Hannah O'hare Bennett

MAY - JUNE 2018 RESidency

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Hannah O'Hare Bennett grew up on a small organic farm in Kansas, where she was in constant contact with the textures of the natural world.  After studying printmaking in college, she returned to farming as a career.  Eventually she realized that she approached the work as if it were a personal art project, an ultimately inefficient way to grow food.  As a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, she learned how to knit and saw beautiful weavings made by local people, and a seed of what would become her career in fiber based arts was planted.  Then, as a graduate student, she encountered hand paper making, an art form that holds infinite possibilities.   Ultimately, her work emerges from the tactile and obsessive labor of farming, and the patterns and textures of the midwestern landscape.  She exhibits work around the country, teaches workshops, and takes on custom dye, quilting and paper projects, as well as working part time as a substitute in Dane county public schools. 

ABOUT THE RESIDENCY: 

Domesticated: A Fiber Arts Studio inspired by a Wild World  Bigger, brighter, softer, piebald, cuter, tamer, sweeter, less spiny, more compact: these are some of the characteristics that plants and animals develop as they become domesticated by human beings. Think of the difference between your pet dog and a wolf. During this residency, we will create works of art inspired by nature and domesticated nature. Objects will expand or shrink, grow harder or softer, explode outward or bind shut, become evenly patterned or patchy, spikier or smoother or more noticeable or more camouflaged. A book will go feral, extending longer and longer over two months. Sewing pins will sprout strange vegetation and disperse across the walls, spreading like milkweed. We will make paper from plant material and old rags, learn embroidery patterns and then let them go wild, and much more.
The root word of domestication is domus, which means home or hearth.  This studio will reflect my own home, and I hope that visitors will be able to feel at home themselves. Make a cup of tea, bring a book or a project and nestle in for the afternoon. Additionally, this residency will emphasize reusing and recycling materials, but also conscious decision making around when new materials are the best choice.  

Photo credit (below from left to right): Sara Ammon (1), Hannah Bennett (2-4)

WORKSHOPS & OPEN STUDIOS:

Papermaking Open Studios
Wednesdays starting May 9, 6-8PM  (Note: June 20th Open Studio is from 5-7pm)
All ages, no experience required
Drop in and make paper to be used in one of the collaborative projects we’ll be making during May and June, The Longest Book of the Shortest Stories.  You’ll get wet and messy and learn how to turn fabric scraps and raw plant materials into sheets of paper to draw and write on. On these nights you’ll also have a chance to work on a collage, draw one of the objects in the studio, and create a custom pin for the other collaborative project, Dehiscence.

Adventures with Paper Pulp
Saturday, May 26, 9am-12pm
Ages: 7-14
Register HERE, maximum 12 participants
We’ll make sheets of paper with embedded threads and other inclusions, make string and paper drawings, and use pre-made plaster casts to make small sculptures. This will be messy fun so dress appropriately.

Soft Sculpture
Saturday, June 16, 9am-12pm
Ages: 7-14
Register HERE, maximum 12 participants
Make a small stuffed creature of your own design, using recycled fabric! We’ll start with a few drawing exercises and then move into designing a pattern and sewing. Participants will leave with a completed or nearly completed stuffed animal. If possible, bring a small sewing kit and recycled fabric/old clothing. Please limit fabric to non-stretchy kinds! We’ll also have supplies available. 

Domesticated Threads I: Embroidery
May 14, 6:30-8:30pm
Ages 15+
Register HERE, maximum 12 participants
Come learn ten stitches, basic and not-so basic. Then design a patch to decorate your backpack or jeans, or to incorporate into a project for the Domesticated Threads II workshop. We’ll make a good start on the project, although it’s unlikely you’ll finish completely during the workshop. 
Note: Domesticated Threads I and II are designed as a series, but can be taken as stand-alone workshops.

Domesticated Threads II: Sewing Small Containers
May 21, 6:30-8:30pm
Ages 15+
Register HERE, maximum 12 participants
Learn how to design and sew a small fabric wallet, cell phone case, lined Japanese style lunch bag, pencil case or other container.  It’s nice to take the first Domesticated Threads workshop so that you can incorporate embroidery into this project but it’s absolutely not necessary. If possible bring about a half yard of non stretchy fabric (could be from old clothes or other found fabric), thread, small scissor and other sewing equipment. This workshop will include optional use of a sewing machine.
Note: Domesticated Threads I and II are designed as a series, but can be taken as stand-alone workshops.

Wild Threads I: Experimental Embroidery and Surface Design
May 29 6:30-8:30pm
Ages: 15+
Register HERE, maximum 12 participants
In this workshop we are letting go of all preconceptions about what embroidery is. We’ll use weird threads, incorporate found bits of things into work, and generally forget about neatness. Please bring small objects (anything! Don’t just limit yourself to buttons and beads--surprise me with new ideas), threads, rope, any kind of weird thing you think could be incorporated into a fabric. Believe me, we can find a way to work with almost anything smaller than your palm. Also bring some fabric--a half yard of something substantial would be great. As with all workshops, a small sewing kit is awesome, but not required.
This workshop is a great way to build on the Domesticated Threads workshops, but it also stands alone.

Wild Threads II: Making Soft Sculpture Patterns
June 4 6:30-8:30pm
Ages: 15+
Register HERE, maximum 12 participants
Bring an object made of a hard material that you’d like translate into a soft sculpture. It could be a fork, a stone, a radio, a carrot...almost anything will work. We’ll start class by looking at a few soft sculptures and the patterns used to make them, as well as some artists that use soft sculpture in their work. Then we’ll use a variety of techniques to make the patterns-tracing, drawing, simplifying shapes, using a copy machine. Bring a sketchbook and an open mind!

Wild Threads III: Sewing and Embellishing Soft Sculpture
June 11 6:30-8:30pm
Ages: 15+
Register HERE, maximum 12 participants
In this workshop, we’ll work on completing the piece you made the pattern for in the Wild Threads II. A sewing machine will be available (as well as some help using it.) We’ll also talk about a plan for embellishing your piece.

3-DAY WORKSHOP: Sculpting with Handmade Paperpulp and String

Thursday, May 17 from 6:30-8:30pm, Saturday, May 19 from 9am-12pm and Sunday, May 20 from 1-4pm
Ages: 15+
Register HERE for all three days, maximum 10 participants

This is a really special opportunity! Over three days, participants will learn to use paper pulp to make 3-D woven sculptures. We’ll experiment with natural pigments, and different kinds of strings. Each person will make at least one wall hanging and a number of smaller projects. This is a messy process--wear old clothes, an apron and shoes that can get wet. Bring geometric drawings (for ideas), an open mind, and a snack.

Participants must be able to attend all three sessions, please register once for all three sessions on the May 17 date, maximum 10 participants, no experience needed, ages 15+

ONGOING RESIDENCY PROJECTS: 

FUTURE 2018 ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE:

Liz Sexe (July-August), Jacquelin Whisenant (Sept-Oct)