, so I wasalready a writer, but I couldn't
tell the world that I was awriter because I didn't have a
(20:07):
product.
But yet I was every bit assuccessful, having accomplished
that the day that I finished it,as I was the day it was
published.
So I think we put too muchemphasis on that word success.
We really have to, you know,look inward and be our own guide
and to stay true to our youknow compass, our true north,
(20:31):
and when you do that that's, Iguess, successful.
Andy Truscott (20:34):
Jill, tell our listeners where they can go to
learn more about you, to seesome of your work online and
maybe see where some of yournext upcoming exhibits are.
Jill Althouse-Wood (20:42):
I am at JillAltHouseWoodcom.
That's my website.
I'm also on Instagram andFacebook @Jillalthousewood, it's
just you know.
Look it up, there's not toomany of us, just me.
Andy Truscott (20:53):
Thank you so much for joining me and a reminder
for our listeners Jill's exhibitgoes up on November 3rd at the
Arden Buzz Ware Gallery.
That's all the feels.
November 3rd at the Arden BuzzWare Gallery.
Delaware State of the Arts is aweekly podcast that presents
(21:28):
interviews with artsorganizations and leaders who
contribute to the culturalvibrancy of communities
throughout Delaware.
Delaware State of the Arts isprovided as a service of the
Delaware Division of the Arts inpartnership with News Radio,
1450wilm and 1410WDOV.
The Delaware Division of theArts, a branch of the Delaware
(21:52):
Department of State, iscommitted to supporting the arts
and cultivating creativity toenhance the quality of life in
Delaware.
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guest today is JillAlthouse- Wood, an emerging
individual artist fellow in thefield of visual arts.
Painting.
Jill follows multiple creativepathways the written word and
the visual arts.
After graduating from theUniversity of Delaware with a
degree in fiber arts and metals,she worked for 15 years as a
(00:31):
textile designer.
Recently she pivoted and hasnow made more time to devote to
both writing and the visual arts.
Jill resides in Arden andyou'll learn more about some of
her new initiatives there lateron in this segment.
Jill, thank you so much forjoining us today and I wonder,
as we kick off here, if you canjust talk to us a little about
your creative journey and howyou find yourself where we are
(00:54):
today.
Jill Althouse-Wood (00:55):
Well, thank you for having me.
First of all, andy, my creativejourney.
Let's see, I don't think thatthere's a beginning and an end
to it.
It's just life.
That's the way I see it.
But I will say that our move toDelaware 10 years ago really
helped spark a lot in me,especially moving to Arden as an
(01:16):
arts community and having justthe environment that we have in
Wilmington right now.
I was lucky when I moved herethat one of the first jobs that
I got was as I wrote articlesand I got to talk to a lot of
the people, the artists, peoplein culture in Wilmington
(01:37):
philanthropic area.
I just got to meet a lot of themovers and shakers and it was a
great introduction and itreally inspired me in my journey
.
Andy Truscott (01:47):
You grew up in Lancaster County, pennsylvania,
and I'm sure that brings someinfluence both to your artistic
viewpoint and also how you grewup to craft your art currently.
Talk to us a little bit about,maybe, how those influences
shaped your work today.
Jill Althouse-Wood (02:03):
Oh, of course there's a lot of makers
in Lancaster as well.
They have a really thriving artscene, especially in the city.
I admire so many of the artiststhere.
I would say initially I was inFibers.
I was inspired by Amish Quilts.
I was an art history minor andI did a study on quilts.
(02:24):
I'm just fascinated by them,not just Amish Quilts.
I got to see branch out fromthere and learn all about all
sorts of fiber arts and I thinkthat really drove me when I went
to school to learn more.
Andy Truscott (02:36):
Your art has largely evolved from gilded
abstract forest scapes toexploring the forest as a place
of mystery and transformation.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthat shift and where the forest
has emerged into your artwork.
Maybe what inspired that?
Jill Althouse-Wood (02:52):
Yeah, when we moved to Arden, my living
room looks out onto the forestand I've always wanted to live
in the forest.
It's interesting because whereI lived before, I was surrounded
by cornfields and when youwould go for a walk you would
just walk and you would see outover the whole landscape.
I had these big, long, sweepingthoughts.
(03:15):
And when you walk in the forestit's very focused walking.
You're making sure you're nottripping over tree roots, things
like that.
I was just really inspired.
Also, I joined a hiking group.
On Sundays we hike and that'skind of my Sabbath now is hiking
in the forest.
It just really became, insteadof going to church, this is
(03:38):
where I was and it brought outsomething in me.
I was really inspired by thenature, the rhythms of the trees
as you're walking, the rhythmsof your footsteps.
It was a whole new way oflooking at things when we moved
here.
Andy Truscott (03:56):
Talk to us about the challenge you feel that
sometimes artists face in justfinding the time or the space to
pursue all the different formsof creative expression you're
passionate about.
Jill Althouse-Wood (04:07):
I feel like I go in so many different
directions all the time.
I'm writing and I'm doing myart and it really is.
I wouldn't say a strugglenecessarily, because I move from
one to the other, but it's hardto, you know, plan my day.
Basically, I Really aspire tobe that person that has a
(04:28):
schedule and does things atcertain times, and I really try.
You know, come first of theyear, january, I'm mapping out
my calendar and it never worksout that way.
Things pop up and, honestly, Iwork best when I'm moving back
and forth from writing to art.
It really allows me to take thebeat and Come back refreshed to
(04:50):
whatever I'm working on.
I really would like to get alot more work done.
Also, I'm working out of myhouse and we have a small house.
I don't have the studio space,but recently I went to an Alice
Neil exhibit in New York Cityand I saw all of her portraits
and she did everything out ofher New York City apartment.
(05:13):
So I'm thinking, you know, ifsomebody like that can function,
I can too.
And recently my husband and I werenovated our house a little
bit, mostly visual stuff, youknow, painting and things like
that but we did carve out alittle nook for me.
That hasn't been there beforeand I I realize how important
that is.
Since the pandemic, we all wereusing our house differently
(05:36):
than we did before the pandemic,because my husband's working
from home, part-time, we hadkids come back from college and
working out of our house and,like I said, it's a small space.
I think you just do what youhave to do.
There's times when I'm workingon the kitchen table, there's
times when I'm working on mypatio and depends on the size of
the canvas that I'm working on.
(05:57):
And what's really nice right nowfor me is that my husband works
in New Jersey for half the weekand I'm able to spread out over
the whole house For severaldays and then I put it all away
and that's kind of when I do mywriting.
When he's home, I kind of go toa coffee shop and hang out and
we call that my office.
But yeah, it's, it's somethingthat you have to.
(06:20):
It's part of your journey and Idon't think you can use it as
an excuse.
You just have to work around it.
Andy Truscott (06:26):
You're one of the few artists I've interviewed
this year that kind of Gravitatetowards two different art
styles and I wonder, maybe youcould share with us a little bit
how Either they inform eachother you know, do you find your
paintings often or mayRepresent the the work that
you're writing about, or viceversa.
Jill Althouse-Wood (06:47):
Well, I think my paintings have a
storytelling quality to them.
So there's that.
I don't think that they're adirect relation to my writing
right now.
I was working on a novel beforethe pandemic.
I put that aside and now I'mI'm just finishing up a book on.
It's a nonfiction kind ofmemoir, personal growth, about
(07:08):
our journey in Arden and utopiaand finding community.
Right now, I think deficit forpeople in community because
people are moving away fromtheir families.
They're moving away fromchurches where we've found
community before.
We have this online community.
I've really found somethingSpecial in Arden that I want
(07:30):
other people to know about, andcommunity is work.
So I think if there's anythingthat informs both my art and my
writing, it is that sense ofcommunity.
You know the pandemic.
We're not even working.
We're working from home more sowe don't even have our work
families like we did in the past.
So we have to really work hardto Create that element for
(07:50):
ourselves and put ourselveswhere we're meant to be and
Situated around people that willinspire us and will drive us to
the next level bit of atwo-parter here.
Andy Truscott (08:00):
Talk to me about what Collaboration and maybe
kind of that community aspect ofbouncing ideas off of each
other.
It looks like for a writer onone side but then an artist on
another.
Jill Althouse-Wood (08:10):
I don't put a box around anything like.
I can get inspired by writingin my art and vice versa.
You just never know where anidea is going to come from.
I don't do a lot ofcollaborative work, but I'm
working on some things likegroup exhibits, which I haven't
(08:31):
done too much in the past, and Ithink that's an interesting
concept.
Because of having this grant,my work was displayed at the
Biggs with the rest of thefellowship award winners.
So what I find interesting aboutthis group exhibit was when you
walked into the room.
First of all, there were a lotof portraits in the whole
exhibit and there was a lot ofcolor, and it was just amazing
(08:54):
how the artwork seemed to talkto each other and I just had
that notion in my head, likewhat happens when the museum is
closed?
Do all these pieces interactand talk to each other?
They just seemed like there wasa story there, that there was
something going on, and I thinkthat energy from multiple
artists is palpable, especiallywhen you walk in.
(09:16):
So I'm really excited aboutbeing involved in some of the
group exhibitions that arecoming up.
Andy Truscott (09:20):
I want to take just a minute here to remind our
listeners that you're tunedinto News Radio 1450, wilm and
1410 WDOV for Delaware State ofthe Arts, jill, arden is a
really special place and,frankly, a really artistic place
.
For those that know what Ardenis, talk to us a little bit
(09:41):
about the benefits that youfound for even yourself, just
kind of living and working inArden and kind of what are some
of the really proud things thatyou shoulder as it relates to
making sure Arden remains areally artistic and positive
location.
Jill Althouse-Wood (09:58):
When I first heard about Arden it was in
terms of it being an artscommunity and I was really
excited to learn about that.
It existed when I lived beforein Lancaster County.
I lived out in the middle ofnowhere and I couldn't tell you
where the nearest artist lived,like I didn't know where that
was.
So for me to have so manyartists within walking distance
(10:21):
of my house and you see iteverywhere.
You see it in public art, yousee it in, you know you go into
people's houses and they haveartwork from all their neighbors
there to see it from many yearsago to, you know, present day.
You have it in the Art and Fairwhere they support artists.
They have at the Buzz Ware thatthey have at monthly exhibits,
(10:44):
everywhere you look.
You know even the Arden Club.
It's the cultural umbrella forthis area.
Because you've got the concertguild, you're able to walk to
concerts 20 times a year if youwant to, and that's just been
fabulous for us.
One of the things that happenedis that Arden was featured in a
(11:06):
PBS special recently Well, theMovers and Makers.
They were nominated for an Emmyfor that episode and they came
and they interviewed a lot ofthe artists in Arden and it was
a great PBS special.
However, there was no way tocontact any of the artists,
there was no way to figure out,you know, if you wanted more
information about the arts inArden.
(11:26):
So we have this great communityand I realized that we don't
have anywhere to point people toto get an understanding about
it.
So I got together with some ofthe artists and we created Arden
Artisans Collective, which canbe found at ardenartisanscom,
and we have now we have a webpresence and we're working on
(11:49):
some.
That's some of the groupexhibitions I was talking about
coming up.
They're coming up in 2024because you have to plan way
ahead for your exhibitions.
But we do have a small art showin December at the Buzz where
you can purchase art and seewhat the collective is doing.
And I'm really inspired by theway that people are stepping up
and, you know, forming thiscoalition so that we can, you
(12:12):
know, be more, send ourawareness out into the world and
people can be more aware of thearts that we have here in.
Andy Truscott (12:17):
Arden, you mentioned the Buzz Ware.
You've got a show coming upthere in November, reception on
November 3rd during theWilmington's Art Loop.
Talk to us a little bit aboutthat show, maybe the common
theme of it and some of the workthat you're going to be putting
up.
Jill Althouse-Wood (12:31):
Yeah, my show is the work that I've been
doing over the past year and ahalf and since I've gotten this
grant and the show is called Allthe Feels and I have I'm
working on some bigger worksthan I've worked on before
previously.
They're all paintings.
Well, there's some digital work.
I have some digital work inthere that I've had printed and
(12:52):
then I go back and embellishafter the fact.
But mainly it's portraits andit speaks to like the last show
that I had kind of went into thefolklore of the forest, like
kind of the storytelling aspectswhere the forest is a place
where you go to.
(13:14):
It's a mysterious place and thenyou come out, having been
changed in some way, and I thinkthat we've all kind of gone
through the forest of coventogether.
You know this was an unknownplace.
We've never been here before.
It was dark, we weren't surehow we want to emerge out of it.
But we are emerging out of itand my pieces the show is called
(13:37):
All the Feels, so my portraitskind of show the range of
emotions that we all wentthrough trying to get to this
place that we are now but havingto go to places we did not know
we were going to.
So I have works about anger,works about joy and everything
in between.
Andy Truscott (13:57):
As you have audience members that come not
only look at this upcoming showbut look at your work.
What do you hope audiencemembers or art lovers kind of
take away from your art,especially when it's transformed
by their own individualexperiences or interpretations?
Jill Althouse-Wood (14:13):
Of course I love that audiences bring their
stories to my art.
So you know, when I get donecreating, it's when I hand it
over to the audience and thenthey get to interact and have
their experiences.
Of course everybody has hadtheir experiences with COVID and
even the political climate thatwe're in, which is kind of
(14:36):
changing every moment, and Ihope they bring to it and say,
either you know, I've had thatfeeling or I know what that
feeling is and they can kind ofconnect it to their stories that
they've had during this timeperiod, which I think is a very
I mean, for me it's been a veryunique time period in my life.
I've never experienced anythinglike it.
So I know that everybody hastheir stories and we're still
(14:59):
processing all of those and Ihope that through my paintings
that people can, you know, startto talk more about their
stories and in doing thatprocess, and move through them
to the next phase of life.
Andy Truscott (15:14):
Talk to me a little bit about kind of the
background of you know how youuse art to explore and express
some of these.
You know complex topics,complex feelings.
Jill Althouse-Wood (15:24):
Well, I'm a little selfish in that I do it
for my own personal venting, Iwould say, and I listen to
different playlists fordifferent paintings that I'm
trying to evoke of a mood it'sfunny because I'm trying to come
up with a playlist for the showto have in the background which
nobody can ever hear.
But I like to know is there andand move through the emotions
(15:44):
that I moved through when I waspainting.
But yeah, for me it's, it's adistillation of what I'm going
through and it really helps meto process and I worry less
about the end result than whatit's doing for me personally.
Andy Truscott (16:04):
Talk to me a little bit about how the
fellowship has allowed you totry something new, how it's
allowed you to grow yourpractice, or maybe you know what
, what uniquely, it has allowedyou to do this this fiscal year.
Jill Althouse-Wood (16:17):
I don't know that necessarily.
It's made me try new thingsthat way.
I think what it's done morethan anything is given me more
contacts, you know, and allowedme to move in circles that I
wasn't in before, and I'm hopingto exploit some of those
(16:40):
contacts and move my art to anew level.
And it's also.
The other thing is that it'sreally given me a lot of
confidence.
You know you work in isolationand you want to eventually be
seen.
I mean, a lot of artists aren'tnecessarily comfortable with
opening night, but it's it's thepart where you know you're
(17:00):
giving your work to the biggerworld and yeah, I have, I'm
coming away with kind of it's,it's the pat on the back.
It's yeah, you're doing whatyou're supposed to be doing.
Keep doing it and and grow andmove and tell your story.
Andy Truscott (17:17):
What advice would you give to either a younger
you or an aspiring artist who'slooking to really step their way
into, you know, an artsy world?
Jill Althouse-Wood (17:27):
Wow, that's a good question.
I think maybe slow down, listen, everybody wants to get to the
next level all at once and wedon't take the time to kind of
listen to our inner voice andand to learn and to talk to
(17:50):
people that have been therebefore.
That's, that's something I didas I sat down and I had coffee
with previous grant winners whenI got this grant to find out
how I should use this, you know,to take my art to the next
level, what they did, what theywould and, and they said the
(18:10):
same thing.
You know, just, it just putsyou in a space where, like I
said before, you're moreconfident.
So in that confidence comes arelaxation and I think that's
the big thing to just be able tothe sigh and, you know, not be
so hard on yourself and then leteverything come through that's
(18:32):
supposed to come through.
We're in such a fast-paced worldand you know artists are
supposed to be doing all thismarketing and we have to wear so
many hats.
As an artist, I was justwatching a video of Lauren
Peters taking down a show and Ilove that she posted this on her
on her Instagram.
(18:54):
You know where she the processof taking her art down and
that's all it was.
Her taking her art down andboxing it up, but people don't
see that part of of what you do.
So I think a lot of artists arereally hard on themselves, but
they have so many things thatthey're trying to do and yeah.
So I would just say, kind of bekind to yourself.
Andy Truscott (19:14):
Acknowledging in this next question right that
everyone's answer looks a littledifferent for Jill today.
What does success in the artslook like for you?
Jill Althouse-Wood (19:24):
Yeah, I've been asking myself that for a
long time.
I don't think there's anarrival, because you're always
striving for the next level inwhatever you do.
So it's kind of hard to saywhat you know.
You artists crave that outsidevalidation, but at the same time
, you have to know when you'redoing good work.
(19:45):
And just because you're notgetting that validation and
you're doing and you know you'redoing good work, is that not
successful?
I think you know it was reallyfunny, because I wrote a novel
that came out in 2007 and Iwrote the novel five years
before it came out, so I wasalready a writer, but I couldn't
tell the world that I was awriter because I didn't have a
(20:07):
product.
But yet I was every bit assuccessful, having accomplished
that the day that I finished it,as I was the day it was
published.
So I think we put too muchemphasis on that word success.
We really have to, you know,look inward and be our own guide
and to stay true to our youknow compass, our true north,
(20:31):
and when you do that that's, Iguess, successful.
Andy Truscott (20:34):
Jill, tell our listeners where they can go to
learn more about you, to seesome of your work online and
maybe see where some of yournext upcoming exhibits are.
Jill Althouse-Wood (20:42):
I am at JillAltHouseWoodcom.
That's my website.
I'm also on Instagram andFacebook @Jillalthousewood, it's
just you know.
Look it up, there's not toomany of us, just me.
Andy Truscott (20:53):
Thank you so much for joining me and a reminder
for our listeners Jill's exhibitgoes up on November 3rd at the
Arden Buzz Ware Gallery.
That's all the feels.
November 3rd at the Arden BuzzWare Gallery.
Delaware State of the Arts is aweekly podcast that presents
(21:28):
interviews with artsorganizations and leaders who
contribute to the culturalvibrancy of communities
throughout Delaware.
Delaware State of the Arts isprovided as a service of the
Delaware Division of the Arts inpartnership with News Radio,
1450wilm and 1410WDOV.
The Delaware Division of theArts, a branch of the Delaware
(21:52):
Department of State, iscommitted to supporting the arts
and cultivating creativity toenhance the quality of life in
Delaware.
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