Marc Manke's Projects

MFA Student

Major: Sculpture

Graduation Year: 2019

Artist Statement:

I find pride in a country upbringing, the sacrifices and hardships of family-farm based agriculture, and the simplicity of idyllic narratives. I also take great pride in my gay male identity and celebrate my queer communities. But rurality and queerness are seen as incompatible in our current cultural narratives. From that space of perceived dissonance, I make 3-dimensional and wall based objects that question the authority of the urban constructions of rural queer identities and narratives, educate an urban audience on country realities to create empathy, attempt to make sense of the forces that shape my identity and the world around me, and represent a gay male identity in flux. That is my ultimate goal as an artist - to broch that layer of misunderstanding, misrepresentation, or dissonance and connect my viewers to one another.
Sewing is an integral part of my practice due to its ability to mix material, incorporate objects into forms, and bridge flat and voluminous space and surface design. Patching together masculine, queer, agrarian, rural, spiritual, racial, socio economic, and geographical influences, I quilt, sew, design, and assemble disparate materials and readymade objects into garments that mimic the patchwork identities and communicate about the intersection of conflicting and synergistic personal, familial, communal, and regional identities. Using textile design and sculptural forms, Manke explores the myriad factors shaping the identities of rural gay men and the communities they live in contrast to our established notions of queerness and rurality. In his most recent works, ​Carhartt Queer ​and ​PrEPpare​ Manke uses camouflage textile designs, male garments, and commercial presentation strategies to address issues ranging from passing in hypermasculinized (and sometimes hostile) country communities, gay dating and friendship, healthcare access, and HIV prevention in rural America.

Biography:

Marc Manke (b. 1988) is an artist, designer, and educator based in his hometown of West Salem, WI. Born on a 3rd generation dairy farm, Manke draws deep pride from his rural roots, small town communities, and family traditions. As an out gay man, Manke tries to reconcile the competing cultural and historic forces affecting not only his day-to-day life but the experiences and identities of many rural queers. Using textile design and sculptural forms, Manke explores the myriad factors shaping the identities of rural gay men and the communities they live in. In his most recent work, Manke uses camouflage textile designs, male garments, and commercial presentation strategies to address issues ranging from passing in hyper masculinized (and sometimes hostile) country communities, gay dating and friendship, healthcare access, and HIV prevention in rural America.


Manke currently maintains a studio and design practice and teaches as Associate Lecturer of 3-D Foundations at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.