Ted Hinman
MFA ’22 Fine Arts Low-Residency
As a young person I was ostracized, and I discovered as an adult that I am on the autistic spectrum. When I am creating my art, I forget my disability and exist in a space free from judgment. I lose the sense of otherness I feel. This has led me to want to build a world to include others. Crystal Mount Realm is an offering of an ideal world where all are welcome.
My journey to creating Crystal Mount Realm was one of discovery through the exploration of materials and processes. The drawings on view at MassArt x SoWa paved the way for Crystal Mount Realm, currently installed on MassArt’s campus. My process also involved: forging and shaping steel, brass, and copper; woodworking and wood carving; glassblowing; forming plexiglass crystals; carving, shaping, texturing and painting insulation foam; and lighting.
I see my art as a spiritual process. As a teenager, I came to faith in Jesus, and I draw a spiritual connection between my faith and all that I create as an artist. I have found the passage in the Book of Revelation describing the New Jerusalem to be an inspiration and awareness for humanity.
I also return over and over again to the theme of sowing seeds and the tree of life. For the past twenty years, I have been focused on the Baobab tree that I first encountered as a child reading about the Bottle tree. The plants I incorporate into my art celebrate nature’s perfection.
Featured in:
Ted Hinman of Greenfield, Massachusetts, is a multimedia artist born in New York City in 1963 to artist parents. Ted received his BFA in Sculpture with Departmental Honors at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2000. He worked in metals as an artist-blacksmith and teacher, utilizing traditional hand-forging techniques. Ted’s wide range of exploration into materials includes ceramics, wheelworking, woodworking, basket weaving, felting, and glassblowing. Ted’s works are connected to his spiritual beliefs.
