Through March 17 we at the Coffee Hound will be exhibiting the work of Megan Hinds at our Normal location for our Coffee Hound Featured Artist Series.
Having become interested in art at a young age, Megan further developed her creative abilities throughout high school and later at Parkland Community College and Illinois State University where she double majored with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts and Studio Art. Among the artistic forms Megan has worked with are glass blowing, printmaking, and drawing, with her prints and drawings often setting the groundwork for the creation of paper sculptures and, at times, large installations that possess a style that focuses on repeated patterns, “the multiple” as Hinds referred to it, as it exists “in the insect, animal, or human worlds.”
When asked about her inspirations, Megan cited, “the homemaking of the honeybee, the journey of a monarch migration, the synchronized flashing of a firefly swarm and the congregation hunting of a dragonfly” as awe-inspiring aspects of nature that make her wonder how such seemingly simple creatures could “be responsible for such epic feats of organization and creativity,” then went on to say her “ongoing investigation of the collective brilliance, communication and swarm accumulation of insects is what fuels [her] artwork.”
With regard to the experience people take away from her work, Megan explained, “As a viewer moves closer to the realm I have created, the focal point of the habitat becomes more organized, focused, and infinite. The intimate and welcoming space gives desires of entering this swarm of insects, allowing one to weave through the masses filled with determination, purpose, and interaction. These pieces offer exploration, discovery, and movement integrated so as to display communication and continuity in community seen in their realm to then explore in our own socializing.”
Among the artists Megan admires most are Ernesto Neto, Jiyoung Chung, Lisa Kellner, and, fashion designer, Ulla Johnson, although, currently Megan says she is most “obsessed with paper artist Jacob Hashimoto,” who, “creates three dimensional patterns with small kites.”
Megan’s work has been displayed at The Fourth Wall, the Friends of the Arts’ Seventh Annual PostCard Art Exhibition, the Boneyard Arts Festival, and several locations around McClean County. Megan is also the proud winner of the 2014 Student Annual, Illinois State University Galleries’ “Normal Editions Workshop Best Undergraduate Award”.
Currently Megan is “working on prints and patterns for fashion designer Taylor Bingham’s spring line…doing a collaboration where,” she creates “the pattern of the fabric and [Bingham] transforms it into her cutting edge clothing.”
To learn more about Megan’s work you can visit her website megan-hinds.com or stop by our Normal location and see it up close!
