Following the Art

Lindsay Mammone first explored her abilities to articulate layered concepts – as well as physical layers of media – while earning her bachelor of fine arts in printmaking from Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. After graduating she didn’t feel she was finished searching for new and different media through which to express her art and began exploring photography and performance art. That’s what led Mammone to find the University of Idaho’s master of fine arts in Art graduate program. 

“I didn’t want to check a box and declare a focus when the art is the focus for me,” said Mammone.

Mammone first enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program in 2015 with a focus in art. The unique structure of Idaho’s MFA program allowed Mammone to expand her interests in layered media, and she quickly moved toward video and performance arts. Through her research in performance art, her art began to take on a new direction.

“I began studying my performative boundaries in theatre,” Mammone said. “And before I knew it, I was falling in love with this research.”

Mammone found she was driven by the idea of using the human body as another medium to facilitate her artistic expression, and decided to pursue a second master of fine arts degree in Theatre Arts.

“If I tried to use my body as a tool to facilitate the art and didn’t know the limits of my voice or physical being, I thought that would be irresponsible,” Mammone said.

From Moscow to Moscow

With her first graduate degree completed in spring 2017, Mammone will be spending her summer studying at the Moscow Art Theatre in Moscow, Russia, while conducting research for her second MFA in theatre arts. The Moscow Art Theatre was founded in 1898 and has proved influential not only in the development of modern American theatre and drama, but also the global acting community. 

Attending the Moscow Art Theatre will keep Mammone busy with classes running six days a week, but it’s exactly what she’s looking for. 

“I attack art full-throttle,” Mammone said while sitting in the airport terminal awaiting the over 5,000-mile journey to Russia’s capital city. “This program appeals to me for that reason.” 

When all is said and done, Mammone’s initial desire to find the strongest methods by which to showcase an artistic concept will have taken her from Moscow, Idaho, to Moscow, Russia, and back again. Her dedication to constantly exploring the bounds of her artistic expression, which has continuously led her to new and exciting places, is born out of a personal philosophy she holds dear.

“I follow the art,” Mammone said.

Mammone will graduate with her MFA in theatre arts in spring 2018. She plans to continue her research after graduation with the hopes of exploring the possibility of working in professionally, particularly in experimental theatre.

— Article by Sean Scoggin, College of Graduate Studies