Today we’d like to introduce you to Bridget McDermott Flood.
Hi Bridget, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Bridget McDermott Flood. I am a lifelong South St. Louisan author, artist, and Incarnate Word Foundation executive director. I wrote Blue Hole Wisdom, My Journey with the Sisters, a memoir that captures the wisdom of the Incarnate Sisters, with whom I have journeyed for 25 years. It is available in English and Spanish. I am also a ceramicist and fiber artist. My art studio, Carondelet Pottery, is in the historic neighborhood. I create functional ware and custom tile work, including a series of tiles of St. Louis landmarks. Jo Hart, a ceramicist, also works out of my studio building. I am a weaver and quilter and am in the process of launching Carondelet Weavers. My fiber art has been exhibited at Webster Arts, and I just had a ceramic totem show at a Hermann gallery. I work at the Incarnate Word Foundation, serving as executive director since its inception in 1998. The Foundation is sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio.
Our current projects include:
- St. Joseph Housing Initiative: An effort that rehabs housing in the Dutchtown neighborhood for sale to first-time low and moderate-income homeowners so that they can build community and wealth. Through homeownership.
- Bridge of Hope – Lincoln County: A new collaborative to provide housing and support services to unhoused people in Lincoln County.
- Saint Louis Survivor’s Legal Support: A new effort to provide legal support for survivors of domestic violence.
I live in the Holly Hills neighborhood with my husband, Michael, our charming dogs, Sam and Montague, and our happy bees. My husband is a retired woodworker who creates furniture and household items at his shop, Three Wolves Woodshop. We have two daughters and four grandchildren. Our daughter, Amelia, is a doctoral candidate at Saint Louis University in American Studies. Our daughter, Carolyn, is a classical and Irish harpist developing a coffee shop concept.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Every journey is never smooth. One thing I struggle with is having too many ideas and needing more time. There are so many possibilities and so much potential all around us. I see it in the tiniest things, conversations, meeting new people, or sharing time with people I have known for many years. Productively harnessing that is a continual challenge but also refreshing and beautiful. I am so lucky to have my career, which allows me to identify those possibilities in St. Louis and help others bring their dreams and creative vision to reality. And I am also lucky to have such a supportive family and friends who are always open to my latest creative tangent.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My artistic endeavors have taken many directions. I started as a ceramic artist with my friend and fellow artist, Patrice Thibodeau. We worked together at our Southside ceramics studio, fireworks, for over a decade. We did some great projects during that time, including ceramic tile signage at the old Monsanto headquarters, a series of Mardi Gras tiles, and a historic reproduction fireplace surround for the Cupples House at Saint Louis University. At Carondelet Pottery, I do whatever interests me. Recently, I created a series of ceramic totems on a water theme exhibited in San Antonio and Hermann, MO. I continue to learn new art forms and revisit old ones. I started weaving about three years ago and love the rhythmic, meditative time at the loom. Revisiting sewing to create fiber arts and quilts is a far cry from mom’s days teaching sewing while in graduate school. I love taking pieces of fabric and randomly cutting and sewing them to create pieces that capture the spirit of trips to Zambia and Ireland.
What a strong, brilliant, beautiful group of women! Writing the book Blue Hole Wisdom: My Journey with the Sisters is my gift to them for all that they have given me. It is their story, their wisdom, and their amazing view of the world. I wanted to capture that and share it since it inspires me daily.
I don’t know that I can single something to be proud of. My art is simply a part of my daily life, whether it’s knitting a sweater for a grandchild, throwing a bowl for a friend, or creating a wall hanging commemorating a trip. I don’t see this as setting myself apart. Millions of artists have more skill and more creativity. I’m happy to have my tiny part of that.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I make most of my decisions intuitively. That may seem risky, but it is how I see the world. Generally, this has worked out fine. Buying my building for Carondelet Pottery was a risk. It is a 712-square-foot brick shotgun built in 1891 that had been abandoned. When we turned on the water, all the PVC pipes shot apart since they had never been glued together at the joints. I was on my own as an artist and had yet to decide if I could stick with it, especially part-time. But the building had strong bones and evolved into a creative retreat. When I thought I couldn’t devote enough time to it, I collaborated with ceramicist Jo Hart on a commission, and that led to Jo moving into the studio with me. She is a full-time artist whose work is at Urban Matters and Urban Studio, and she organizes pop-up shows at the studio as well. That brings new energy—having someone to bounce ideas with is great.
Writing the book was also a risk. I decided to do it, but it took over a decade. Sometimes I didn’t think I would finish, and I would berate myself for taking so long. But in the end, I realized that the journey had gone exactly as it should; if I had finished earlier, it wouldn’t have told the story it was meant to tell. And that the journey was part of what was meant to be. At the Foundation, we have taken risks on new projects in that we rely not so much on data but on the intangible. The most important quality is how things fit with the mission. Are the people involved relational in their approach to the community? How are those who are served by a project treated? Are they respected, and does the work put their hopes and dreams first? Are we walking together? It is humbling to see the vision and commitment of those carrying out community projects. They are the hands of our Sisters at work today.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.blueholewisdom.com www.incarnatewordstl.org www.carondeletpottery.com
- Instagram: Bridget_flood
- Twitter: @bridget_flood
