Margaret Pope

Born and raised in McCall, Idaho, Margaret attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she received a BA in Political Science and Visual Art. She then returned to Idaho to pursue an MFA at Boise State University, graduating in 2021. Currently residing in Idaho, she serves as an Assistant Professor at the College of Idaho.

Margaret's artistic practice is deeply influenced by her environment, particularly the dynamics between urban and rural spaces, the people who inhabit them, and the beliefs, ideas, and agendas they hold. Her work often begins with a specific object, which she then transforms through assemblage, deconstruction, and manipulation. These manipulations frequently involve craft processes such as knitting, weaving, or braiding.

She encounters many of the objects used in her art unexpectedly, while driving or walking around the greater Idaho area. As a result, the materials she incorporates into her work are often specific to her region but also hold broader significance in rural spaces. For instance, barbed wire, bailing twine, and Levi 501 jeans play a key role in defining what she understands as the rural American West.

An interdisciplinary artist, Margaret works to place found objects in space to reconsider their function, place, and active role in shaping human experience.