While no discrete moment marks its outset, I’ve been engaged in the arts for almost as long as I can remember; whether utilizing photography, computers, video, drawing, or traditional sculpting techniques. My practice is driven by the desire to explore the myriad edges we use to define and demarcate our world–from our ethical and aesthetic boundaries to the geography of maps. I enjoy investigating the ways we designate and divide beauty from ugliness, right from wrong, truth from fiction, dangerous from safe, and even here from there by borders that seem clear but are often more deliciously ambiguous.
Tracy Wascom earned her BFA in Art from the University of Louisiana Lafayette and MFA in Photography from Syracuse University. Currently an Associate Professor of Foundations & Art History in the School of Art & Design at Northern Michigan University, she works to foster educational experiences that enable thoughtful questioning and reflection, including institution-wide initiatives, such as NMU’s Diversity Common Reader and the Great Lakes Indigenous Arts, Education and Healing Project. She has served on the Marquette Public Art Commission since its inception and is currently the Chair.