In this episode of Creative Guts, board members and co-hosts Becky Barsi and Joe Acone sit down with Hannah Cole Dahar in her studio at the Mosaic Art Collective in Manchester, NH! Hannah, a multi-talented artist and full-time art teacher, shares her creative journey from childhood to present day. Discover how Hannah's fiery train caboose drawing at age three sparked her artistic path and her secrets for balancing a thriving art career while nurturing young creatives in the classroom. Hannah's unique vision, rooted in nature and mysticism, comes to life as she discusses her collaborations and artistic process and opens up about the challenges of being an artist, from marketing to constant skill-building. She shares her philosophy of staying curious and embracing failure as a learning opportunity. You can learn more about Hannah and her work by visiting www.coledahar.com and on Instagram at @hannahcoledahar. Listen to this episode wherever you listen to podcasts or on our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. Be friends with us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CreativeGutsPodcast and Instagram at www.Instagram.com/CreativeGutsPodcast. If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. Thank you to our friends at Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery in Exeter, NH and the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts in Rochester, NH for their support of the show!
In this episode of Creative Guts, board members and co-hosts Becky Barsi and Joe Acone sit down with Hannah Cole Dahar in her studio at the Mosaic Art Collective in Manchester, NH! Hannah, a multi-talented artist and full-time art teacher, shares her creative journey from childhood to present day.
Discover how Hannah's fiery train caboose drawing at age three sparked her artistic path and her secrets for balancing a thriving art career while nurturing young creatives in the classroom. Hannah's unique vision, rooted in nature and mysticism, comes to life as she discusses her collaborations and artistic process and opens up about the challenges of being an artist, from marketing to constant skill-building. She shares her philosophy of staying curious and embracing failure as a learning opportunity.
You can learn more about Hannah and her work by visiting www.coledahar.com and on Instagram at @hannahcoledahar.
Listen to this episode wherever you listen to podcasts or on our website www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com. Be friends with us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/CreativeGutsPodcast and Instagram at www.Instagram.com/CreativeGutsPodcast.
If you love listening, consider making a donation to Creative Guts! Our budget is tiny, so donations of any size make a big difference. Learn more about us and make a tax deductible donation at www.CreativeGutsPodcast.com.
Thank you to our friends at Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery in Exeter, NH and the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts in Rochester, NH for their support of the show!
[INTRODUCTION]
[0:00:01] BB: I'm Becky Barsi.
[0:00:02] JA: And I'm Joe Acone.
[0:00:03] BB & JA: And you're listening to Creative Guts.
[BREAK]
[0:00:19] BB: Hello, and welcome to another episode of Creative Guts.
[0:00:21] JA: Hi.
[0:00:21] BB: How's it going, Joe?
[0:00:23] JA: It's going good. I'm so excited to be here.
[0:00:25] BB: We're co-hosting.
[0:00:26] JA: I know. Oh my God. First time. So scary.
[0:00:29] BB: The jitters, right?
[0:00:30] JA: Yeah, a little bit.
[0:00:31] BB: So we've got some big shoes to fill, but I think we can handle it.
[0:00:34] JA: Yeah. Yeah. And today is a great episode. I'm really excited about it. We are chatting with Hannah Cole Dahar, a multidisciplinary artist and teacher from Manchester, New Hampshire. Hannah's unique artistic vision draws from her intriguing childhood experiences and her deep connection to nature and the mystical.
[0:00:50] BB: As an disciplinary artist, Hannah works in painting, sculpture, and installation. Her artwork is rooted in personal experiences, nature's wonders, and the exploration of the mystical and magical aspects of life.
[0:01:01] JA: Join us as we explore Hannah's creative world, where everyday magic and the power of intention shape her fascinating artistic journey.
[INTERVIEW]
[0:01:13] BB: Hello, Hannah. Welcome to Creative Guts.
[0:01:16] JA: Welcome aboard.
[0:01:17] HCD: Thank you. Thanks, Joe. Thanks, Becky. I'm glad to be here.
[0:01:21] BB: Can you start just by telling us a little bit about who you are as an artist and as an individual?
[0:01:25] HCD: Let's see. As an artist, I am a painter, sculptor, multimedia installation, you name it, I've done it. But right now, I have three bodies of work going on. One is a goddess series. One is I like to call it my pro-choice jewelry in a post-road world. Very feminist, kind of dangerous, unsettling jewelry. And I also have a series of my son sleeping that kind of appeals to the mom in me.
As an individual, I live here in Manchester, New Hampshire. I've been teaching for 25 years. Art, of course. You name the subject. It's kind of like the media I worked in. Sometimes, as both of you know, like you, all of a sudden, are teaching a ceramics class. It's like, "Okay, so I've got to learn all about ceramics." Yeah.
[0:02:19] BB: Wonderful. What was it that got you into the arts in general? What made you want to be an artist?
[0:02:28] HCD: Well, my mom is an artist. She is an oil painter. And she inspired me. When I was a kid, we had art lessons in my house. She would have adult lessons. I would be allowed to join the adults. We would clip pictures out of magazines like National Geographic and Scientific America and paint those on little canvas boards with acrylic or watercolor. I mean, even before that, I remember at three years old, making my first painting in the basement of the Kensington Congregational Church during Sunday school, and it was the Exeter caboose on fire.
[0:03:08] BB: All right, hold on a second. I've heard of the Exeter caboose on fire, but give us a little bit more context for that. And how did this resonate with you as a three-year-old?
[0:03:17] HCD: Well, yeah, I was three at the time, and Kensington is right beside Exeter. My father had a shop, Exeter Monument Works, and we were always crossing the railroad tracks. Back then, it was like you had WNUR, PBS, or nothing. And so the news would come on at night. You got it at five or 11, and there was a story about the Exeter caboose on fire, and that was just riveting to my three-year-old self.
[0:03:45] JA: Oh my God.
[0:03:46] BB: What's the caboose? Was it like an actual caboose of a train?
[0:03:49] HCD: Yes.
[0:03:49] BB: Was it converted into a restaurant or was it just vacant and sitting on the tracks?
[0:03:54] HCD: Well, at that time, the trains were still running through Exeter. Yeah, my recollection is the caboose just caught on fire.
[0:04:03] BB: Wow.
[0:04:03] HCD: I didn't know how.
[0:04:03] JA: The Exeter caboose just up in flames.
[0:04:08] BB: How did this get processed by your Sunday school teacher? I'm just like imagining being in Sunday school and here you are with this little caboose on fire.
[0:04:16] HCD: I don't remember that, but I just remember having a black shape and lots of red, and yellow, and wild strokes. Yeah.
[0:04:25] JA: Wow. It's just super early. It's just up there in the back of the brain.
[0:04:29] HCD: Yeah.
[0:04:30] JA: That's incredible.
[0:04:31] BB: That expressionist inside of you was coming out at a very, very early age.
[0:04:35] HCD: Yeah. Well, was it Picasso that said or somebody else, something about learning how to paint like a child all over again? I'm misquoting terribly, but there is a saying out there about it.
[0:04:50] BB: Yeah. The three of us are all art teachers. We should probably have that stored in our memory bank.
[0:04:55] JA: Oh, sure. Yeah.
[0:04:56] BB: There's a lot of other things we have to store.
[0:04:57] JA: Little factoids we got to pick up here and there. Yeah, definitely. But not to linger on it too much, but I'm curious if anybody at your church noticed anything about that. Did that piece resonate with them at all? It's too early to say. Right? So young.
[0:05:10] HCD: Yeah, I don't remember the fallout from it. I just remember painting it.
[0:05:15] BB: And it's clearly stuck with you. That's wonderful.
[0:05:17] HCD: Yeah, I was very proud of it.
[0:05:20] BB: Clearly, you had this early interest in creating. How did that continue to evolve over time to develop into possibly going in – I assume you went to some sort of college university dedicated towards arts or arts education. What led you through those stages?
[0:05:35] HCD: From my earliest memory, I could spend hours and hours and hours just reading and drawing. Love to read, love to draw, and just spent my days reading and drawing like any moment I had. And went to a fairly rural high school where we had art. And there was one art teacher for six grades and she let me explore. Her name was Jerry Wing. She's absolutely lovely. And she let me do whatever my creative self would like to do.
And eventually, I went to RISD. I studied apparel design, which I used for a very short time. Yes, I worked for a theme sweater company before theme sweaters were cool. And they bragged about having anything but a kitchen sink on a sweater. And I quit when they put a kitchen sink on a sweater because I just couldn't do it.
[0:06:32] BB: Oh, no. Wow.
[0:06:35] JA: Very symbolic gesture, yeah. This is a kitchen sink showing up on a sweater, yeah.
[0:06:40] HCD: It's like, "No. No. I can't. I can't."
[0:06:42] BB: RISD. And at that time at RISD, was the first year still kind of like a studio year where you're kind of experimenting with a variety of different media and then you chose to go into textiles or into fashion or apparel?
[0:06:55] HCD: Yeah. Well, the first year was experimental and I had a 3D teacher who was wonderful and talked all about bringing a sketch into a three-dimensional design. At the same time, it was their early 90s and the recession hit. It was also out of practicality. It's kind of like, "Okay, I'm getting an art degree. How am I going to feed myself?"
And so I always had an interest in fashion and thought, "Why not?" And it turned out to be a bad fit, number one, because I didn't like it. And number two, I was terrible at it. But I never gave up doing art. I took a little hiatus after that. And probably about six or seven years after, I decided I wanted to be in arts education. I had taught in rec departments and substituted and dip my toes in and decided, "Well, if I am going to become a teacher, I'm going to also have a full-time practice and really work on my own form." Because I think it's important for students to see that not only do I talk the talk, but I can walk the walk too.
And I think of myself as an artist first and a teacher second. And I let the students know that as well. My passion is where the arts are and I'm passionate about helping my students get their work into the wider community. In fact, that's how Becky and I met years ago as board members of the Scholastic Art Awards. And that's a program that I think is incredible. It gives our students the ability to be seen by a much wider audience and also gives insight into what other programs. Like, "What are they doing with their students?" Like, "What's happening around our state." Yeah. It's a really great show.
[0:08:48] BB: It is. It's a great organization.
[0:08:50] HCD: It is.
[0:08:51] BB: Especially to be able to provide that level of elevation in so many ways. Because the arts in so many schools don't often get the notoriety or maybe the limelife that some sports teams get. Here's your opportunity for your kids to be really celebrated and have their work and their expression, all of their inner creativity out for the public and for so many other people to explore and to be celebrated for it. And we're earning scholarships. And it's been a wonderful opportunity for our students as well.
[0:09:23] HCD: Yeah.
[0:09:23] JA: I love going just to see what all the other teachers in this state are up to. It's very inspiring to just to see, and I'm like, "Oh, I wonder what project or prompt evoked that piece of artwork from that kid." It's really striking. But if we could go back just real quick, I just wanted to ask about – you describe sort of, maybe not falling into teaching, but sort of finding teaching in a way, right? And I love how going back to your childhood, your mom was like running classes for – was it just for like adults, for just people in the area? Was she a teacher herself formally?
[0:09:57] HCD: My mom, she was an artist, or she is an artist, and she went to UNH and got an art degree and then became a stay-at-home mom. And this was a way for her to connect with people and also to bring in a little bit of income to the family.
[0:10:15] HCD: Going back to your teaching practice, was there a moment that resonated with you? Something that said like, "Yeah, I want to teach. I want to be in that space."
[0:10:24] HCD: I had a friend who was working for the Providence Recreation Department and she got me a gig teaching there. And at the time, it was when Buddy Cianci was our mayor of Providence. It was the most corrupt department in the city. The stories that come out of there are just wild. But they had all of these recreation centers in neighborhoods for underprivileged children and art in the park.
And so she's like, "Hey, Hannah, you're an artist and I need an art teacher, are you interested?" And I'm like, "Yeah, why not?" For a couple of years, I went from center to center and did like the arts in the park and if they had like a little festival or what have you. And it was so much fun. It was so gratifying. And I loved working with kids. And I thought I would end up in elementary school because I love that age, but ended up with high school. And I don't know, I think that is the best age because you see where they are coming in and who they were as children. And then by the time you leave, you get a glimpse as to who they're going to be as an adult and then they come back and they share their experiences with you. It's really like a unique position to be in.
Plus, I mean, how many people in this world have bragging rights to say, "Yeah, I've worked with thousands of people. I got to know thousands of people within my career." Because usually it's one or more, a handful that you'll work with. But yeah, we have a hundred, or at least I have up to 150 students a day that I'm interacting with.
[0:12:01] BB: Wow. Yeah. That's a lot. Joe and I coming from a different kind of group of students, a lot smaller class sizes. But to be able to have that reach and that connection with so many students over the course of a year and years eventually teaching is really wonderful. And so many people I talk to, you ask them about like, "Oh, tell me about your favorite teacher or subject in school." And so many people remember their art teachers, because there's that opportunity to kind of let your hair down and to be able to be courageous and expressive in a different way. It's wonderful that you've been able to carry that on to your students and promote their expression.
[0:12:41] JA: Can I ask about your teaching practice a little bit? Because you mentioned one of your favorite art teachers just let you explore and express yourself. Do you find that you follow suit? Do you do that as well?
[0:12:54] HCD: I think that if you have a highly motivated art student that has a very clear vision as to what he, or she, or they would like to do, that's really great. And you can let a student like that run with it, and you can support them and help elevate their ideas. But for the average student, they need structure. At least a little bit of parameters. And once you have that parameter, you can branch off of that parameter. But they do need more structure versus less structure. That being said, allowing students to come in and work on personal projects during their study periods. The art room, as you guys know, is kind of a refuge for a lot of students that just need a place to be themselves, and relax, and be creative, and welcomed for who they are and what they're doing.
[0:13:53] BB: Tell us a little bit about how you balance your time being a full-time artist and a full-time teacher because it's hard. I struggle with it tremendously. I get the ball rolling on some new curriculum design and ideas and dive into that and that consumes so much of my creativity that it takes away from my personal work. How do you find that balance?
[0:14:17] HCD: There are so many balls that you juggle as like a human being, you have your practice, you have your job, you have your family, you have the social circle. And unfortunately, it's difficult to do all of them at a really high level. And what I try to focus on is trying to kind of combine everything. I'm working during my lunch break. If I'm there after school, I'll do some – I have my studio. Actually, my studio is set up over here, but also the dining room table is like another space and my husband is here like, "Oh, okay. Are we ever going to sit down at the table and eat?" And you're like, "Well, maybe Thanksgiving or something We can compromise."
[0:15:05] BB: We all have story.
[0:15:06] HCD: Yeah. My table is a heap. And it's about there are things that you can do in six hours when you just have that six hours sweep of time on a Saturday, or a Sunday, or a snow day, or whatever, when you can sit down and focus and accomplish a lot. But that's, I'd say, the exception rather than the norm. The exception is, "Okay, what can I do in 15 minutes? Can I block this in 15 minutes or can I get all my colors ready for later on when I have an hour to work?" Or like, "I don't have the opportunity to paint for a couple of days, but can I design a frame? Can I make like a little sculptural element? Can I repair a bunch of elements to put together later?" You know what I mean? When I'm in the car and I can just kind of like do a little wire wrapping or stuff like that. I just is a matter of really focusing and using time as efficiently as possible.
[0:16:08] BB: Wow, I wish I could like pick up some of that, that structure. I mean, even though it's all in the margins, you just find a way to get it time. That's really admirable.
[0:16:16] HCD: Oh, thanks. Well, my husband, when I don't paint, or work, or anything like that, he said, "Just go. Go paint." It's like I'm horrible to live with.
[0:16:24] BB: You need it. Yeah. Exactly.
[0:16:27] HCD: Yeah.
[0:16:27] JA: Wow. I love that. I love the idea too, that you are mashing all these different roles together in different spaces. And I'm very envious too, that you are able to articulate like three whole bodies of work that feel very different, but also connected through you as a maker. And I'm imagining that some of that, focusing on your family, taking the subject matter of painting your son while he's sleeping, can you unpack that a little more? What was the impetus for that project specifically?
[0:16:57] HCD: That came about, I hate to say it, when COVID happened and our spaces, our lives became so much more intimate. And I don't think there's anything more intimate than walking into somebody's space and seeing them sleeping. Unless you're such an integral member of that household, you're not going to see that moment. And it's so peaceful. You know what I mean? And it's just so sweet. And you just want to crystallize those moments forever. And that's kind of my calm and happy place where I go in chaotic times, times like now. It's just so beautiful, it's uncomplicated. Looking at fabrics and textures and really getting into the figure. And bringing in furnishings from home that are quite common, a regular old rug from Home depot or whatever. But in the context of the figure and what's happening with the light almost has a Rococoesque ask or a Baroque feeling about it. That to me is really exciting, but it's not necessarily something that I want to do all the time.
My other work, I've always been fascinated by metals, and stone, and all of that. And sometimes you just have to get your hands dirty and make a thing. And with a political climate, as it is, I've just been so hoppin' mad. I'm feeling like I just don't know what to do. Okay, I'm gonna make art, you know? I'm going to make art. That's just kind of –
[0:18:39] BB: It's a wonderful way to express that. I mean, because in a world where it's hard to be expressive about your political beliefs, sometimes doing it and channeling it through art is a way that a lot of people can connect with and it's just a wonderful outlet.
[0:18:54] HCD: It is especially. And you guys know this, as teachers, we cannot bring politics into the classroom. That is no go. And so when kids are talking about it, there's no opinion other than, "Well, if you want to make your voice heard, go vote. If you want to mend the phone banks, hold a sign. Those are all ways that you can be active no matter who you're supporting." But as far as letting the kids know where I stand, I have to be mute on them.
[0:19:24] BB: Yeah.
[0:19:25] HCD: And that's the way it should be because, as teachers, we hold a lot of influence on our students. And they should be allowed to have their own opinions and have that develop without our voices coming in and interjecting.
[0:19:41] BB: Yep. One of the things that I've heard and I've read in your bio is talking about kind of taking these moments of solitude, and quiet, and walking, and using objects that maybe you find from your environment while you're taking these times to relax and integrating it into your work. Can you talk a little bit about that?
[0:20:02] HCD: Sure. A lot of that goes into my goddess paintings and the jewelry. One thing that I look for at certain times of the year are nests and eggshells. I would never take a nest out of a tree. But you find them on the ground and they're such amazing feats of engineering. In fact, I built a nest out of a cinnamon broom for a painting that I just finished. And I have oodles more respect for birds after that. I was wiring it. I was trying to weave the sticks to get. Everything was falling apart. The glue wasn't setting. The birds don't use glue. Oh my gosh, how do they do it? Yeah, so I incorporate those elements.
And part of the jewelry pieces, et cetera, is sometimes they're really whimsical, but they're incredibly fragile. And so you have to be aware when you're wearing these pieces of how you're moving in space, which makes you very aware of being in your body at the moment. Because otherwise, you're going to either get stuck if I'm using something sharp like thorns or like really fragile. If you bang an eggshell, there's no going back. Yeah, it becomes really interesting.
And a lot of times when I'm painting someone for the Goddess series, I'll ask them to bring in a few things that have specific meaning to them, whatever they choose. And sometimes it's a stuffed animal. Sometimes it is a stack of books or whatever they choose. And then I give them a bunch of different artifacts from my home and studio to use. And oftentimes, it's feathers, and nests, and things that I've collected that really resonate with people.
[0:21:53] BB: And the symbolism behind all that and just thinking about wearing an object that can hurt you or that you can damage and break and the significance behind that, it's almost performative in many ways. That adds this really beautiful element to it.
[0:22:09] HCD: It does. In fact, I did a show, Chapel of the Black Trumpets, where I collaborated with New Hampshire Dance Collaborative. And they performed in those pieces. Again, it was about movement and how these pieces, which kind of envelop the body and were like almost fragile. And during the dance, several of them just broke apart. But that had to be a part of the process. And several of them I put back together. But there are those that I chose not to. That was a cycle of that piece. And it had to be let go. But that was a really special thing.
[0:22:51] BB: Were those recorded? Were there videos of that?
[0:22:55] HCD: There are. I have some on my website. And I've got to get better at developing my website. Yeah.
[0:23:01] BB: The administrative work of an artist is so, so heavy.
[0:23:05] HCD: Oh my gosh. Yeah.
[0:23:06] JA: That is the list of things to do in the day.
[0:23:08] HCD: Oh gosh. Yeah. But no, there is videos of the performance and the dancers performing in those particular pieces. I mean, I don't know how the both of you, how you have your practice. But a lot of artists I know are like borderline hoarders.
[0:23:26] BB: Yes. Oh, it's so cool.
[0:23:27] HCD: You have this, that's like, "Wow, that's a really cool piece of string. I think I need that too." It's added to the box kind of thing.
[0:23:35] BB: I know. Going for those walks and finding that scrap of metal that fell off a car that's rusted and it's like, "Oh, but I could put that in something."
[0:23:42] JA: You never know what you'll use it for.
[0:23:43] BB: And then it just sits in a box for a decade or two until you remember that it's there.
[0:23:48] HCD: You remember that it's there and you really needed it and you're like, "Yes, this is why I saved this piece of metal that fell off that car on a random day." Yeah.
[0:23:57] BB: Yeah, exactly.
[0:23:57] JA: Yeah. I don't hoard as much for my own practice, but I do hoard for my students, because I feel like they –
[0:24:02] BB: Oh, yeah. The cardboard.
[0:24:04] JA: Yeah. I have a bucket that's just full of all kinds of random stuff and I'll often catch students just picking through it, just curious about what's in there. And I'm just like, "You know, if you would grab whatever you want, pick a [inaudible 0:24:14] or not."
[0:24:17] BB: What are some things that you wish people understood better about your art, or being an artist, or your artistic process?
[0:24:26] HCD: That, it's not easy. It's a lot of hard work. There's a lot that goes on beyond the creation of the work. There's the research aspect. There's a writing aspect. There is the marketing aspect. I mean, it means learning how to ship your work all over the place. And the other thing is just because you make something, it doesn't automatically mean that it's great. I have a basement full of failures. But each piece that I do teaches me something.
Even though I'm having my basement of shame because I'm too afraid to put a curbside because somebody will pick it up like on curbside and say, "Wow, this is a nice color." And you'll go over there for dinner and your shame will be hanging on the living room wall kind of thing. What I've learned from those pieces down in the basement has brought me where I am today and I hope to continue learning and growing.
I mean, as an artist, as a creative, we've got to stay curious, willing to experiment. I mean, I'm an old lady right now, but I wanted specific frames for my paintings and asked around and asked around and asked around and nobody could do them. And I went to the Makerspace here in Manchester and I learned how to operate a laser cutter, and Adobe Illustrator, and all sorts of other things so I could get the result that I wanted without having to go through a third party.
[0:26:02] BB: Oh, wow. That's great.
[0:26:04] HCD: Being open, staying curious, and being willing to learn new things, new technologies, new forms in order to incorporate into your practice. I think, yeah, nobody should be hedged into a really tiny box that just gets old and stale.
[0:26:23] BB: Yeah.
[0:26:23] JA: I love talking to artists. Honestly, I need to do this more often because you just embody growth mindset, the idea that you just addressed all the failures, they're sitting in your basement, and you connect them to where you are today. I just think that's beautiful and we don't hear enough about that in our world. And I feel like art is often just relegated to like the side thing or like, "Why would you do that?" And then it's like, "Why wouldn't you do that?"
[0:26:50] BB: Yeah.
[0:26:50] HCD: Yeah.
[0:26:50] JA: Right?
[0:26:51] BB: I almost want to challenge you to go into your basement of failures as you call it and pull something out and like work back into it or trade it with another artist and see how they modify it. And that's one thing that I've really wanted to do. And Laura Harper-Lake and I have planned on doing this for years and then just life happens. But doing this collaborative exchange, or we just keep going back and forth with one another's work until it becomes something totally unknown. And I think there's opportunity for that. We just have to make the time and the space to do it. Maybe that could be a new creative guts extension.
[0:27:28] HCD: That sounds like a lot of fun. Yeah, bring your unfinished or your fail whale piece and be prepared –
[0:27:36] BB: All right, we'll add that to the programming committee. We'll have that for some time next year, maybe.
[0:27:41] JA: Tales from the basement.
[0:27:42] BB: Exactly. Oh, my God. Yeah. How do you market your work? Because you have some work that is very personal and very specific, and you've got these beautifully luscious paintings of the fabric and blankets, encasing your son as he naps and sleeps. What is it like marketing that versus some of your feminist work and the jewelry? Are you trying to make a significant income off of this or is this more of just part of your practice and something you just have to do and get out there?
[0:28:13] HCD: Well, in an ideal world, I would be making a living out of it. But as you know, I was reading a statistic the other day that the number of artists making a living out of their work is even more uncommon than making it to the NBA. Yeah, I mean, in a perfect world, we would be able to work to create and to make a living at it.
But I have a little luxury of a full-time job that allows me to create. And therefore, I'm not beholden to anybody for a specific body for work. And what I do, it comes down to a lot of digging and a lot of, again, research, and looking for calls, and googling online, and writing up artist proposals, and shipping them out and being prepared for all the notes. that come back. And then you get the yes, and you're like, "Yes."
And understanding. Like, "What are you applying to?" If you are applying to an abstract-only gallery with a proposal with figurative work, they're just going to toss it right out because that is not their speed. I applied to Southern Vermont Arts Center and have a show coming up there this summer in Manchester, Vermont. But I looked at what other past shows had looked like. And basically, what was a feel from this particular art center? And it tended more towards the sleeping child than it did towards the feminist work. That's the body of work that I chose, submit to that. Versus the annual call to Arch Enemy Arts, which is kind of like energy surrealist art that I would love to get into the gallery. And I've got two very polite nos. But they do a once a year calls and the sleeping child would not go. But some of the feminists’ work, some of the jewelry might if the other art that they're choosing works alongside it. Yeah, it's about putting your stuff out there, knowing what they're looking for hopefully and being prepared for the yes or the no.
[0:30:32] BB: What would you do? Let's say that you won the lottery. What would you do? What would you do if you won a ton of money? How would you use that in your artistic practice?
[0:30:42] HCD: Oh my gosh. Number one, nobody would ever know except for my immediate family. And I would definitely knock down teaching to very much part-time. And I would study more. I would find an atelier and really up my skills and just really focus on my practice and then go back into creating. I don't know. I love being in school. I love learning. I love taking classes. And I'm always looking and striving to get better and to know more about what I'm doing. Yeah. And also, I would do something to help support and promote other artists in the area. I mean, we have friends, we have family. And I know so many great artists, so many great area artists with incredibly vibrant practices that really deserve to be seen and supported.
[0:31:46] BB: You could be that little art investment angel.
[0:31:51] HCD: Yes, the anonymous art investment angel. Yes.
[0:31:54] BB: That's wonderful. You have your studio in the Mosaic Collective here in Manchester. Tell us a little bit about what it's been like working and showing in this space.
[0:32:04] HCD: It's been a fantastic opportunity. I'm so lucky to have a space here and to be able to work with the people that I work with. What Liz Pieroni has put together is amazing. It's a place where people in the community have a voice. It is a low barrier entry. So whether you're a high school student or whether you're an established professional, it's a space where you can come and show your work.
We've started critique nights. And so if you're interested, keep on checking on the website and Instagram. But it gives me the opportunity or it's given me the opportunity to meet so many different people in the community to share art and ideas and to see who's out there and who's making what. I think that has been one of the best things about being a part is learning about other people's practices.
And New Hampshire, we're mostly a craft state or we're known as a craft state. And a lot of times, when you're in New England, a lot of people want you to just put a lighthouse on it or like paint a pretty mountain. And that's great. That's Right. If that's what you do, that's wonderful. But there's also room for other forms in order to show the figurative, the abstract, the pop art, the things that are a little bit outlandish that your traditional white cube gallery wouldn't pick up on, but are really super cool.
And to be able to work with an artist that is showing their very first piece and their very first show, that's really special. And saying, "Wow, your work looks great over here. Tell me all about it." And hearing about their experience. And a lot of times they're like, "Well, I've always made these things, but I never thought they were good enough." And it's kind of like, "No, it's great. You should show more of your stuff."
[0:34:12] BB: That's wonderful. Great community from Manchester. So many amazing opportunities, as you said, for any creative and any artist to dip their toe into the art world and to get to know more and more about other creatives in New Hampshire and make those connections, because we got to stick together.
[0:34:28] JA: Yeah, absolutely. Stay plugged in.
[0:34:29] HCD: We do. Yeah. I mean, in New Hampshire, we're so spread out in terms of our practice. And now that we no longer have the New Hampshire Art Institute, we have Art at French, which I'm so happy that that's back up and running. But that was a space like when Manchester, you would see kids walking by with their canvases and their projects and it was a much more vibrant art scene when the art institute was here. Change is not always happy change, but yeah.
[0:34:59] BB: Maybe things will continue to evolve in the future. Yeah.
[0:35:02] HCD: You know what, I hope so. If there's a lot of alternative spaces opening up and people are getting really creative about where they're making art, where they're showing, how they're showing it. Yeah. I mean, there's definitely a ton of room for growth. But there's also a lot of underground activity that's percolating up as nature abhors a vacuum. People are finding ways to show their work, to come together, to find classes, to do all these things.
[0:35:38] JA: Yeah, it feels like very organic the way things are growing up around it. Did Mosaic ever overlap with NHIA at all?
[0:35:46] HCD: I think NEC had taken over NHIA. And NEC was still in the buildings and kind of operated the institute as a satellite.
[0:35:56] BB: Right. Yeah. And then they moved up to Henniker. Yeah.
[0:35:59] HCD: Yeah. Which, I mean, I understand them moving up to Henniker and whatever. But I don't know. I just feel like Henniker is so far out of the way compared to Manchester. But all things said and done. I'm really grateful that Art of French is still going, that Mosaic is here, that there's Queerlective that's doing a lot of work. There's Kimball Jenkins and Pillar up in Concord. There are all these spaces that are really getting creative and helping art survive and thrive in our community.
[0:36:31] BB: Well, I think on that note, it might be time for rapid-fire questions. That's a great way to spin off into our next section here.
[0:36:38] JA: Let's go.
[0:36:39] BB: The first one is What other artist has influenced you the most?
[0:36:42] HCD: Oh gosh. I would have to say my mom. But also, I don't know, there's just so many. Too many good ones. Too many good ones.
[0:36:53] BB: It's a hard question to answer.
[0:36:54] HCD: Yeah, that's a hard one to answer because there's so many great answers to that. I don't know. I would have to say – oh, Ann Hamilton is one of them, the installation artist. Just her big, wild projects. I aspire to do that someday.
[0:37:12] BB: Oh, that would be great. There you go. Your unlimited amount of money. There you go, some huge installation projects.
[0:37:16] HCD: Yeah, there you go. Yes, and a million different helpers and all the space in the world. Yes.
[0:37:21] JA: Do you have a favorite color?
[0:37:24] HCD: Black. It goes with everything.
[0:37:26] BB: Favorite scent?
[0:37:28] HCD: Ooh, that is another hard one. I'm between like when you're sautéing butter, and garlic, and onions, you know? You get the alums and the butter.
[0:37:38] BB: Yes. You get your aromatics going.
[0:37:40] HCD: And you can smell that. And you get hungrier and hungrier. Yeah.
[0:37:45] BB: I don't know if we've ever had that response. That's a good one. Now I'm really hungry.
[0:37:49] HCD: Yeah, I think that's why I gave that response right now.
[0:37:52] JA: Favorite sound.
[0:37:54] HCD: Oh, I think that would have to be like a raging thunderstorm. I love that.
[0:37:59] BB: Yeah. Favorite texture to touch?
[0:38:02] HCD: Ooh, that would be feathers. Feathers. I don't know. Chicken feathers.
[0:38:12] JA: Most inspiring location you've traveled to.
[0:38:14] HCD: Iceland.
[0:38:15] BB: Oh, I love Iceland.
[0:38:18] HCD: Iceland is fabulous.
[0:38:20] BB: Yeah, I feel like that's a go-to. It's not that long of a flight out of Boston either.
[0:38:26] HCD: No, it's not.
[0:38:26] JA: I've never been.
[0:38:28] HCD: Oh. Well, I mean –
[0:38:29] BB: There's time.
[0:38:30] HCD: You travel 10 miles and you are in a completely different landscape. It's wild.
[0:38:36] BB: It's like going to Mars.
[0:38:37] HCD: Yeah, it is.
[0:38:39] BB: Last new thing you learned?
[0:38:42] HCD: Oh, geez. What is the last? This sounds really weird and kind of morbid, but somebody was telling me last week that the first flowers that a man usually receives is at his funeral.
[0:38:59] BB: Oh my gosh!
[0:38:59] HCD: It's a good time for Valentine's Day. So buy your guys flowers.
[0:39:03] JA: Yeah.
[0:39:04] HCD: Get them flowers.
[0:39:04] BB: That's a great idea. I think I might do that. Okay. And then this is our your clincher question. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?
[0:39:16] HCD: Network. Get to know other artists. Get to know your art community. Share ideas. Get in there early, and don't be afraid to ask for help.
[0:39:29] JA: I love that.
[0:39:30] BB: That's perfect. Well, with that, thank you, Hannah. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today.
[0:39:37] HCD: Oh, thank you, Becky. Thank you, Joe. This is awesome.
[0:39:39] BB, JA, HCD: Show us your creative guts.
[OUTRO]
[0:39:46] BB: A huge thank you to Hannah for joining us on Creative Guts. Joe, I don't know about you, but I am so in awe and inspired by what Hannah shared with us.
[0:39:55] JA: Yeah, same. I was just so excited just hearing her inspiration and what she was driven by and just in awe of the fact that she's both a full-time teacher and a full-time artist.
[0:40:06] BB: Yeah, I think especially because you and I, we teach full-time too, we have all these goals and aspirations to continue our professional practice and it's hard.
[0:40:15] JA: It's so hard. Yeah.
[0:40:15] BB: And the fact that she's finding that time and she finds it in the smallest little sections of her day, whether it's at school, whether it's driving in the car or first thing in the morning, she finds a way to schedule it in and that is something that I think a lot of working artists and art teachers we all try and strive to. And looking forward to figuring out how I can make that work more in the coming months.
[0:40:38] JA: Same. Yeah. And I was just super envious at her ability to articulate three very different bodies of work, but they all make sense in context to her. And just very clearly practicing a different vision for each body of work and each series and finding places for it to live. And I just sat there just immediately inspired by everything she was saying.
[0:41:01] BB: Well, if any of you out there would like to learn more about Hannah's work and check out some of the links on our episode description and on our website at creativegutspodcast.com. You'll find us on Facebook and Instagram @CreativeGutsPodcast.
[0:41:15] JA: This episode is sponsored in part by the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts. Thank you to our friends in Rochester for their support of the show. If you love listening and want to support Creative Guts, you can make a donation, leave us a review, interact with our content on social media, purchase merch, whatever you're able to do, we appreciate you.
[0:41:33] BB: Thank you for tuning in. We will be back next Wednesday with another episode of Creative Guts.
[0:41:39] JA: Bye.
[0:41:39] BB: Bye-bye.
[END]