Episode
Doing Public Art His Own Way: Aaron T Stephan
- Podcast
- The Installation Art Podcast
- Published
- Jun 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3847
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
I made a 3-minute listener survey to help shape the podcast's future. Your feedback genuinely matters. Fill out here: https://forms.gle/qqHJrMXpsC9UYu2m7 Leave a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/installationartpodcast Aaron T Stephan is a sculptor and public artist who is so interested in process and materials, he builds and installs nearly every project himself. His permanent installations can be found all over the USA and he has also created numberous gallery installations and performative events. His work has been acquired by institutions like Portland Museum of Art, John Michael Kohler Arts Center and Farnsworth Art Museum. This conversation is candid, funny and full of hard-won insight. Aaron grew up on a self-sustaining hippie farm in rural Maine where self reliance, making and fixing things was expected. That relationship with objects, materials and technique has never left him and sits at the core of everything he makes. What we cover: • Proposing projects you have no idea how to execute and teaching yourself new fabrication techniques on the fly • Performative works where he builds structures around audiences mid-dinner or installs work as a live performance on-site • Navigating job sites where artists have essentially no power and the only leverage you have is that they want you to leave • What it actually takes to work at public scale and establishing a practice that lets you fail before you're locked in • Why the projects that nearly break you are always the best ones • Advice to artists who are intrigued by public art Aaron T Stephan lives and works in Portland, Maine. You can see his permanent installations across the US, for example Woven Lines at City of Altoona, IA, Paths Rising at Tampa International Airport, Point of View at Salt Palace Conve…