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Penland Artist in Residence Andrew Hayes in on campus today, talking with Adrian Art Department Majors about a creative life post-graduation. Andrew was born in Tucson, AZ and studied sculpture at Northern Arizona University. He left school to learn more about metal fabrication by working in the industrial welding trade. Eventually Andrew sought to develop his artistic voice and applied to the Core Fellowship at Penland School of crafts. During his time as a Core Fellow, Andrew explored a variety of materials and technique; the book became a big part of this exploration. In the fall of 2014 Andrew returned to Penland as an Artist in Residence where he plans to continue working with book forms and fabrication. Hayes exhibits nationally, most recently with solo exhibitions at the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, NJ and Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN. His work is included in a number of collections including Yale Art Museum, Black Mountain College, and Wingate University.

Statement:

Book paper and steel are placed in different contexts in our lives. The book is appreciated as an object of education, growth, and escape. Whereas steel is often invisible, even though it is a primary structure of our constructed environment. I strive to level the playing field between these disparate perceptions and materials.
 
I search for harmony between paper and steel that in so many ways possess similar attributes: flexibility, history, mass, and density.
 
Unbound blocks of text lose their original meaning when I cut the pages from their bindings. This allows me to respond to the shape and texture of the paper and give new meaning. Introducing metal to the process gives structure and support to the loose pages, and elevates the steel - a familiar material in industry and architecture - to the level of the book - an object for contemplation. Alongside the paper, the steel becomes graceful, its subtle colors and surface heightened. Bound together, the pages and steel become something new and unified. No longer a book on a shelf, but a unique object with its own strength and story.