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Introducing Artists in Residence Cycle 12

We are excited to introduce the Cycle 12 of TAC Artists in ResidenceClare HuElaine ShenElizabeth TolsonEmily SmallFrancisco (Echo) ErasoJeanne JalandoniJessica Elena Aquino and Ryan Scails. Over the last two weeks, our 12th cycle of AIR residents have moved into their studios at TAC, and are beginning the process of learning new techniques, getting familiar with the studio and equipment at TAC, and taking new approaches to their practice.

This early period of their residency is meant to be a time for experimentation, learning, and risk taking, so we have asked our residents to share their envisioned goals for their time at TAC, as well as what they might describe as the core of their current practice at the moment.

Clare Hu

clarehu.net & @clare_hu

A large blue and white tarp-like textile hangs from the wall with blackish and whitish fraying around its perimeter and down its center.
Blow Bellow Heave Trail (Along)

What are your goals for the course of your TAC residency?

I'm really looking forward to broadening my technical skill set. I would say I'm more of an avid weaver than anything else - being able to experiment and use the facilities that we have access to is something I'm excited to make use of. I hope to come away with a series of weavings that conceptually push and advance my current body of work.

If you had to describe the core of your current practice — whatever that means to you — in a few words, what would it be and why?

Hazy images, shifting landscapes, temporary boundaries. A large amount of my work revolves around the suburbs of Georgia - it sometimes seems like a constant process of hide and seek working with remembered places and the histories associated with it.

Elaine Shen

elaineshenstudio.com & @elaineshenstudio

A woman is obscured by the large conical dress that masks all but her upper face and calves. The garment, architectural and vase-like, has three protruding bubbles around the body and is fashioned out of a fuzzy cloth of yellow peanut shapes on an orange background.

What are your goals for the course of your TAC residency?

My goals over the course of this residency are to further develop my studio practice (as a recent college graduate, I am still learning about who I am as an artist and designer outside of the context of school), get more involved with the textile community in NYC, and enjoy making without limits!!! I look forward to getting to know other residents as well as familiarizing myself with others who are involved in the textile community here in NYC. I hope to come out of this experience with confidence in my identity and goals as a textile artist and designer.

If you had to describe the core of your current practice — whatever that means to you — in a few words, what would it be and why?

In my current work, I am very interested in themes of love and domestic relationships. I often develop my work through the examination of gestures and bodily feelings in relation to such relationships.

Elizabeth Tolson

elizabethtolson.com & @msliztolson

Elizabeth Tolson of her pink see through fabric sculptures.
Elizabeth with her work

What are your goals for the course of your TAC residency?

I am excited to learn new skills and expand my knowledge of textiles. I intend to create a whole new body of work during my time as a resident. The structure of the program is something I look forward to as I never studied textiles. The past few months have been disruptive and I stepped away from my studio practice to focus on other aspects of my life. I am beyond excited and ready to get back into the studio!

If you had to describe the core of your current practice — whatever that means to you — in a few words, what would it be and why?

 Reproductive rights and education. The lack of accessible information on reproduction and sexual education in the United States is astonishing.  Through my work, based on the female body, I hope to open discussion around these issues.

Emily Small

emilyksmall.com & @e____ks____

Two women in brightly printed, pastel-like, clothing face each other, both of their faces obscured (one obscured by a white object she is holding, and the other with her back to the viewer). Behind them, a hand it putting up a black poster stating, "All The World, Dance Floor!"

What are your goals for the course of your TAC residency?

I have a few goals for my TAC residency. This first, is to continue to establish and maintain a true studio practice. Over this past year I have been meditating on what it means to have a daily practice, the symbolic nature of repetition, the value of consistency in critique, and the ways all of that constructs ‘being'. I am really grateful for the opportunity to be here and continue to have a space to do so. I am also hoping to learn significant career development skills through the mentorships, peers, faculty and workshops, and opportunities I hope to curate for myself. Finally, I hope to develop a body of work that sets me up for a sustained practice of growth and output for my career ahead.

If you had to describe the core of your current practice — whatever that means to you — in a few words, what would it be and why?

My practice focuses on phenomena of grief and optimism — performances of them, questions around them, observations about predicting them, meditations on their universality and/or locality.

Francisco (Echo) Eraso

franciscoechoerasojr.com/home & @realityhasbeenpostponed

A light skin mestizo man squats down surrounded by thick green bushes. He uses black over-the-ear headphones to listen intently to sounds picked up through an audio recorder in his hand but obscured by the foliage. He is wearing a burgundy and grey plaid flannel and black pants.

What are your goals for the course of your TAC residency?

Working on a few large scale woven golden textiles, learning to use TAC's 16 harness floor loom and meditating with plant magic through natural dyes.

If you had to describe the core of your current practice — whatever that means to you — in a few words, what would it be and why?

GOLD - I'm really invested in the legacies of cultural appropriation of golden artifacts, gold mining and mapping different forms of resistance to these types of extractivist value production.

Jeanne Jalandoni

cargocollective.com/jeannefjalandoni & @jfjalandoni.art

On a spread of multiple cloth fans, this example of Jeanne's work centers Filipino food packages as background to a drawing of two women of her family and herself as a child.
Generations, 2019

What are your goals for the course of your TAC residency?

During my time at TAC I hope to challenge my practice in the ways I think about materiality and subject matter. I'm really looking forward to learning how to weave (properly) and have full authority over textile design to incorporate with my paintings. I am also eager to learn from my peers since we all have unique artistic practices, and gaining new methods of problem-solving and creative inspiration.  

If you had to describe the core of your current practice — whatever that means to you — in a few words, what would it be and why?

Lately my mind circles around this mantra, 'remember, learn/teach, and move on'. A big part of my practice involves researching history and I easily get caught in the details of the past, so when I make work I give myself some pressure to really think about how to use that information to propel forward.

Jessica Elena Aquino

aquinoje.com & @aquino.je

Jessica squats in front of a small village setting in front of variously dyed batches of yarn.
Photo Credit: Dominic De Leo

What are your goals for the course of your TAC residency?

This year, for many, has been difficult and unpredictable. However, out of these challenging times, I gained the opportunity to be part of this residency and get back in the studio. So, I welcome with open arms the upcoming hurdles and deep discoveries I will encounter in my art practice…And of course, I look forward developing strong and genuine relationships with my fellow AIR cohort, TAC staff and faculty!

A mass of mostly green yarn pours out of an ovular shape, bounded by rope that hangs from the ceiling, and spills onto the floor
Nepantla, 2018

If you had to describe the core of your current practice — whatever that means to you — in a few words, what would it be and why?

Nepantlera- I move between borders, I stand on the crossroads, I experience nepantla everyday. My practice is the in-between-ness.

Ryan Scails

ryanscails.com & @scailsis

Ryan crouches in front of a spread of white cloth on the floor

What are your goals for the course of your TAC residency?

During my time as a TAC resident I hope to broaden my understanding of materiality, specifically in the realm of sustainable fiber production.

If you had to describe the core of your current practice — whatever that means to you — in a few words, what would it be and why?

Much of my current practice is based on the use of found objects in both my two and three dimensional work. Insomuch as I seek to identify, catalog and amplify the presence of pre-existing materials for new applications. The concept of investigating and recording quantifiable labor drives my intentions in drawing, sculpture, and performance while also influencing my fascination with textile design.

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Artist Highlights TAC Artist in Residence