October 5 - November 17, 2024
From Lydia Street Gallery:
“As a sculptor and object-maker, the process of casting is something I’m drawn to and has been a significant component in much of my work. I see casting as taking the ready made a step further and plays with our associations to both materials and objects. I like to push the boundaries of traditional materials and experiment with them in new ways to create unexpected moments while always imbuing the mark of the artist’s hand in the work.
A theme I continue to explore is gender stereotypes and the associations that society typically assigns to specific consumer goods and tools. I do this by creating hybrid objects that become a gender mash-up by combining materials and components in unexpected ways. With this body of work, I am reimagining the idea of a hope chest or dowry, creating handmade objects with the intent of being heirlooms for my children. Instead of preparing for marriage and motherhood, making tools that set them up for independence and self-sufficiency. Some of the works utilize casts made of both my children and my hands- referencing that their future work won’t always be easy, and the effort involved in creating change.
BIO: Sarah Hirneisen (b. 1978 Reading, PA) uses three-dimensional materials and processes to elevate familiar and everyday objects. Born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, Sarah now lives and works in Austin, Texas. She received a BFA in glass from Rhode Island School of Design in 2001 and her MFA in sculpture in 2011 from Mills College. Sarah has received a Community Initiatives Grant through the City of Austin, was awarded a residency through the Hungarian Multicultural Center, has received an Individual Artist Grant through the City of Oakland’s Cultural Art’s Program and a Phelan, Murphy & Cadogan fellowship from the San Francisco Foundation for graduate students in the arts. She is Associate Professor at Texas State University teaching sculpture and foundations, and has taught at Mills College, Cabrillo College, and City College of San Francisco. Sarah has exhibited her work extensively throughout the US as well as Hungary, Korea and England and is a member of ICOSA Collective, an Austin based Arts Collective and the Texas Sculpture Group.”
Reception: October 5, 2024 | 6–9 pm
Artist talk: October 17, 2024 | 6–9 pm
1200 East 11th Street #109
Austin, 78702 Texas
(512) 524-1051
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