Martha is:
an instigator
an emprasario
midwife to birthing the creative, in community
deep-diving
SHORT VERSION:
Martha C. Shepp has been a student of the piano since age six, and along with it, visual art. And dance. And theater. And unnamed other expressive arts. She pursued art professionally, receiving BFA and MFA degrees, had numerous jobs in publishing and graphic design, and finally, teaching. Design and publishing work bled over to musical and dance collaborations/installations that included poetry, sensual elements, and live music—deeply philosophical in origin. She dives deep into esoteric music and audience-based experiences with her cello partner of 12+ years and they regularly perform every springtime around northern NM and southern CO.
LONGER VERSION:
As a musician, she is drawn to collaboration with genre-free artists such as longtime musical partner, cellist Mark Dudrow; violist and violinist Suzie Schwartz, and scientist/musician Andrea Gore. She works in the academic year as an accompanist/collaborative pianist in the music department at Adams State University in Alamosa, CO.
As a graphic designer and editor/writer, she has created magazines, exhibition catalogs, newspapers, and poetry books, as well as branding projects. She enjoys the problem-solving aspect of this kind of work, of listening to the need presented by clients, translating into visuals, and exceeding expectations for solutions—all with a good dose of surprise and invention!
As a fine artist, she draws and paints but loves most to write, direct, and produce shows that incorporate moving image, poetry, dance, visuals, and music, and has been a lively collaborator with creators from all these disciplines in her many years on the job as a communicator.
EDUCATION:
Masters in Studio Art/Graphic Design from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 2007
Bachelors of Fine Art from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1980. Training with the NGO, the Institute of Cultural Affairs, in her teenage years awakened her to the need of methods for building and nurturing community spaces—both internal and external.
EMPLOYED AS TEACHER:
University of Tennessee-Knoxville, New Hampton School (New Hampshire), UNM-Taos, and Adams State University (CO).
She sees her role as as an educator as facilitating the unfolding of her beautiful students’ mysterious pathways to themselves while engendering the powerful idea that there are no mistakes in education, only growth and enjoyment-based learning.
LINKS:
https://fineartamerica.com/art/martha+shepp
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWFV0VgzfGx27P6UnpPH8Tw/videos?
https://www.newhamptonhistory.org/main-street-walking-tour
https://www.taosnews.com/tempo/a-concert-addresses-collective-grief/article_3adc1822-ce50-5d54-a8c1-441c716ce1a0.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpBkKxlzvyk
https://questanews.com/author/martha-shepp/
https://www.facebook.com/societyhall/videos/1431181387340755