I create spaces where playfulness can be witnessed, endured, and shared.
I give mundane moments a poetic second life.
I pay close attention to people — their gestures, their longings, the small kindnesses that build a life.
Through imagined moments and intimate symbols, I invite viewers to recognize their own importance in this world.
My work collects hope, stitches it into memory, and offers it back.
I believe in building community from the people I meet, one quiet connection at a time.
I listen carefully — to what is said, and what is almost said.
McDermott entangles the practice of life and making art, determined to ask people for their attention in the process. Materials like bathroom paper towels, letter blocks, spaghetti, and hand-drawn cards are familiar in Mcdermott’s practice. Where would we find this artist outside of the Kansas City Art Institute? Perhaps the artist is skateboarding, clocked in to make lawn mower seats, or changing a table saw blade. Perhaps the artist is gone and we’re left with this dialogue between a reader and letters that the artist once arranged.