SIENA HANCOCK
Siena Hancock (THEY/THEM) is a multidisciplinary non-binary artist born in 1993. Since graduating from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design with their BFA in 2016, they have traveled extensively and participated in several AiR programs. Now based in Boston, most recently they were awarded the Emerging Studio Artist Fellowship through the MFA Boston in 2020 as well as the Annex Fellowship at Fountain Street Gallery in SOWA in 2021. As Lead Fabricator and Studio Manager at Ross Art Studios, a state-of-the-art glass fabrication studio based in Hyde Park, Hancock creates objects for influential contemporary artists, designers, and architects as well as utilizing their unique glass knowledge and fabrication skills in their personal work.
What kind of process went into organizing βDeGlassificationβ? What were some of your biggest considerations with this project?
Quite a lot went into the organization of this show. I was the one who originally came up with the concept and planned the submission we sent into BAC to be considered for the Beacon St Gallery space. I had begun to make this new body of work which utilized glass as its main component and knew I wanted to show it in some capacity. Lindsy Marshall and I met when we both went through the glass program at MassArt. We have always made work that was somewhat related in form and aesthetics, so I knew my new work would fit in well with her already expansive body of glass work. Therefore, I approached Lindsy with the idea for a two-person show exploring glassβ unique material structure and language. The idea was that we both make glass objects that are outside of the bounds of the everyday expectations. Once we received notification that we had been selected for a show at Beacon St, I eagerly took the lead on organizing and communication. The show was sort of my baby, and I had a vision of where it would go. Regardless, throughout the process of organizing the show Lindsy and I collaborated on all decisions. Overall we worked very well together because we already knew each other quite well and how the other worked. We split responsibilities when it came to organizing the events that are planned for the exhibition. There will be a reception, a pop-up for various glasswares in Sanctuary, as well as an artist talk, and I will be teaching a glass class at BAC this summer. We originally planned to be teaching the class together, but unfortunately scheduling changes made this impossible.
How did your relationship with art and artistic expression begin?
I donβt think I was fully aware that I was an artist for a long time and then decided to apply to art school at the very last minute in high school. I grew up going to museums and galleries around the city with my family. I had always made these weird objects and doodled in my margins, but I didnβt know that I wanted to be an Artist. On a whim, I decided to apply to art school, made my whole portfolio in a month and only applied to MassArt. Even once I was in the art school environment I think it took me a while to really figure it out. With a few years of experience in the field, I now feel like I am really hitting my stride and know what kind of work I want to make.
As a multimedia artist, tell us about your favorite medium and why it calls to you.
Obviously I love glass, but I also hate glass. It's what you would call a love/hate relationship. I love it because I know so much about it, I feel like I know how to make almost anything using glass. The unique chemistry of glass makes it a very nerdy material to work in, there is a lot of specific knowledge necessary to work with it. The access I have to it thanks to my position managing a well regarded glass fabrication studio allows me to play with many types of glass. We make work for artists, designers, and architects from all over the world. And we make incredibly varied works, so I get to experience working with the material in a myriad of ways.
When I hate glass it is because of the connotation that it comes with as a material associated with a craft movement. I respect Glass Artists and many of my mentors and friends are part of or were part of the Contemporary Craft Glass movement. I identify very strongly as a sculptor, installation, and interdisciplinary artist- NOT a Glass Artist. I had avoided making work in glass since graduating from MassArt because of worrying about being pigeonholed as a craft artist. I wish that there was more acceptance of craft artists in the mainstream art world, but in my experience these artists are usually relegated to a completely separate arena that is often viewed as less than by the art world establishment. I think this concept is a huge part of why I conceived of the idea for DeGlassification. It's not just about negating the physical aspects of glass, but also about this connotation of the material being less than or less serious than other sculptural mediums.
In your bio on your website, you describe how you strive to create works that question many societal structures, like gender and capitalism. How do you approach these topics through art, and what response do you seek from viewers?
I believe that art imitates life, and these are structures that shape my life as well as everyone else in our society. My art is merely my own interpretation and ideas about these structures. It is important to me to not seek any particular response from my viewer. For example, with my work around social media, I donβt mean for these works to be some kind of judgment on social media or demand that folks stop using these platforms. I simply have made these observations, think it's pretty funny, and then made some art about it. Ideally, the work would cause the viewer to stop and think for a minute, but I donβt know what they will think and I donβt possess any desire to control the outcome of that thought process.
Where do you look for inspiration? How have your inspirations evolved over time?
I find inspiration everywhere, like most artists. In regards to the work in DeGlassification, my inspiration comes very specifically from my work as a fabricator at Ross Art Studio (RAS). The studio I work for is a state-of-the-art custom glass fabrication studio, where we create objects for high-profile artists, architects and designers. The body of work in the show was inspired by both the actual physical process of how artworks are being fabricated as well as in a metaphysical sense of questioning why and how these artworks come to fruition. I am constantly inspired by the beauty that I find in the mundane processes of fabricating the artworks that I do at RAS. Much of the materials and textures that went into this work are something that I have been admiring throughout the last eight years that I have worked on and off at RAS. To create the cast glass works in the show, I use wax flows that form while we steam molds, I have been collecting these over the past two years. At first I didnβt know what I was going to do with them, just that I really liked them aesthetically. The process has been somewhat seamless, with each step happening naturally as I come to have the materials for it. For example, when making rubber molds for a client, I will use the leftovers to pour small molds of the collected wax forms. These are used to make many wax parts which are then assembled together to make the sculptures you see in the show.
I began making this work as a response to the burn out that I felt as a result of starting to work full time as a fabricator. Previously, I had been working sporadically between residencies and other projects. Once I started working full time, I felt a much bigger strain on my ability to continue these other projects by the time I got home at the end of the day. This is not unique to me. Most artists have a day job and have to balance making their art and work. In my case, I am doing both the physically and mentally demanding work that is making the art of other artists. Often I would be working late hours in the studio to meet their deadlines, and then stressing to meet deadlines of my own. My response to this was to start making work with detritus from the studio, this way I could fit my work in between projects throughout long days at work.The leftovers of other artists then becomes my own work.
What is βARTβ to you?
Art is a form of communication.
What has been the most challenging part of your journey as an artist? And what has been the most rewarding?
The most challenging part of being an artist for me has been how insular artmaking can become once you are outside of an academic environment. This has been even more true for the last few years because of the pandemic. I am the only one setting deadlines for myself as well as being the one to enforce them. Everything requires my motivation and dedication to come from within rather than having an authority figure or peer help to hold me accountable. I have had to adapt to do it by myself and for myself. In this sense it has also become the most rewarding part of my journey as well. I know that I have the ability and drive to make amazing things happen. I can push myself to work crazy hours and make objects using only my own knowledge and abilities, and it then turns into this fantastic thing called art. The fact that I can do this on my own without anyone helping me or telling me to do it is ultimately more rewarding than the finished product or any accolades I could receive from an exterior source.
What is one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring artist?
Take good photos! If you canβt take them yourself make sure you pay someone else to take them, or make a trade with a friend or colleague. I am notoriously bad at taking photos and videos, so I always make sure to line up a good photographer, usually one of my friends, for shows or application season. So much of our society now experiences life through the internet. Your applications will be digital, most folks' first impression of your work will be online, and your best tool for exposure is the internet and social media. This means the photos you release of your work arguably end up being more important than the work itself. You can have a completely brilliant and well crafted sculpture, but if your photos arenβt up to scuff, it is much less likely people will recognize how great the piece is.
Whatβs next for you?
Iβm not sure yet. I have spent the last three months working crazy hours to balance my job and preparing for this show, so I would like to rest, recover, and enjoy my accomplishments for a while. After a short respite, I would love to have a solo show. During the process of creating the works that are in DeGlassification, I began several other related projects that unfortunately were not able to be completed in time for the show, but I am planning to finish them soon! I would like to expand on both the series in this show as well as my new projects for a solo exhibition. I really enjoy the collaborative process of working with other artists as well and would like to have more opportunities to curate or create with other creatives. Recently I have been applying to attend some residencies again, as they used to be an essential part of my practice. I had taken a break from traveling during the pandemic for obvious reasons, but now most residencies have returned to near normal function.
Contact Siena at siehancock@gmail.com
