Linnea Fitterer: PLACE PATCHWORK
“From first-time visitors to residents that come to the studio on a weekly basis, I learned from the truest source – the people of Hamilton”.
Fall 2024 Artist-in-Residence at Explore the ARTS in Hamilton, Montana
Linnea uses her Polaroid at Explore the ARTS, Hamilton, MT.
Describe your Open AIR Residency experience.
Between late October – late November 2024, I lived and worked at the intersection of West 7th and South Main Streets in Hamilton, Montana. I had the privilege of being under the room of Explore the Arts and Barbara Liss. My studio space was open to the variety of community audiences Barbara serves through Explore the Arts and I spent my time looking and listening to the creative beat of Hamilton. In addition to some loose Montana historical research, this beat is what influenced my artwork.
Visitor Information Center at the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce.
What role does place (both in terms of physical space and community) play in your work, especially during your time at Open AIR?
Especially in my first couple of weeks in Hamilton, I explored the town and let each step led to the next. My goal was to collect images of landmarks, histories, aspirations, and quirks that make Hamilton what it is. I passively explored the library, museum, side streets, events, and businesses to gather content. Additionally, I spoke with anyone I could. Mainly this occurred at Explore the Arts. From first-time visitors to residents that come to the studio on a weekly basis, I learned from the truest source – the people of Hamilton.
Jana reading at her poem at Linnea’s residency workshop.
Everyone was so welcoming and curious. Their stories of life in Hamilton enriched my experience and artwork beyond my expectations. I have made place-based artwork for years and I constantly connect to communities in my career through art – usually on behalf of an institution. However, what Hamilton, Explore the Arts, and Open AIR offered me was to be authentically me and let my artwork evolve organically. I was surprised to learn and observe Montana residents’ commitment to the land over all else. Their protection of each other and living things around them was beautiful to observe.
Women in Hamilton celebrating around Linnea’s quilt.
As much time as I spent conserving and exploring Hamilton, the residency also offered me the opportunity to sit with myself. The time I was given to reflect, think intentionally, and be solitary was a gift I will be benefitting from for years.
I played a lot of solitaire, with a physical deck of cards, to entertain myself and unwind at the end of my days in Hamilton.
Solitaire quilt square.
Can you break down the decisions behind a specific work from your residency, from the initial concept to the final details?
My Open AIR Residency project is called Portrait Quilt: Hamilton, MT. I painted pieces of Hamilton and Missoula onto quilt squares and surrounded them by traditional 9-patch quilt blocks using the colors of a public mural in Hamilton. These choices brought many aspects of my personal practice into this very specific portrait of a place I have never been.
Quilt paintings representing the Bitterroot Valley.
This project was the first time, outside of my foundation courses in undergrad, that I have painted. Textiles and community engagement have been consistent in my work since I declared myself an artist in my mid-20s. However, painting was not a familiar application of image or story for me. However, I felt strongly that it was what the project needed. So I went for it and pulled it off – which is how I navigate a lot of my life.
Linnea’s painting in progress.
A very special moment during my residency was creating the feral rabbits painting for my quilt and having Barbara recognize it. She and the owner of Art City, another beautiful art space in Hamilton, originally told me about the wild black rabbits that are a total nuisance in town during the warmer months. This conversation happened early in my time at Explore the Arts. Once I saw my first black rabbit in the wild, I developed a simple composition that included a news headline from March 2023. “Oh! You painted the rabbits!” was such a delightful response to hear from Barbara when she was checking out my progress about halfway through my residency.
Linnea’s painting of the Feral Rabbits of Hamilton.
Hamilton will forever hold a special place in my heart and life. Not only for the residency, but also because my boyfriend proposed to me during his visit on my last week in town. <3
Linnea and her new fiancé, Richard at Lake Como.
Watch Linnea talk about art and curiosity!
