Jody Servon | Creative Connecting

Jody Servon doesn’t go into the studio by herself to create works of her own imaginings. Her art is woven by the people she meets, connecting within clever scenarios that spur insight and humor. An associate professor at Appalachian State, she tells us about one project which she’s conducted 12 times at different locations in the country. How does it work? She sets up a spot with a sign proclaiming “Dreams for Free.”

Passers-by learn that Jody will give them a lottery ticket if they simply write down what they would do with the lottery winnings should they get lucky. The project, which ultimately involved 600 people, is all about how to give people hope, to give someone pause — to do something that will interrupt their everyday. It’s a powerful message about connecting with people, being genuine with strangers, and getting people to dream beyond the moment.

About Jody

Jody’s art projects include installations, drawings, photographs, sculptures, video and social experiments. Her work has appeared in exhibitions, screenings, and as public projects in the US, Canada, and China. She participated in residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Atlantic Center for the Arts, the Contemporary Artists Center, and Super G Experiential Residency, and was a conceptual artist in residence for the Town of Clayton in North Carolina in 2012. She has received multiple awards which include two fellowships from the North Carolina Arts Council. Articles and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, Sun Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post, The Miami Herald, Arizona Daily Star, and The Winston Salem Journal. Servon’s work was featured in New American Paintings Issue 70, Artful Dodge Issue 50/51. Selections from her project entitled “Saved” appeared in Issue 74 of AGNI Magazine and the Winter/Spring 2014 edition of Lunch Ticket.

Jody received a MFA in New Genre from The University of Arizona and a BFA in Visual Art from Rutgers University in New Jersey. An associate professor and director of the Catherine J. Smith Gallery at Appalachian State University, she curates exhibitions focused on contemporary art. She was formerly curator at the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art in Florida. She currently lives and works in North Carolina.