CATALOGUE OF LESSER SAINTS
KATIE DONOVAN
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 22nd, 2011
For most artists there is a tension between art that pays and art that demands to be seen, regardless of the paycheck, and for Saginaw artist Steven Magstadt, there is always a balance between the two. Magstadt is currently under commission by the Saginaw Community Foundation to create a one-of-a-kind, 50 square-foot tile mosaic on the subject of “community” for their new offices in the Morley Building on Tuscola. It is a custom commissioned art piece for a public space. A resourceful artist, it was Magstadt that approached the foundation with several concepts, looking for the dollars to cover material costs on a piece that he estimates will be worth $20,000 when completed. He knows that this work will lead to other commissions and larger working retainers.
Yet, at the same time Magstadt has been assembling a series of work that he is quite certain will never yield a paycheck. He calls the series Catalogue of Lesser Saints, which presents a compelling combination of Byzantine-like icon images, collage, mosaic and poetry combined in vignettes. This unique combination of words and images showcase what the artist calls some of Saginaw’s lesser saints, the invisible individuals that can often be found in his fringe neighborhood in downtown Saginaw. “The Lesser Saints series began with a homeless woman named Laurie that I called Madonna,” shared Magstadt. “I came to learn that she had lost her apartment during a hospitalization and in the process lost all of her identification – making it nearly impossible to get the help she needed to get back into safe and secure housing. For two years she lived on the street and would often use vacant houses in my neighborhood for shelter. At first, I was not entirely sure how to take Laurie, but when I began to truly see her, I could see the beauty in the way she lived her life. She had an amazingly positive attitude. She made a huge impression on me; this in turn helped me see more of the invisible people in my neighborhood – Saginaw’s lesser saints.”
[Visit from the Madonna]
she seemed lit from behind
as she crossed the empty lots
coming from nowhere to our house
i waited for her to make a request
or say something profound
because everyone agrees
such light only comes
before something significant
but we chatted instead
very quietly
as if it could be frightened away
about how beautiful that place was
in that exact moment
and neither of us mentioned the possibility
that the flowered suitcase
and bamboo-handled carpet bag
on the lawn between us
contained all she had in the world
but I thought about it
later that night as I leaned out the attic windows
listening to her sort through the dumpsters next door
for pieces of the home
she had yet to find
when by morning she was gone with all her treasures
leaving behind only a spotlessly tidy yard
and a deep sense of wonder
i suddenly understood
the madonna meant to show me
a complete life required
very little
- steven paul magstadt
Steven Magstadt was born in Bay City but lived most of his life in Texas, Colorado, and briefly Norway. He came to Saginaw about 6 years ago to care for his grandmother, whose health was failing. “What was going to be a 6-month stopover turned into a permanent choice,” said Magstadt. On living in Saginaw, Magstadt described his quality of life as “about as rich as the economy is challenged.” Magstadt continued, “The cost of living is so favorable here that it makes it possible to pursue what most would describe as an artistic bohemian lifestyle. Magstadt and his partner purchased a large, older boarded-up home in Saginaw’s Cathedral District for very little money. Now, the home is showing the signs of care and pride of ownership that is beginning to extend deeper into the neighborhood, and the district. Magstadt has banded with other like-minded neighbors to advocate for the community and the people who live there. His blog describes his interest in the community that is such a big part of his creative inspiration.
For the next few weeks, posts on Magstadt’s blog will be coming from Greece. Magstadt is part of a group of five individuals that will be traveling as part of Rotary International’s cultural exchange program. “I am so excited to be going to Greece. I get to be in a place where the presence of saints and images will be so prevalent, and I am sure that upon my return there will be a few more pieces coming for the Catalogue of Lesser Saints,” said Magstadt. “Plus, I will get to visit and work for a day or two in a Greek pastry shop and a small restaurant in Athens that specializes in grilling. Besides art, one of my other passions is food. Right now I earn a paycheck to cover my expenses working in a small café. It works for me because the food preparation keeps my hands busy but my mind free to create poetry and ideas for my art compositions.” Magstadt hopes to become a partner in the café or eventually open his own place.
Steven Magstadt is currently applying for a grant from various foundations, in the hopes of claiming funds to support his creative process. He believes he qualifies for programs that provide a year-long living stipend for working artists. With several commissions to his name and more on the way plus a growing Catalogue of Lesser Saints he is proving that the balance between paid works of art and unpaid works.
