Artist Statement (Read time 2 Minutes)
Madeline LeBlanc's artwork serves as a commentary on accessibility within the art world. She conveys the significance of arts affordability and access, whilst examining the representation of those who are typically excluded from the art world. Against this backdrop, LeBlanc employs a strategy to dissolve the mystique often associated with artists by creating works that are straightforward for viewers to comprehend, utilizing bold, whimsical visuals that promote a sense of playfulness. Costume design and interactive art are just two of the creative approaches that LeBlanc utilizes to engage both the art creator and the broader community in the art-making process. The aim of such methods is to democratize the art world, allowing those who lack access to participate in it fully.
LeBlanc's democratizing approach to art seeks to broaden accessibility and appeal to individuals who may not typically encounter the art world. Often using readily available household materials such as bedsheets, curtains, and tablecloths alongside mediums such as Crayola wax crayons and graphite, she constructs her work with a DIY, low-cost ethos. Through this method, LeBlanc ultimately aims to empower and uplift those who may not possess the necessary tools or resources to pursue art creation.
The artist's work is aligned with goals established by the feminist art movement. LeBlanc aims to challenge traditional gender expectations and representations of women in the art world. She subverts the conventions of conventional textile art, typically associated with craft and household activities such as sewing, using bedsheets instead of fabric. Instead of using sewing for textile art, LeBlanc creates abstract expressionist designs on the bedsheets, a genre typically dominated by men.
LeBlanc draws parallels between the female domestic occupation and upending traditional representations of abstract expressionism, challenging gender norms. By using household materials, often coded feminine, as the medium for her work, LeBlanc purposely exposes the imbalances existent within the art world both within gender and socioeconomic class.
Ultimately, LeBlanc's intent is to empower and uplift those who do not have ample tools or resources to realize their creative potential.