Darci Hanna
MFA ’24 Fine Arts 2D
As an interdisciplinary artist, art historian, and curator, I am fascinated by the places where nature and culture interact. My research often explores instances where biology and physiology become enmeshed in social and religious narratives and power structures. In recent work I have focused on the complicated cultural landscape surrounding gender roles, objectification, breastfeeding, and early motherhood. Another source of inspiration is our perception of nature (when we are increasingly removed from daily contact with wild plants, animals, and wilderness areas). Combining research and practice, I explore historic techniques and utilize them to approach today’s pressing concerns. In addition to painting, printmaking, and sculpting, I often use techniques from historically marginalized domestic arts such as sewing, quilting, weaving, and embroidering.
Interdisciplinary artist and curator Darci Hanna grew up raising longhorn cattle on a farm in rural Kansas and traveling the competitive rodeo circuit with her parents. She studied art history and studio art at the University of Kansas before moving to Massachusetts to complete an MA in art history at Williams College. After fifteen years of curatorial work in museums, she recently completed an MFA at MassArt with a focus on printmaking and textile arts.
