MARGARET COGSWELL
Biography
A New York resident, Cogswell’s awards include: Guggenheim Fellowship (2009); Pollock-Krasner Foundation (2017, 1987, 1991); New York Foundation for the Arts (2007, 1993). RIVER FUGUES projects have been commissioned by museums and art centers nationally and internationally. Recent projects include: Ashokan Fugues (CUE Art Foundation, NYC. Solo-2014; Kleinert/James Art Center, Woodstock, NY. Solo- 2016; Columbus State U, GA. Solo -2018; East Stroudsburg U, PA. Solo -2019) and Croton Fugues (Mid-Manhattan Library, NYC. Solo-2017). Other River Fugues exhibitions include: Water Soundings (Zendai Zhujiajiao Art Museum, China. Solo-2014); Wyoming River Fugues (Art Museum, U of Wyo. Solo-2012); Mississippi River Fugues (Art Museum, U of Memphis. Solo-2008); Hudson River Fugues (Tang Museum, NY. Group-2009/10); River Fugues (BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium; Monaco Ministry of Culture & Chicago Field Museum. Traveling group exhibition: Melting Ice/Hot Topic.2007-09); Buffalo Fugues (Hallwalls, Buffalo,NY. Solo-2006); Cuyahoga Fugues (SPACES, Cleveland, OH. Solo-2012 & 2002).
http://www.margaretcogswell.net
Project Description
Karasu to Issyoni Kaerimasyo (Let's Return Home with the Crows)
The sun is burning into evening,
The mountain’s temple bell is ringing.
As the crows are crying now,
Let’s hold each other’s hands
And go home together with the crows.
(translated from Yuyake Koyake - Japanese children’s song)
Born in the United States, I grew up in Japan from age 1½ to 13. Last year, soon after returning from an artist residency along the coast of Maine, I received an invitation to exhibit in 2024 at Nokogirini, an old textile factory in Ichinomiya—a suburb of Nagoya where I lived for 5 years. Although there is no funding for this project, because of my background in Japan, and 25 years of creating River Fugues projects exploring the life of rivers, this project holds great significance for me.
In Maine, I purchased an old fishing net and used it to make ink rubbings on paper. Inspired by underwater sea images captured with my Go-Pro camera, I painted and drew into these rubbings. This process led me to ponder how I used fishing nets to capture images instead of fish, and subsequently ponder the role of photographic images in our attempts to retrieve memories within the net-like spaces of our minds. The old Nokogirini factory, left intact without renovation, is filled with memories of its former life. Considering how to create a site-specific installation within that space, I decided to “weave” my own memories together into the space, using the fishing net as a symbolic vehicle.
Nokogirini is located along the Kiso River. In Japan’s late summer months, there is the Festival of Lanterns during which lanterns are floated down rivers to light the way for spirits of the dead to return for a visit. Overlapping with this festival, my Nokogirini river of fishing nets, cascading over wire-frame structures, will “float” origami boats created in workshops by people in the community. Made of old newspapers and Xerox-copy images of family who are already memories, each boat will carry a small battery-powered candle to guide their spirits back.
The walls and ceilings of the raw factory space will be covered with textiles used like swaths of paint to create the sunset sky at dusk. Paintings of crows in flight will be suspended from the ceiling in nets and baskets. A stark black shadow image of myself, casting with a bamboo fishing pole, will stretch out across one wall—its fishing line dangling an image of a 4-year-old me with one of my Japanese kindergarten friends, swinging together out over the river of fishing nets.
A grant from Tree of Life would enable me to realize this important project, providing necessary funding for materials, international travel, food, lodging, and installation assistance. Once realized, there is discussion of this project traveling to Shikoku where I lived as a young child. Several curators there are interested in finding a venue to present a regionally layered version. At 76, this is a “bucket-list” project—going home.
Biography
A New York resident, Cogswell’s awards include: Guggenheim Fellowship (2009); Pollock-Krasner Foundation (2017, 1987, 1991); New York Foundation for the Arts (2007, 1993). RIVER FUGUES projects have been commissioned by museums and art centers nationally and internationally. Recent projects include: Ashokan Fugues (CUE Art Foundation, NYC. Solo-2014; Kleinert/James Art Center, Woodstock, NY. Solo- 2016; Columbus State U, GA. Solo -2018; East Stroudsburg U, PA. Solo -2019) and Croton Fugues (Mid-Manhattan Library, NYC. Solo-2017). Other River Fugues exhibitions include: Water Soundings (Zendai Zhujiajiao Art Museum, China. Solo-2014); Wyoming River Fugues (Art Museum, U of Wyo. Solo-2012); Mississippi River Fugues (Art Museum, U of Memphis. Solo-2008); Hudson River Fugues (Tang Museum, NY. Group-2009/10); River Fugues (BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium; Monaco Ministry of Culture & Chicago Field Museum. Traveling group exhibition: Melting Ice/Hot Topic.2007-09); Buffalo Fugues (Hallwalls, Buffalo,NY. Solo-2006); Cuyahoga Fugues (SPACES, Cleveland, OH. Solo-2012 & 2002).
http://www.margaretcogswell.net
Project Description
Karasu to Issyoni Kaerimasyo (Let's Return Home with the Crows)
The sun is burning into evening,
The mountain’s temple bell is ringing.
As the crows are crying now,
Let’s hold each other’s hands
And go home together with the crows.
(translated from Yuyake Koyake - Japanese children’s song)
Born in the United States, I grew up in Japan from age 1½ to 13. Last year, soon after returning from an artist residency along the coast of Maine, I received an invitation to exhibit in 2024 at Nokogirini, an old textile factory in Ichinomiya—a suburb of Nagoya where I lived for 5 years. Although there is no funding for this project, because of my background in Japan, and 25 years of creating River Fugues projects exploring the life of rivers, this project holds great significance for me.
In Maine, I purchased an old fishing net and used it to make ink rubbings on paper. Inspired by underwater sea images captured with my Go-Pro camera, I painted and drew into these rubbings. This process led me to ponder how I used fishing nets to capture images instead of fish, and subsequently ponder the role of photographic images in our attempts to retrieve memories within the net-like spaces of our minds. The old Nokogirini factory, left intact without renovation, is filled with memories of its former life. Considering how to create a site-specific installation within that space, I decided to “weave” my own memories together into the space, using the fishing net as a symbolic vehicle.
Nokogirini is located along the Kiso River. In Japan’s late summer months, there is the Festival of Lanterns during which lanterns are floated down rivers to light the way for spirits of the dead to return for a visit. Overlapping with this festival, my Nokogirini river of fishing nets, cascading over wire-frame structures, will “float” origami boats created in workshops by people in the community. Made of old newspapers and Xerox-copy images of family who are already memories, each boat will carry a small battery-powered candle to guide their spirits back.
The walls and ceilings of the raw factory space will be covered with textiles used like swaths of paint to create the sunset sky at dusk. Paintings of crows in flight will be suspended from the ceiling in nets and baskets. A stark black shadow image of myself, casting with a bamboo fishing pole, will stretch out across one wall—its fishing line dangling an image of a 4-year-old me with one of my Japanese kindergarten friends, swinging together out over the river of fishing nets.
A grant from Tree of Life would enable me to realize this important project, providing necessary funding for materials, international travel, food, lodging, and installation assistance. Once realized, there is discussion of this project traveling to Shikoku where I lived as a young child. Several curators there are interested in finding a venue to present a regionally layered version. At 76, this is a “bucket-list” project—going home.