Undermain Interview: A Visual Language for Difficult Subjects

By Emily Goodman

For many educators, teaching is a calling and not simply a way to pay the bills. Given how little we compensate educators and the excessive harassment of teachers by so-called “culture warriors” at all levels, there must be more to being an educator than the mere prospect of economic stability. At its core, the desire to teach is a desire to share, to engage in a mutual exchange of ideas with different individuals in the hopes that everyone involved will grow and learn. A good teacher does not want their students to

parrot back facts; they want their students to see the world and humanity with a critical eye, to develop solutions to complicated problems and to foster resilience and curiosity. When you look at Debra Lott’s work, it is immediately clear that she is an educator. Her art comes from a place of wanting to share her time, talents and ideas with others in the hope that they will learn and grow from these encounters.  

Born in Florida in the 1950s, Lott’s path to becoming the artist she is today was complicated by the social expectations for women of her generation. As a child, she recalls, “You were taught you’ll grow up and be a homemaker and have children. So even though I had the opportunity to go to college, all I wanted to do was art, and that was never considered a career.” Despite those expectations, Lott pursued her passion from an early age. Growing up, she studied with EC Comics illustrator Graham Ingels, who lived in the next town. Ingels helped her develop her skills, especially as a portraitist, and <MORE>