Anamary Levasseur

Digital Video Production and Drawing Foundations teacher Anamary Levasseur is a multimedia artist and fluent German speaker. She lives with her husband and two kids: a five year old who’s just starting to draw digits on hands and a two year old who’s starting to scribble. She loves exploring human relationships through art and sees art as a therapeutic practice.

Where are you coming from? Where were you before the high school?

I graduated several years ago from MassArt, but then I had the opportunity to move to Germany for my husband’s work. It was supposed to be one year, but it ended up being seven so I’ve been subbing at the Berlin Brandenburg International School for the last six years.

What kind of art do you like to make?

I’m a mixed media artist so, for me, the media tends to depend on what I’m making and why I’m making it. I use a lot of fibers. I’m a very tactile artist: I like to feel what I’m making. A lot of book making. I love paper making, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I’ve also loved working on looms, but also drawing, photography, and I’ve done some stuff with sound; it just depends on what the project is.

What originally got you interested in art?

I decided to be an art teacher when I was in 8th grade. The art room was always just a place where everyone was accepted and safe and everything was okay, so I’ve always wanted to give that back to other people.

Are there any particular pieces of art or artists that inspire you?

I’m a huge fan of Sophie Calle. The piece that introduced me to her was “The Shadow. She also did a really wonderful piece with the Gardner Museum here in Boston. I also appreciate Dora Salcedo. She does a lot of work centering around people who have [settled] in other countries, mostly in Latin America. She’s very special. And Vincant Van Gogh, “The Starry Night” was one of the reasons I became an artist.

Could you tell us more about the kind of art you like to make?

I have this one piece that’s kind of ongoing where I ask someone to finish the sentence “I want blank, I need blank”. So, they think about what those words mean to them and then they respond. Then, I photograph them with their sentences and then when the piece is installed, it comes with a book so that people who are looking at the piece can also interact with it. Everyone is important, everyone matters; that’s a lot of what my work is about.