Irons in the fire: Michigan woman finds beauty in a simple household chore

Meet Susan Mulder, a Michigan woman who has taken a fairly run-of-the-mill activity to new artistic heights.
Tell us a little about yourself - where you grew up, education, family and experience as an artist.
I was raised in a military family and married a military man so shallow roots were the norm. I have lived all over and since I married a Michigan man, once he left the service, he wanted to settle down here. We’ve been here twelve years now-the longest I have ever lived in one place. I have four amazing kids (three of my own and a beautiful daughter-in-law) who have all outgrown me. I completed my MFA at Kendall College of Art and Design in 2009 and the Ironing Board Project was first performed there just before I graduated. 


I consider myself a mixed media artist, mostly because I have a hard time limiting myself to one thing. When I get an idea I like to use a medium that will express it the most effectively and that might mean photography, sculpture, paint or even performance. Some ideas don’t translate well into a single medium and I would rather be challenged to give life to a good idea in the best way possible rather than let it pass.


Where did the idea for The Ironing Board Project come from?
A seed for the project was planted way back in 2006-I jotted down the idea one day while working on the computer and it was one of those ideas that never went away. I have always had an interest in stories and history, especially those stories that come out spontaneously and give you a glimpse into a person. I also love the idea of women gathering around a quilt and sharing their lives, sharing an intimate community is an ideal that is diminishing-and something I have never experienced firsthand in that way. Having a daughter of my own I have often wished for that sort of community for her-a community of strong women that is supporting, encouraging and complicit together. There is much to be learned from the lives of ordinary (the non-famous) women. Once you hear their stories you realize they are extraordinary-ordinary doesn’t mean anything anymore.

Ironing seems like such a mundane task, why do you think you've found art and beauty in it?
The funny thing is that I don’t enjoy ironing! However, I discovered that when I would iron linens I picked up for my collection that I responded differently. I would become conscious of the sense of history, of a past, and would often imagine the women who had ironed these same pieces before me. I guess you could say I would see a story in the linens. I also recognized the care that I took when ironing them-it was mindful, purposeful and meant to preserve the linens-different from the task of regular household ironing-which is a chore for me. There is also a sense of connectedness, a timelessness, this same task has been done for generations and still continues.

The Ironing Board Project is performance art - tell us about the performance aspect.
The piece is performed on two ironing boards with a clothesline suspended around them, creating an enclosure once the linens have all been placed. For twenty letters, two performers (one younger and one older) are used and the performance takes approximately 25 minutes. I use all vintage, used items such as functional old electric irons, antique and vintage ironing boards, linens and pegs (or clothes pins). The linens have had the letters transferred onto them through a printmaking process and have been placed around the performance space faced down and appear to have been tossed or discarded on the ground. The performance begins with the younger performer picking up a letter and casually beginning to iron-giving no particular care to what they are doing. The letter is taken from the first performer and treated with special care by the second. While this is happening, the younger returns to the discarded letters and picks another to begin the process again. When the older performer is finished they lift the linen for the younger to take and hang on the clothesline. While they are doing this they take the younger’s letter and begin ironing that one. Then younger picks up another and the process is repeated until all letters have been ironed and suspended-hiding the performers from view. This format can change depending on the location but the process is still the same.

Your first IBP performance was in March of 2009. What was that experience like, and how did the audience react?
Having never done something like this before I didn’t know what to expect and I certainly didn’t expect the response I received! It was held in a relatively small space and was by invitation only (I was having the performance photographed and videotaped in a studio). There was a good response to the invites and there were a few who had asked permission to attend. I assumed that people would surround the piece and interact as the letters were displayed. Instead, viewers grouped like an audience-some even taking their shoes off! It was incredibly quiet and when a wooden pin or two was inadvertently dropped it was obvious. After all the linens were ironed and suspended no one moved! I went to address the viewers and could see there was a lot of emotion in some of the faces. I spoke briefly and invited everyone to interact with the piece and women came up and embraced me, with tears, and thanked me-which was humbling. There were a few men in attendance and one commented on the ‘sacredness’ of the experience-others mentioned this as well, mentioning they removed their shoes for this reason.


Performing the piece was moving for me as well. Once the rhythm was established the entire process became very meditative. I felt a great deal of responsibility to do honor to these women’s words and each movement became significant. Sprinkling the fabrics became more than just a necessity to smooth the linen-it became a form of anointing or blessing. I felt a deep sense of gratitude for each of these women and was expressing this internally as I worked throughout the performance. My daughter was the other performer and sharing this process with her elevated the sense of meaning on a personal level. The photography from the session is included in The Ironing Board Project book which contains the original 20 letters, images of the performance and an invitation to participate. You can preview the book here.

Why did you decide to participate in ArtPrize, and how are you preparing for it?
ArtPrize is great opportunity for artists to gain exposure, meet other artists and be part of something exciting. I am use to preparing for a single performance but for ArtPrize I will be doing a series of performances and, perhaps, offering an on-site submission event. The Ironing Board Project will be located at the Grand Rapids Civic Theater, which is right downtown and a great location and I am looking forward to partnering with them for the event. I am currently soliciting new letters and doing some fundraising to cover the expenses associated with such a large scale event.


As I've read about IBP, it seems as though you don't have an end visualized for this project. Do you see it going on well into the future?
Originally, I had hoped to see the project reach 100 letters culminating with a larger performance with a number of women participating. I would still like to see this happen but am less rigid about the final numbers. I am going to let it evolve naturally and see what happens. I am already planning the next edition of the book and have other ideas for more specific letter gathering.


How can our readers learn more or participate?
>Readers can visit theibp.wordpress.com> for submission information and to follow updates. They can also email me at ironingboardproject@gmail.com with questions. If someone would like to participate but does not wish to submit a letter, I also accept donations of materials for use during the performances as the linens, especially the older ones, do wear out and need to be replaced from time to time. Irons, pegs/pins, ironing boards and monetary donations are accepted as well. Monetary donations go directly to marketing materials such as brochures, postcards, books and the purchase of linens and other supplies if needed.


Editor's Note: Susan has also started a fund-raising campaign for her work. To support this Michigan woman artist, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theIBP/full-steam-ahead-with-the-ironing-board-project