Jeremie Riggleman, MFA ’15
Residence: Pasadena, California
Profession: University recreation director
Medium: Cast plastics and bronze, photography
Artist’s Transformation: It was a bold step from controlled photography set-ups to creating sculptures cast in plastic or bronze, but Jeremie D. Riggleman took that leap with the encouragement of his MFA mentors. “I love photography, so stepping outside of that practice seemed outlandish, at first, but it really became a natural progression of my work,” he explained. “I was already photographing lawn art, so why not start making my own objects?” With professors speaking into his creative process, Riggleman started to move away from a neat and tidy photographic style. “This work has been more unpredictable, and you don’t always know exactly how it’s going to turn out,” he said. Through his creations, Riggleman explores the connection between kitsch objects and photographs, which he notes are both used to hold on to something that’s lost or forgotten. “They can serve nostalgic purposes, and I’m also looking at the ideas of longing and belonging—the creatures I make and situations I photograph are stand-ins to examine those experiences.”
