A Conversation with Lane Cooper

Mixed-media artist, full-time professor at Cleveland Institute of Art, and a member of the Bobby Anspach Studios Foundation

Could you share your connection with Bobby Anspach and what drew you to support the foundation's mission?

Lane Cooper in her studio

I first became aware of Bobby's work around 2019. I got to meet him in 2020 at the Spring/Break exhibition in New York City. He impressed me as a very passionate and caring person. His concern for spiritual well-being; his love for the world and humanity; and his sincerity in that is what really stood out to me.

You know, for a while now, maybe even forever it’s been this way, humanity has been suffering from an infection of cynicism. There’s this attitude that caring about people, or anything really, is a losing proposition. I went into art because I believe in connecting with other human beings, I think that matters. I think there's a kind of secular spirituality that keeps people alive, that holds despair at bay. Bobby’s work comes to art from that perspective, and I am completely on board with and inspired by it.

As a professor at Cleveland Institute of Art, what excites you most about the Bobby Anspach Studios Foundation's mission to bridge art, wellness, and social impact?

I see a lot of young people, people of all ages really, who struggle to find meaning and purpose.

I think Bobby’s work provides a model for making meaning and resisting cynicism. Emerging artists especially need a model for how to do that. Obviously, art can't save the world on its own, but it can remind us of our shared humanity, of something more than a day-to-day scramble for survival.

I can’t imagine a mission more appropriate to the time we're living in than the goal of bringing together art, wellness, and social impact. I think it foregrounds the value of human life and the value of this planet that is our home.

“I think Bobby’s work provides a model for making meaning and resisting cynicism. Emerging artists especially need a model for how to do that. Obviously, art can’t save the world on its own, but it can remind us of our shared humanity, of something more than a day-to-day scramble for survival.”

The foundation emphasizes the intersection of art and healing. From your perspective as both an artist and educator, how do you see institutions like BASF helping to reshape the conversation around art's role in personal and collective well-being?

A lot of art, especially in recent years, has focused on what is wrong, how we are broken, or the anxiety and distress of contemporary life. Very few art projects focus on how to address these issues.

In his works, “Place for Continuous Eye Contact,” Bobby has actually put forward a way to reconnect with ourselves and with a sense of something greater.

He has fore-fronted a sense of self that is very much in opposition to the sense of self we gain from continually staring into screens.

I think about that 1960s admonition: “Be here now.” This seems like an expansion of that, a better version of that. Bobby’s work puts the focus on art that proposes something, art that advocates for a way of being, and that’s very different from most art.

Bobby’s work shows a great deal of courage in focusing on what I can only describe as a care for the spirit. If we’re to be less divided and more caring toward one another, then those are precisely the kinds of conversations we need to be having.

“Bobby’s work shows a great deal of courage in focusing on what I can only describe as a care for the spirit. If we’re to be less divided and more caring toward one another, then those are precisely the kinds of conversations we need to be having.”

Based on your own experience in art education, how do you see the foundation's focus on wellness and mental health benefiting emerging artists?

Painting (Strong Female Lead) Series - Lane Cooper

A lot of young, emerging artists grew up mostly during the pandemic. They’ve all been immersed in the internet for that and other reasons. I’ve thought a lot about how younger people understand the internet and social media. I think, often, I’ve approached the internet like I did television in the 1970s or something, but younger people understand the internet, and particularly social media, more as direct communication.

Because there’s a screen between you and other people, and sometimes you're working through an alias, it becomes a lot easier to be critical and even cruel. Not to mention the bots and trolls out there, right? But I think a lot of younger people hear those messages as if someone is saying them directly to their faces.

It’s well-documented that the internet creates a real sense of social pressure and anxiety.

There's no doubt, especially for younger people who don’t yet have the experience to know how to navigate it, that a conversation around and advocacy for wellness is essential in normalizing mental health needs. I think it has the potential, if not to save lives, then undoubtedly to improve them and to help a lot of young artists be more content, productive, and just healthier.

The foundation aims to connect different realms—art, mental health, technology, climate change, and wellness. How do you see these intersections playing out in contemporary art education, and what role could BASF play in fostering these connections?

I’m a big believer in modeling practice. I think giving emerging artists the opportunity to work on such projects, to develop such projects, and to engage with artists who are also committed to these endeavors is a great start.

One way to go about this is by raising the profile of artists similar to Bobby, as well as his own work. Raising the profile of artwork that deals with these intersections will naturally increase awareness among teaching artists—not just in the United States, but around the world.

Another approach is developing pedagogy and curriculum that incorporate awareness of these various elements in informed ways. This means sorting out best practices and working with actual trained therapists to develop these best practices—particularly in terms of creating art and projects that integrate these components.

The Home Project 7 - acrylic on birch panel - 2015 - Lane Cooper

As someone who has mentored aspiring artists, what opportunities do you see for the foundation to support artists who are exploring themes of healing and transformation in their work?

I think supporting teaching artists who create work dealing with healing and transformation, work that advocates for healing and transformation, and providing space for them to make this work within an educational environment so that students have the opportunity to work closely with them is an important component.

I think sponsoring programming and engagement that foregrounds the work of artists like Bobby, so that more people have an opportunity to interact with it directly, is an important approach.

I see sponsoring events, symposia, panel discussions, exhibitions, and artist residencies that focus on this approach to art-making as just part of the vocabulary of advocating for this kind of work. At its core, it’s about building awareness and modeling approaches to creating this kind of work.

Looking ahead, what vision do you have for how BASF could help shape the future relationship between art, education, and collective well-being?

Develop revenue streams for the foundation. This might sound counterintuitive, but building on what Paula has done, I think that ensures the future of the foundation and its ability to continue participating in and shaping the conversation around contemporary art.

I think supporting artists at all levels, particularly teaching artists, and developing models of curriculum that can be shared broadly, especially for secondary education teachers and undergraduate faculty, is crucial.

Promoting and supporting exhibitions that feature Bobby’s work—as well as the work of other artists who operate in a similar way—helps to raise awareness and will naturally help shape the conversation.

A long time ago, a fairly successful artist friend of mine told me, “The way to achieve anything is to just keep showing up and participating”. I think that’s true for this foundation as well. Persuade others of the importance of work that advocates for solutions as well as identifying problems.

At its core, art is about meaning-making and experience-making. Given that, it’s only appropriate that art provides some redress for those struggling with a sense of existential crisis.