Deo Gallery’s December Exhibit, “People, Secrets, and Snacks,” features a collaborative effort between Emily Lanctot and Pearl (Mildred) Painter. These eccentric and vibrant portraits bring raw emotion and personality into beautifully painted acrylics.

“While these portraits are different, they are similar in that they are imagined, collaborative, and speak to identity.”

– Emily Lanctot, Artist Statement

Emily Lanctot lives and works in Marquette, MI, where she is the Director and Curator of Northern Michigan University’s DeVos Art Museum and a Contingent Associate Professor at NMU’s School of Art and Design. She teaches classes that focus on art theory, methodology, and the social impact of Art & Design. As a member of the Michigan Museums Association board and the Marquette Public Art Commission, Lanctot collaborates on policies and projects that support the expansion of arts access. Lanctot earned a BFA in Drawing and Painting from Northern Michigan University and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Studio Arts from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Lanctot’s multimedia artwork examines identity, consumer culture, memory, archives, and collecting.

“People, Secrets, Snacks Portraiture is a regular part of my practice; it is something that I return to time and again. The type of portraiture that I typically concern myself with (in series like Wishlists or Portraits of People I Do Not Know) is conceptual – portraits constructed with things, objects, and lists.”

“All of the portraits in the exhibition celebrate people who identify as artists and art supporters. Pearl and I began the project by sharing a survey on social media; subjects filled out a survey agreeing to participate. To date, forty-two people have signed up to participate. We are slow painters and so what you see is what we have painted to date. We chose to work in paint because of its long history and transformative nature. Paint provides opportunities to converse with the past while simultaneously capturing the contemporary moment to share with the future. This project is ongoing.”