Martha Enzmann (above) with Trish Anderson Poppy, Lacoste, France)
Wildflower Suit, (above right) with Minnesota wildflowers at Voyageurs National Park, Rainy River, Minnesota
River Rock Suit (below right), Todd, NC
Clouds Over River dress (below), Rainy River, International Falls, MN, Ft. Francis, ONT. across the river
Photos by Martha Enzmann
"Beauty is essential."
Martha Enzmann
Martha Enzmann's pursuits include painting, sculpture, photography, performance, video, fabric and clothing design, writing, stained glass window design, environmental and community work. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she was honored as Alumna of the Year in 1999. Her work is included in many collections throughout the United States and she has done work in Germany and France. She creates out of her studios in Todd, North Carolina and International Falls, Minnesota.
Education:
1989, M.F.A., Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
1983, B.F.A., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Corporate and Community Engagement:
Ongoing
Owner, MgE Gallery, featuring local artists’ work, Todd, NC.
Community activist/preservationist, working to convert land, buildings and community to fuller integrity.
2000 - present
Artist/collections curator/archivist, Blackurns’ Chapel United Methodist Church, Todd, NC
1996-2016
Co-founder and artistic director, Elkland School Art Center, a non-profit community art organization with four focus areas: workshops/exhibitions, community parades, puppet shows and documentary video. Todd, NC.
2000-2017
Co-founder, CFO, president, Elkland Handwerke, Inc., a for-profit corporation producing local handmade furniture, architectural features, household items, rug designs, sculpture, fiber items, installations and paintings, as well as design and materials consultations.
2011-2016
Co-founder, Blackburn House, an intentional community, and President of board, Blackburn Community Outreach, a faith-rooted community development organization committed to the vitality of Todd, NC and associated with Blackburns’ Chapel United Methodist Church, Todd, NC.
Selected Multi-Media Projects:
2021
On Rock, a trompe l’oeil floor painting for an old cabin on Rainy Lake, MN, summer 2021.
2019
Walleye Windsocks, 6 giant painted Tyvek windsocks for a boat parade (grand prize winner),Rainy Lake, MN, July 4, 2019.
Ruby Dragon, with Karen McVay Butch, a red dragon for 5 people accompanied by 8 lanterns and lantern bearers commissioned for SCAD’s 40th Anniversary.
2018-present
Immersive art installations (painted river hallway, forest curtain, wall murals, 3-D animals, etc.), Elkland School, Todd, NC.
2016
La Grand Parade at SCAD Lacoste, with Karen McVay Butch, assisting artist Sam Lasseter in the creation of a parade, commissioned by the Savannah College of Art and Design for their campus in Lacoste, France. Summer, 2016.
2015
Design, presentation, group engagement and construction oversight of 11 stained glass windows, Blackburns’ Chapel United Methodist Church, Todd, NC, 2014-2015.
2006-2013
Founder and artistic director of the annual 4th of July Liberty Parade, Todd, NC, 2006 – 2013.
Director, “The Land Sustains Us, A Todd Story”, a documentary film about land use in Todd, NC. 2008 – 2012
2011
Flowers for LaCoste, an installation of giant artificial flowers for LaCoste campus, Savannah College of Art and Design, LaCoste, France. November, 2011.
2010
Jailhouse Lanterns, with Karen McVay Butch, installation in an old jailhouse of gigantic lanterns for Design Week, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA. May, 2010
2009
30 Pearls, with Karen McVay Butch, a performance of 30 pearl-like figures, commissioned by SCAD for their 30th Anniversary.
2004
Two parades and two exhibits commissioned by Savannah College of Art and Design, a collaboration with Karen McVay Butch to create and coordinate a parade for 86 people at the Place Pompideau, Paris, France and a parade during a theater festival in Avignon, France. Accompanied by two “Parade” exhibits by Karen McVay Butch and Martha Enzmann, at the Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, and at the SCAD campus, Lacoste, France.. July 2004.
Selected Commissions:
Flowers for LaCoste, an outdoor installation of 65 metal and vinyl pieces for the Savannah College of Art and Design campus in LaCoste,France, 2010-2011
Two installations for Savannah College of Art and Design Hong Kong campus, 2011 (fabric hangings) and2017 (lanterns)
Martha Enzmann for New River Artisans, design for a line of nature-based rugs, Piney Creek, NC
Area rugs and paintings for Camp Cascade, Linville, NC, 1999-2001
Two monumental marble, granite and serpentine sculptures for Philip and Muriel Berman, Allentown, PA
Dancers, a two component floating sculpture for pond, Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Mt. Vernon, IL
Stacked stone vessel sculpture, Mitchell Museum, Mt. Vernon, IL
Awards:
Regional Artist Project Grant, NC, 2013
Al Smith Fellowship, Kentucky Arts Council, 1993
Kentucky Arts Council Artists Assistance Grant, 1992
Honors:
Phi Beta Kappa, Alumna of the Year, Savannah College of Art and Design, 1998
Selected Publications:
Let the Parade Begin, Elkland Art Center Liberty Parade, High Country Magazine, July 2014
Creating a Community Parade, Martha Enzmann with Judi Jetson, published by Handmade in America, 2013.
Visiter Rivee Le Savannah College, pp. 3-6, Elle Magazine (French version), February-March 2013
Masked Appeal, Martha Enzmann evokes awe through fanciful puppets and parades, WNC magazine, May 2012 (http://wncmagazine.com/feature/artist_profile/masked_appeal)
Back to School in Todd, pp. 3-5, special bonus section for NC readers featuring Martha Enzmann’s and Tom Sternal’s conversion of an old school into an art center, Carolina Living: People & Places, Southern Living Magazine, January 2005
Parade, exhibition catalog for Parade, a Savannah College of Art and Design exhibit of works by Martha Enzmann, Karen McVay Butch and Karl Lagerfeld, Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, 2004
A Guide to the Sculpture Parks and Gardens of America, Jane McCarthy and Laurily K. Epstein, Michael Kesend Publishing, Ltd., New York, 1996 (Cover image)