Connective Tissue by Hanna Washburn

Hanna Washburn constructs sculptures from repurposed textiles, furniture, household items, and other utilitarian materials. 

Sewing by hand and working intuitively, Washburn allows her forms to evolve into complex aggregates of color, pattern, and texture that gesture, emote, and hold space. With a background in traditional sewing, Washburn honors and experiments with her inherited process, employing and complicating textile techniques like quilting, embroidery, and upholstery. The use of recycled textiles and household objects spark moments of recognition, as materials once used to cover and comfort take on their own autonomy.  

Washburn’s sculptures are visually and thematically pieced together; a jumble of memories, feelings, and associations that blend, clash, and overlap. In Connective Tissue, anthropomorphic forms are caught in the process of growing and changing: curvy figures are elongating and gesticulating, reaching towards each other and animating the space. Her sculptures use posture and pattern to show how much we carry in our bodies at once: joy, silliness, softness, passion, strain, and longing.  

Connective Tissue also includes a selection of works on paper and small objects that comprise another aspect of Washburn’s practice. These small works are comprised of recycled paper, cardboard packaging, and other materials that are frequently discarded. All Washburn’s work is united by her form of mark-making: bright, visible hand-stitching. This visual and functional element underlines the physical, anatomical aspect of sewing and visualizes the patchwork of identity-forming.