Welcome to the Bunker Questionnaire, a new series in which we ask Bunker Projects residents and exhibiting artists three questions from Marcel Proust’s famous Proust Questionnaire, a survey that purported to reveal a person’s true nature. We hope their answers and the accompanying photos allow you to get to know them and their work a little bit more.
Madison Manning (she/they) is an artist-scholar, educator and lesbian. Their research focuses on the intersection of lesbian and femme style practices as visual language, queer craft materiality and queer joy. In the studio, Manning creates adornment for both body and building, utilizing fibers, vintage textiles and rhinestoned witch fingers. Their work has been shown at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, CICA Museum in Gimpo, South Korea and throughout the United States. She has been a resident writer at Penland School of Craft, and Arts, Letters & Numbers in Averill Park, NY. (She was also a Bunker Projects resident in 2023.) Her work on camp as pedagogical practice has been published in Visual Arts Research and presented at the College Art Association, Southeastern College Art Conference, and the Foundations in Art: Theory and Education conference. Manning lives in Chicago with her service dog, Gigi, and her partner, Amelia.
Describe yourself in three words
“Bold, bright, lesbian.”
Who are your favorite artists/the ones who’ve influenced you most?
“I thought about Liza Lou a lot during the making of this show. Drag queens are always a major influence for my work, as well.”
What is your idea of happiness?
“My idea of happiness is being surrounded by art, family and friends, and my beloved dog Gigi, all while laughing and gabbing.”
Photography by Anna Brewer Productions
If you’d like to support Bunker Projects’ mission to provide a safe, equitable space for emerging artists to develop their practice and create new works for exhibition, please consider joining our Bunker Commons program or making a one-time or recurring donation here. We are so grateful for your generosity.
