Profiles: Erin Paulson

Erin Paulson, Endless Hours not on the Pavement, 2018, fabric, bike, and skin, credit: © Erin Paulson, courtesy of the artist

Artist Erin Paulson (b. 1998) spoke to me about her life and aspirations. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Paulson knew she had an affinity for art as long as she could remember and was fortunate to have parents that exposed her to other cultural activities. Both parents are creatives. Her father is a violinist, and her mother, a sewing fanatic. She recalls watching her mother sew her costumes for her dance recitals, citing her dedication at the sewing machine as an influence for her current performance work.

At the age of 11, Paulson began playing with art, drawing portraits of different girls she yearned to be. She continued to nurture her craft throughout high school, often drawing alone for hours and spending her lunch period in an art classroom. Reassured by her teachers, Paulson continued to hone her draftsmanship skills.

Paulson joined the Kent Bellows Mentoring Program in 2015 as a junior in high school. Offered by the Joslyn Art Museum, the program supports the creativity of its students, and educates them on becoming professional artists. It is a memorial to Kent Bellows, a hyperrealist from Blair, Nebraska, who, along with the artists Ed Ruscha, Sheila Hicks, and Therman Statom, define Nebraska’s visual culture.

Erin Paulson, Dancing when no one can See Her Face, 2019, woodcut and screenprint on bed sheet, credit: © Erin Paulson, courtesy of the artist

There she felt a sense of relief from family life and adolescent troubles. Paulson says “[The program] encouraged me to process the things I was going through with art. I was given [a] space to create and feel safe. There were… adults in the program that really guided me through the issues I was dealing with.” The program allowed Erin to create a circle of students who were as serious about art as she was. One student in the program named Tom White eventually became her partner. Paulson and White, while distinct in their artistic practice, inspire one another to create the best artwork they can make.

Both Paulson and White are enrolled at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). There, Paulson is working towards earning a BFA with a focus in sculpture and in printmaking. A double focus has never been attempted at UNO, so Paulson and the art department are constructing the curriculum as she progresses through the program. Paulson will graduate in the fall of 2020.

UNO’s Art and Art History department has been supportive of Paulson. She points out David Helm, a professor of sculpture, as the most influential instructor in her artistic career. Paulson remarked that her conversations with Helm helped her transition to performance and process art. And while her recent work has been primarily focused on performance, she does not do performance exclusively. Paulson still draws, paints, dances, and sews depending on what she wants to create.

Erin Paulson, Distant Calls from an Open Wound (Big Hands), 2019, oil and charcoal on fabric, credit: © Erin Paulson, courtesy of the artist

Her performance work is choreographed like a ballet recital with specially designed costumes. After choosing a location and loosely determining what will occur, Paulson prepares her outfits by drafting plans and cutting fabric, later stitching it all together to create her masks and dresses. These ensembles are very simple since Paulson prefers clothes that hardly cover the body. The body and its exposed skin, she explains, is a material in itself. “It shouldn’t be covered by fabric. As a material it’s honest.” To Paulson, once the skin is covered, it loses its authenticity.

In the fall of 2017, Paulson applied to an unpaid artist-in-residence internship offered by the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. She received a rejection notification through email early on but was contacted months later. Artist-in-residence Christy Chan needed help organizing lunches for strangers as a social art project, and Paulson was chosen to facilitate them. Even though Paulson felt socially and conceptually uncomfortable with Chan’s vision, she now looks back and appreciates being forced to experience it.

Chan titled this six-month project “Everybody Eats Lunch.” It is currently being presented in a group show called “Print Public” at the Kala Art Institute in Berkley, California. The show features new work by 2018-2019 Print Public Residency artists at Kala. The show runs from May 30 to July 13, 2019. Paulson attended the opening reception.

Erin Paulson, Gale on an Evening in Spring, 2019, costume worn by Tom White, fabric, paint, and skin, credit: © Erin Paulson, courtesy of the artist

While still in California, Paulson had a chance to explore its famous redwoods. Unlike visiting a museum or gallery, hiking through nature restores her spiritual health, giving her the chance to think and to roam free. She described her hike though Oakland’s Redwood Regional Park in our conversation: “There was an especially beautiful moment where I was walking through the redwoods. In one step, I’d be in the cool of the trees. The next step, in the warmth of the sun. There was the smell of roasting pine everywhere. I’ve never been so inspired. I want to create environments so authentic that it gives people these feelings, which is why I like my performances to take place outside.”

Currently, Paulson has work in Gallery 1516’s 2019 Nebraska Artist Biennial, a juried exhibition open to all artists who have a connection to Nebraska. Gallery 1516 is dedicated to the celebration of Nebraska art and artists by providing a venue for the exhibition of works made by Nebraska and regional artists. Paulson’s work is an image still from a short film called “Pink is a Mother’s Hug.” In front of the framed image still is the mask she wore during her performance on a bust. 

Erin Paulson, Pink is a Mother's Hug, 2019, fabric, skin and paint, video length: 1:12 min, credit: © Erin Paulson, courtesy of the artist

The original video is only 1:12 minutes long and showcases her approach to the body as a medium. In the film, Paulson covered her head with a patchwork mask made of white and pastel blue fabric. She shows a tender and intimate view of her body with frequent close-ups of her bare flesh. Paulson’s soft humming can be heard in the background while the film progresses.

Erin Paulson has not yet decided on what she wants to do when she graduates with her BFA, but she knows she wants to live in a coastal area near a forest. She primarily wants to teach studio and lecture classes and spend the rest of her time making art and dancing. 

Erin Paulson, credit © Christy Chan, Erin Paulson, courtesy of the photographer and Paulson

Erin Paulson currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska.

Her Instagram handle is: @erin_m_paulson.