web_marlene bpl Her World2
From the 1970s Punk scene and SN L to Patti Smith in the “Supermarket,” Gowanus-based mixed media artist Marlene Weisman has found transcendence in everyday objects and experiences

By Catherine Gigante-Brown

Strolling past the balcony cases in the Brooklyn
Public Library’s Central Branch, one is struck by “Making the Mundane Marvelous,” a series of collage paintings that explores life, balance, and feminism through both vintage and newfound objects. At a Ludlow Street gallery, a display of unique clunky collage bracelets and necklaces might also catch the eye, and while browsing books at PowerHouse on 8th in Park Slope, nibbling a chocolate croissant at Colson Patisserie just a block away, or getting a funky coif at Slope Suds Salon, it seems experiences are whirled through by striking images of bingo cards, old magazine clippings, and dime store charms.

Meet Marlene Weisman.

The artist earned a degree in graphic design at SUNY Buffalo in the early ’80s, beginning an odyssey into the art and punk music scene, then flourishing up north.

“I was making Xerox transfer collage art and also began incorporating vintage materials into my work,” Weisman recalled.

Following college, she moved to SoHo and earned a living at a smorgasbord of artsy odd jobs—like making window displays for local shops and doing graphic design print promos for rock clubs and record labels.

“My first art exhibition came when I was juried into a group show at Club 57 on St. Marks Place,” she said. “It was curated by Keith Haring, who chose two of my Xerox collage pieces.”

A&G SPREAD

A television graphics course at the School of Visual Arts, taught by the legendary Bob Pook (the original graphic designer for Saturday Night Live and Late Night), led to a job in NBC’s art department. Weisman was soon crafting graphics like the now-famous retro logo for “Wayne’s World” sketches.

“It was the most insanely creative, maddeningly stressful and wildly fulfilling job imaginable,” she said. “I really loved it. I got to visualize the comedy writers’ ideas and helped create some truly iconic images.”

However, after seven seasons of SNL, Weisman needed a break, so she veered toward the online industry. Without enough artistic freedom, however, she quickly lost interest and began producing work that fulfilled more personally.

Her current combo platter of marriage and motherhood makes the creative process a juggling act, but Weisman is prolific nonetheless, working in a small studio where she explores varied concepts, especially those pertinent to being female.

“My thematic series of mixed media/collage pieces incorporate explorations in painting and drawing, combined with non-traditional techniques and materials,” she explained. “Within my collages, I work with a true mix of media: acrylic paint, color pencils, oil pastels, ink, and more—combined with what I call ‘throwaways’ from contemporary life.”

Items like game boards, postcards, labels, and laundry tickets all find a home in Weisman’s work. Under her hand, they transcend the ordinary, making statements about everyday lives.

“The idea for my ‘While I Was Stuck in the Supermarket’ Homage series came to me while waiting on line at the grocery store to buy chicken nuggets for my son,” Weisman said. “I began thinking about the women I revere—role models who’ve achieved great things throughout different eras. I wondered how much time they spent in the supermarket, away from their work.”

So, the artist grabbed a handful of store circulars and decided to use them as the background of a collage series, perhaps her most striking body of work. Some of the women featured are feminist Gloria Steinem, punk icon Patti Smith, silent film siren Louise Brooks, and author Zadie Smith.

“I’m inspired by the Dada artists of the 1920s and the Fluxus and Pop artists of the 1960s,” she added. “I like both the humor and aesthetic in their work, since there’s an element of the absurd to use mundane items in artful ways.”

While Weisman perfects “Black Purse Depository,” a modern- style installation piece addressing the subject of women and money, those interested might happen upon her other work gracing Café Dada (57 7th Ave.) or spot her selling wearable art and prints at a local holiday market.

“An artist’s life in the 2000s is complicated, since bohemia has long been dead,” she philosophized. “The balancing act of home life—chores, errands, being a parent and family commitment—with one’s art continues to be a challenge, but I’m lucky enough to explore it in my work.”

Marlene Weisman
marleneweisman.com