Transits | James Macdonell

Artist Statement: James Macdonell (b. 1958, Lafayette, LA) graduated from Amherst College in January of 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. As part of the Five College Consortium, he was able to study photography under Jerome Liebling, Elaine May, and Bill Arnold at Hampshire College, and printmaking under Barry Sease at Mount Holyoke. In 1976, James began working a summer job on the island of Captiva, FL for noted artist Robert Rauschenberg. For James, this marked the beginning of a transformative period that reshaped his perception, worldview, and aesthetic vision. He observed, firsthand, Rauschenberg’s processes; the technical dynamics of producing large integrated structural paintings (“combines”). Through assemblage, James understood the symbolism, interpreted the values, and developed a sense of order for his work. Their friendship and creative dialogue spanned more than three decades until Rauschenberg's death in 2008. James is also an accomplished musician, and his love for music is honored in many of his works of art. Over the years, he has had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the 20th century's most noteworthy artists including, Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Paul Simon, Bryan Ferry, Robert Palmer, David Byrne, John Sayles, and Sesame Street to name a few.