Saved: Objects of the Dead, cover. Photograph by Ben Alper.
This program is free and open to the public thanks to a generous donation from Houck and K.B. Medford.
Saved: Objects of the Dead, Slot Machine (detail photo). Photograph by Ben Alper.
Join artist Jody Servon for a discussion about embracing creativity while grieving. Her book and collaborative project, Saved: Objects of the Dead (Artsuite, 2023), with CA-based poet Lorene Delany-Ullman is a visual and poetic narrative of how grief manifests and how material possessions help harbor memories. Their book candidly embraces a topic Americans often avoid talking about, even though it is an experience we share: the death of a loved one.
Following a brief presentation on the book, Jody Servon will be interviewed by Kelly C. Rhodes about the book, Saved: Objects of the Dead.
Jody Servon. Photo by Todd Turner
About my art
My projects rely on the participation of others. Behind each image, object and handwritten notation is the voice of a person sharing something personal about themselves. Although inspired by my experiences, my works are collections of personal histories shared by others. In my socially engaged projects, I provide prompts for people to respond to in a variety of ways. Their responses range from recalling a memory attached to a song to sharing a photograph and text about an object that they have saved from a deceased loved one.
Because I am committed to providing moments for reflection during people’s daily routines, these works often occur in public spaces and online. I want my work to engage with a larger public than that which generally visits museums and galleries and frequently create work on city streets and in community spaces. In both physical places and through social media, I provide opportunities for people to consider their memories, experiences and surroundings (and hopefully enhance their human experience). I work across disciplines to facilitate collaborations and projects that impact those who experience them.
About Jody Servon:
I received a MFA in New Genre from The University of Arizona and a BFA in Visual Art from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. My writing and/or art has been featured in New American Paintings, Emergency Index, Kakalak, and Artful Dodge. My collaborative work with Lorene Delany-Ullman has been published in AGNI, Tupelo Quarterly, Palaver, Lunch Ticket and was shortlisted for the Tarpaulin Sky book prize. Reviews and articles on my projects have been in The New York Times, The Miami Herald, Arizona Daily Star, Los Angeles Times and Time magazine’s Money.com. I have participated in numerous artist residencies including Vermont Studio Center, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Artspace, and Virginia Center for Creative Arts.
I have served on numerous boards including: Elsewhere Museum, North Carolina Museums Council, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and the Center for Craft. I also curate exhibitions focused on contemporary art and worked as a curator at the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art in Florida and was the director of the Smith Gallery at Appalachian State University. Exhibition reviews of curatorial projects have appeared in Artnews, South Florida Times, Palm Beach Daily News, The Miami Herald, Neural Online, and El Pais. Currently I am a Professor and coordinator of the art management program at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.
About Kelly Rhodes:
Kelly C. Rhodes
Kelly C. Rhodes is the Coordinator of Information Literacy & Instruction at the Belk LIbraries at Appalachian State University.
Provide information literacy instruction for general education and upper level courses in the Departments of Art, Communication, Educational Leadership, and Theatre & Dance.
Rhodes has an Ed.S. Higher Education from Appalachian State University, NC, a M.S. Information Science from University of Tennessee, TN, and a B.A. Journalism from Clark Atlanta University, GA. Her scholarly interests involve critical race theory in library & information sciences, diversity in librarianship.