Homespun: New works by Matthew Hanna at Popps Packing

Homespun, New works by Matthew Hanna

October 28 -November 25

Gallery hours: Saturdays 12-5 and by appointment

 

Detroit native Matthew Hanna studied fine art at the College for Creative Studies with a concentration in sculpture.  As a curator, he has organized exhibitions for the Willis Gallery, Grey Gallery, Detroit Artists Market and Alley Culture. As a museum professional, he was worked on exhibitions for the Detroit Artists Market, Pewabic Pottery, Center Galleries (CCS), the Ford Gallery at Wayne County Community College District, and currently at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. As an artist, he has exhibited in many Detroit galleries and widely across the United States including Michigan, New York, Florida, New Mexico and Wisconsin.

“Objects are my “words,” the best way I know how to communicate with others about myself, what I understand of the world we share and the things I’ve experienced in my life. This exploration has continued over two decades, learning new methods and techniques, sifting through the detritus, the everyday images and information-saturated world; considering simple, ordinary things that fill everyday life.

Driven by history, faith and fantasy, what engages me is a spiritual devotion to the ritual of art making itself; pounding images into the surface with common tools and vernacular materials.

I pay tribute to folklore demigods, world book heroes and personal histories. By appropriating and adopting elements from the prevalent images of modern culture I am also critiquing and exploring a path of learning about what makes up our culture; the everyday pieces that shape our lives and our thinking. In other words, the small things that defines us.”