Artist Statement
Often in the American West there are isolated buildings in barren locations that don’t make much sense in their placement. In my amazement with where people have chosen to live and build community, I often ask myself, “is it bravery and a sense of adventure that drives people into these locations or is it idiocy and despair?” Regardless of the motivations, buildings of this kind stand as a witness to the tenacity of human will and the time spent trying to tame the land.
With any edifice, judgements and opinions are easily made based upon the exterior, yet we know nothing about the dynamics of what took place inside. This is especially true with what I call primary structures, those places where the principles that normally form foundation of life are forged, and a sense of identity developed. Primary Structures would include places/spaces such as homes, churches, schools, and barns. Not all experiences that occur in these locations are positive. Constructing homes and other buildings from my past and recontextualizing them becomes a therapeutic cleansing of my negative childhood experiences. By taking these structures out into the landscape and documenting them or by juxtaposing the building with other objects and symbols I create new associations that replace the painful memories of my past.
Bio
Born and raised in Washington State Jason Lanegan was involved in drawing and other creative outlets from his earliest memories. With eyes set upon being a high school art teacher, Jason first attended Rick’s Jr. College where he obtained an associate degree in the visual arts. He went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in sculpture from Northern Arizona University and then a bachelor’s in art education from Eastern Washington University. Jason went on to acquire a graduate degree in sculpture with minor in art history from Brigham Young University. Upon completing his education, he used his experience in various capacities including, head sculptor for Paleoforms, director of the Morris Fine Art Gallery, sculpture professor as well as museum director at Northern Arizona University. After twelve years of directing the student galleries at the Harris Fine Arts Center at BYU, he recently accepted the position at Utah Valley University as Assistant Professor of Sculpture. Jason is known for his creative contemporary reliquaries that explore identity through the lens of vernacular architecture, family relationships, and cultural attachments. Currently Jason Lanegan lives with his wife, Kimberly, in Spanish Fork, Utah with one child at home and four exploring their own adventures.