Audrey Hyvonen

Big Top Quilts

My current body of work explores the tension between a period of holding and discretionary release. It began as an investigation of shape- containers with a center and a surround, for collections and structures found in the natural world. While the composition in textiles are seemingly whimsical and fantastical, some serious questions that inform the work include: How do we choose when to release something we are holding? Can you possess or exhibit strength and vulnerability simultaneously?

Born in Nashville TN, I was raised in Shaker Heights OH and moved to Amherst MA to attend Hampshire College where I studied a combination of yoga, physics and domestic violence. As an adult I’ve worked as a parent and educator, trained in karate for many years and recently shifted into exploring circus arts. Along the way, I’ve always enjoyed crafting gifts for my loved ones and picked up an interest in quilt making about ten years ago. I now try to spend time in my studio making art with fabric everyday, and am eager to expand that practice.

My recent community projects in Easthampton that have been delightful to initiate include Quilts on Stilts, A Traffic Calming Quilt Parade with Slow Stitch Sit-ALong in August 2015 and the Circus Sketch Lab series planned for Spring 2016. Both of these projects earned their financial support through ECA+, the town of Easthampton, as well as other LCCs.

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