Q & A

FIVE MINUTES WITH MÁRCIA MINTER

The co-founder of Portland’s Indigo Arts Alliance/former L.L.Bean creative director on collecting, power outfits, and the benefits of being married to a prolific artist.

TEXT BY JEN DEROSE
PHOTOGRAPHED BY KARI HERER
Marcia Minter

My go-to outfit is…

A Portland Trading Co. indigo dress and silver bracelets, including a cuff etched with a Susan Stauter poem: ʻIn the midst of the chaos/ When the wind is howling I hear/The ancient song/Of the ones who went before/And know that peace will come.’

sculptures by Daniel Minter

On my coffee table are…

Sculptures by my husband [artist Daniel Minter, co-founder of Indigo Arts Alliance, a studio/residency program for artists of color]. Every year for Valentine’s Day, he makes me something. These represent the African deity Yemaya, the goddess of the sea.

Ibeji, or “twins,” from Salvador, Brazil

When I travel, I snap up…

Art! These Ibeji, or “twins,” from Salvador, Brazil, live with collectibles and books on the African diaspora in a wall-to-wall antique china cabinet we’ve moved three times — it’s hard as hell to get through a door!

lavender epsom salt

I start my day…

A few days a week, I take a morning bath with lavender Epsom salt. It’s a peaceful way to wake up — my personal stress-buster.

Baskets and ceramics by indigenous artisans

I collect…

Baskets and ceramics by indigenous artisans that I display in my dining room. I believe handcrafts represent cultural stories.

fabric by printmaker Meeta Mastani

On my to-do list is…

Deciding what to do with these beautiful fabrics that Meeta Mastani, a master printmaker from India and Indigo mentee, made for us. One is block-printed with our plant logo.

"Prom," by Reggie Burrows Hodges
Courtesy of Dowling Walsh Gallery

A favorite local artist is…

Reggie Burrows Hodges. Prom is part of a new series that’s an homage to the African American life I grew up with. Acrylic on wood panel, 48″ square, $4,800. dowlingwalsh.com

The Shadow King, The Yellow House

I’m reading…

The Yellow House, a memoir I can relate to; up next is The Shadow King, about Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia. I got both at [Portland’s] Print: A Bookstore, where there’s a broad representation of writers. $26–$26.95.

FIVE MINUTES WITH MÁRCIA MINTER

The co-founder of Portland’s Indigo Arts Alliance/former L.L.Bean creative director on collecting, power outfits, and the benefits of being married to a prolific artist.

TEXT BY JEN DEROSE
PHOTOGRAPHED BY KARI HERER
Marcia Minter

My go-to outfit is…

A Portland Trading Co. indigo dress and silver bracelets, including a cuff etched with a Susan Stauter poem: ʻIn the midst of the chaos/ When the wind is howling I hear/The ancient song/Of the ones who went before/And know that peace will come.’

sculptures by Daniel Minter

On my coffee table are…

Sculptures by my husband [artist Daniel Minter, co-founder of Indigo Arts Alliance, a studio/residency program for artists of color]. Every year for Valentine’s Day, he makes me something. These represent the African deity Yemaya, the goddess of the sea.

Ibeji, or “twins,” from Salvador, Brazil

When I travel, I snap up…

Art! These Ibeji, or “twins,” from Salvador, Brazil, live with collectibles and books on the African diaspora in a wall-to-wall antique china cabinet we’ve moved three times — it’s hard as hell to get through a door!

lavender epsom salt

I start my day…

A few days a week, I take a morning bath with lavender Epsom salt. It’s a peaceful way to wake up — my personal stress-buster.

Baskets and ceramics by indigenous artisans

I collect…

Baskets and ceramics by indigenous artisans that I display in my dining room. I believe handcrafts represent cultural stories.

fabric by printmaker Meeta Mastani

On my to-do list is…

Deciding what to do with these beautiful fabrics that Meeta Mastani, a master printmaker from India and Indigo mentee, made for us. One is block-printed with our plant logo.

"Prom," by Reggie Burrows Hodges
Courtesy of Dowling Walsh Gallery

A favorite local artist is…

Reggie Burrows Hodges. Prom is part of a new series that’s an homage to the African American life I grew up with. Acrylic on wood panel, 48″ square, $4,800. dowlingwalsh.com

The Shadow King, The Yellow House

I’m reading…

The Yellow House, a memoir I can relate to; up next is The Shadow King, about Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia. I got both at [Portland’s] Print: A Bookstore, where there’s a broad representation of writers. $26–$26.95.