Artist Statement
I would like to give people a space to witness or endure playfulness.
I would like to give mundane moments a poetic chance.
I would like to pay attention to people.
I want you to identify the positive about yourself.
I want to flatter my viewer –
with imagined moments
with the opportunity to engage
with the importance of their role in this life.
I want to build a community of the people I meet.
I want to collect hope and share it.
I want to listen to others.
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.