Hannah Allen: IN THE FIELD
“Public makerspaces are an inspiring resource to local communities, and sharing the joy of design, invention, and creation with others is both creatively and professionally rewarding.”
Fall 2023 Artist-in-Residence at Missoula Public Library
Work in progress on the 4th floor of the Missoula Public Library
Walk us through the choices you make in a single piece
My education is heavily research-based (I have an undergrad in Geography and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation), so I love to have a thoroughly researched topic or data point to creatively document and communicate. For my most recent piece created for the Open AIR group show, a two-sided quilt called “Both Sides Now’, meant that I spent as much time lying on a quilt watching the clouds as I did looking at meteorological reference books learning the types of clouds and how they act.
My past work revolves around creatively communicating a specific fact or element of data, basically documenting a physical place. Instead, I wanted to document a place in time. I tried to use reclaimed materials whenever possible and found the perfect materials just thrifting around town. I specifically used material from Missoula for one side of the piece and material from my hometown in Kentucky for the other. Many folks working in fiber art, especially quilting, are very methodical when it comes to their construction, but I tend to work more intuitively, letting the fabric tell me how it wants to function. With the fabrics for “Both Sides Now,” I included a number of antique, hand-embellished linens and let the past lives of these fibers be integrated into a new use.
View from a sewing machine in the MakerSpace
What was your research process during your residency?
At the beginning of this residency, I was reminded that it wasn’t meant to be a time to crank out work but to experience your site holistically and generally, Missoula and Montana at large. The majority of my work is place-based, so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make art about Missoula and the Missoula Public Library by getting out and exploring the town and its surrounding communities. From the beginning of the project, I was really focused on the physical and temporal landscape, specifically clouds. I was able to borrow a time-lapse camera from MCAT and take time-lapse photography of my weekend adventures around southwest Montana. Those videos were a great source of inspiration for the piece I completed as part of the residency. I also utilized books found in the library to source my quilt patterns and used the laser cutter in the Maker Space to cut my fabric cutting templates.
Open AIR Artists-in-Residence at Flathead Lake, Polson, MT
How was your experience as an Open AIR Artist-in-Residence?
I absolutely loved my time as an Open AIR Artist-in-Residence. The entire experience was one full of creativity, exploration, and kindness. I was a little nervous to come into this residency from so far out of state, but I was immediately welcomed by the Open AIR staff and the other artists in my cohort. I think the talent and friendship found within our cohort were a huge factor in making this a great experience. We (the Missoula-based Artists-in-Residence) had the opportunity to go up to the UM Flathead Lake Biological Station for a night to visit with the artists up there. We also got to see their artist presentations. This was a total highlight of the experience, not just for the beautiful landscape and learning opportunity, but to get to spend time getting to know these other incredible talents from around the country. I also really wanted to holistically take advantage of this residency and being in a new geographical region, so whenever I wasn’t at the library, I was adventuring around Western Montana and even some of Idaho. I went sapphire hunting, hiked to some beautiful hot springs with my housemate, and just made sure to find joy in every aspect of the experience.
Open AIR Fall Artists-in-Residence rocki swiderski, Lauren Boilini, Hannah Allen, Jasmine Gutbrod, and Charlie Dov Schön
Tell us about your most recent solo exhibition.
Last winter, I held my second solo show titled “In The Field”, documenting the impact of early women Home Extension Agents of the 1930s and 40s and their influence on the agricultural history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. My great-grandfather was an Agricultural Extension Agent for the state at that time and had a woman Home Extension Agent companion who would travel by mule across the hills of eastern Kentucky to educate women on homemaking, gardening, and sewing to name a few. I wanted to meld the obviously agricultural and domestic intentions of the past. I created a quilt documenting all 120 counties in Kentucky (fun fact: Kentucky has the 3rd highest number of counties in America!). Over a couple of months in late 2022, I traveled across the state, back and forth, to all the otherwise forgotten corners of our state to gather natural dye plant materials from each county. The final quilt, titled “land of our Mothers”, measures 165” x 200” and just barely fits in the original exhibit space. Each of the 120 blocks of the quilt represents a county- they are relative in size to the county’s area and are dyed using plant material from that county. While the quilt was the centerpiece of the show, I also had a mule halter and saddle blanket, as well as some botanical embroidered panels. I had such a great time creating the pieces. It was just as impactful to experience the bio-diversity of our state and the impact that early modern agricultural practices continue to have on the land.
“The Care and Keeping of Quilts” by Hannah Allen
What are you up to now (post Open AIR)?
I am still sewing and taking a moment to make quilts for fun rather than just for work. I had a full calendar of solo shows and residencies in 2022-2023 and wanted to allow myself some time to find the fun in creating again. I’m also super excited to continue working with the Missoula Public Library’s Maker Space in a consulting role! Prior to this residency, I was working in a public library’s makerspace and was excited to continue this type of work in Missoula. Public Makerspaces are an inspiring resource to local communities, and sharing the joy of design, invention, and creation with others is both creatively and professionally rewarding to me. I know that the MPL Maker Space is undergoing some exciting changes right now, and I can’t wait for Missoula to experience them!
Hannah teaching a quilting workshop at the MakerSpace
Visit Hannah’s website and follow her on Instagram @resident.quilter
