Megan Baarda is in search for the connection between art and spectators
“During my course I developed myself so much. Not only in techniques and skills, but also as a human being. I really got to know all the sides of myself, because I tend to do too much at once. I was president of a festival, worked at ArtEZ and wanted to do that all together. I learned to set boundaries and to focus on what I want to do”, tells Megan. She got overworked 2,5 years ago and talked a lot about it with her mentor and lecturers, especially about how to set boundaries. Now, her course takes five years instead of four.
“There is a lot of space to develop myself, that’s what makes this course so great. Every route is different, it’s really customized. If I didn’t have so much space, I would have never developed myself the way I did. When you trust yourself and keep focused on what you want to say, you will make it. Just be who you are.”
Inspiration for final work
Megans work is significantly influenced by the period in which she got overworked. “At the beginning of the course I made a lot of videos and audio fragments that were related to quietness, balance, and simplicity. Often it was the Frisian landscape, I grew up there. It was like a sublime experience for me. That’s all I needed. Until something snapped inside me and now my work is so much more personal”, she says.
Since the first year of the course Megan makes installations of different media. Videos, but also audio and written texts. “I love to go to museums to get inspiration. That’s why I have a lot of information in my head about different artists and styles. For my own work, I dig into that information. Of course, during the course there is also a lot of skills and knowledge that you get to know, but still, it’s your own process. Your lecturers can give you all the possible opportunities, but you have to choose for yourself”, she says. “When you’re graduated, you’ll have to do without your teachers, so follow your own heart.”
“The work that I’ll show during the Finals consists of two parts: ‘Gevoelsgezichten’ and ‘Gevoelsgezichten II’. The first part is a series of three videographic self-portraits that show the emotions that I didn’t like to show often. Loneliness, mourning and sadness. All these videos have this vague glow, so you don’t see directly that it’s me. It’s the suggestion of a person. Who it is, doesn’t matter. It’s about the emotions that you experience. I’m inviting the spectator to think about it”, Megan states.
Megan Baarda, Gevoelsgezichten, 2023. Installatie bestaande uit drie video’s. Foto: Nico van Maanen.
“The second part is clearer, it’s more direct. An intriguing self-portrait that mirrors my own feelings. It’s a one-on-one dialogue between the spectator and me. Art is very helpful in creating more openness and showing vulnerability. Al these expectations in our society, I want to tear the idea apart that we have to live up to all the things we must do”, she says.
Focus on creating
For Megan the connection between spectator and art is of great value. You’ll see that in her finals-work but also in her job. “I always knew that I wanted to work in the fine arts-world, even in high school, that why I chose this course. I even did the preparatory programme, also to show my parents that I really wanted to do this and that I was good at it.
In the course of Fine Art and Design Education the focus is really on making art, that’s what I like about it. When you want to teach fine arts, you also must know what the process of making is about. I’m not only a creator or a lecturer, but I’m more a connector. I work as an education officer at Museum de Fundatie in Zwolle, here both worlds come together for me. During my process, I discovered that this is my world. I really would like to stay in this museum world and try to connect the spectators with art. That’s what I like and that’s when you learn about yourself and the others.”
