Give it a punch! Christopher Rowley’s Technique The Regrettable Truth of the Cliché by Christopher Rowley opened on Artsy.net today! What amazing work. Four of his pieces are in the Windows on Cedar Project at Susan Hensel Gallery as well, so people who are local or travel to Minneapolis can see them in person. […]
Fine Embroidered Art, Fiber Art, & Textile Is For Sale View the fine embroidered art created by Minneapolis’ one and only Susan Hensel. Susan has a wide range of artistic abilities and is a gifted and innovative creator. In Susan’s more than fifty years showing her work, she has fused embroidery, digital, and manual mixed media practices to combine stunning pieces, shown around the globe. […]
A Long post about Vacations and Bathrooms I just returned from 2 glorious, restorative weeks on the shores of Lake Superior. A beautiful surprise appeared shortly before I packed up to come back to Minneapolis, were 2 beach artworks by Dale Kennedy. I arrived to a torn -up house. The Gallery looks like a hazmat site! Do you remember the scene in the movie ET when they wrapped the house and entered in hazmat suits to try to capture ET? That's what the gallery/studio looks like! "Why?" you may ask. Well, the renovation continues. I am installing a full bathroom on the first floor. It takes away some of the exhibition space, but will be worth it in the end. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the house, more bathroom action. As you probably know, I live above the gallery. The bathroom upstairs was falling apart...in fact it is a wonder the toilet did not fall through the floor. But when I got home a few days ago, everything was stripped out of that bathroom and the fixtures were back ordered! My personal bathroom as it looks today. So, in the middle of the night, and all day too, I have [...]
Robyn Hendrix Contraption in the Windows on Cedar Project Robyn Hendrix Contraption in the Windows on Cedar Project. What a pleasure it is to present Robyn Hendrix quirky watercolors in the windows! She first showed with Susan Hensel Gallery in 2009. ( The Leap of Faith 5) This suite, playing with transparency and light is entitled CONTRAPTIONS. […]
Installation The gallery is a quiet studio, talk radio in the background. This Saturday, it will light up with the second South Minneapolis Wild Wool Market. Ideas have been knocking around in my head that involves the little dresses again, but in 3-d with fiber. SO, I today I began. I like the relationships that are developing among the parts, although it is still too linear, simply curated objects rather than a full 3-d experience. I think the placenta dress needs to hang in space rather like the stuffed dress at the left.But with the wool market arriving in a couple of days, I will leave it as is for now. Susan Hensel Gallery The focus of Susan Hensel Gallery is on compelling objects, meaningful use of materials, and engaging sculpture. It is a gallery where experimental ideas and works of the hand join to create unique sensory experiences. Opened September 10th, 2004 Susan Hensel Gallery is a gallery/ workspace presenting 5-6 shows per year in an intimate space, with hardwood floors and high tin ceilings. In 2013 the interior space reverted to a working studio for Susan Hensel where she [...]
Study with Adrienne Sloane Study with Adrienne Sloane (Leslie D., Martha B.,Deb G.,Fran N., me, Adrienne Sloane) The class, Knitting and the Political Landscape, by Adrienne Sloane, finally taught this longtime knitter (like 40 years on and off) HOW to knit. The goal was to accumulate enough skills to be able to knit in a sculptural manner. It was so HARD ON MY HANDS! (The nearly 50 years of art working have taken a toll!) BUT, stay tuned. Things may happen! I organized and added a few needles to the stash and do have plans involving shifu, audio tape and wool. It was a power-packed class. The lists and the bulletin boards barely cover the intensity. We sampled, sampled and sampled, technique after technique, stretching our knitting concepts and forms into three dimensional space. In the end, yarn bombing happened. Leslie, with the help of Martha, knit a garter for a baluster outside of Yudof Hall. Other bombs were sprinkled through McNeil Hall Susan Hensel Gallery The focus of Susan Hensel Gallery is on compelling objects, meaningful use of materials, and engaging sculpture. It is a gallery where experimental ideas [...]
Sydney Aquarium after hours I was not particularly looking forward to the Sydney Aquarium...You know, seen one seen them all. And I suppose it was not that unusual as aquariums go. BUT we got to see it with no strollers, no screaming kids, no cranky parents! The most exciting thing was seeing 2 real platypus! The were quite small, swimming far to quickly for my camera to catch them in the dark water. Holly is a woman from Florida who wears fine jewelry and always arrives fashionably and creatively dressed. Except for the Florida connection, I would never have dreamed of her special talent. Holly can talk to the sea creatures, even through the glass, and they appear to listen. Holly's normal voice is quite loud, brash, carrying far. When she talks to the sea creatures, she speaks with the tone of a new lover, sweet & inviting. The leopard ray came right to the glass and seemed to reach out to her. The dugong stopped sleeping, and swam to her. About Susan Hensel Gallery Opened September 10th, 2004 Susan Hensel Gallery was a gallery/ workspace presenting 5-6 shows per [...]
The Gallery is pregnant? Things are brewing, even as sabbatical continues. It is an exciting time in the quiet gallery. Nothing is hanging on the wall. Everything is pregnant with potential! The windows are growing and blooming with the art by Debora Miller. Drive by, especially after dark to see them at their best! Soon we will have another South Minneapolis Wild Wool Market: October 23. In December a new show will open...its title is unknown...but it is a collaboration between Susan Hensel and her son John Hensel. John is a fine photographer who is able to take an idea, a glimmer, really, and make it sing. I had a weird idea that involved yarn that told a story. His photography makes that potential story real. Stay tuned for dates! The party will be sometime over the Christmas holidays, since that is when he visits Minneapolis. And then, Dean Ebben's show will open in January. Dean is a local guy who moved on to New York. He comes back every year to see family and to teach at Minnesota Center for Book Arts. On January 14 he will open IN THE HOUSE OF THE MINERAL SPIRITS at Susan [...]
As summer slowly arrives... The coming months at Susan Hensel Gallery will be pretty quiet... Well, not exactly quiet. A lot will be going on, but there will be no exhibitions scheduled for a couple of months. My summer exhibitor had to cancel for various reasons, leaving a hole in the schedule. Rather than fill the hole, I will be using the time and space to rest and spend time making my own art. I'm thinking of it as a trial run for my retirement! There will also be workmen around replacing windows! What will I be doing? Well, any number of things. First I will be filling the empty walls ( No, they are not empty yet! Carolyn Halliday's show continues until July 12) with huge sheets of paper so I can make really BIG drawings! But mostly I will be working on a couple of sculptures and installations. I will continue to dye and spin wool...Some will be for sale here and in my ETSY shop. Some will be used in my artwork. I will still keep Monday hours. The wool shop will be more open. It won't have to hide to prevent competition with the exhibitions. Textile [...]
Book Bombing, in situCarolyn Halliday, who will be our June artist, helped disseminate a Book Bomb! […]
