Type of Submission
Podium Presentation
Keywords
historical record, culture, immigration, Grandma, quilting
Proposal
Much of my work is about my family and our genealogy. I do a great deal of work about my Grandma Kizer who passed away and her character and background. I have branded myself as a sort of “mini-me” to my Grandma and my Mother. I believe that much of my interest in culture originates from the mindset of older maternal family members. Once they immigrated to the United States, my Great-Grandparents wanted to “Americanize” fully, even if that meant not passing on their language and history. This mystery and loss of knowledge of my Grandmother's family sparked my desire to know and understand more. In a way, my art is my familial/historical record, or atleast the process of my understanding and knowledge seeking. I think that my search has also made me more open and loving towards the cultures around me and has created an eclectic taste of interests.
My current body of work has primarily consisted of oil paint/fabric mixed media; However, I do also work in some charcoal, sculpture, printmaking, and clay. Sewing and working with fabric is something that I learned from my Grandma Kizer and my Mother, and has become what makes me feel most connected to them. I have been diving into quilting techniques and color blocked in portraits, which creates a thread of narrative that flows through much of my work. I also enjoy superimposing blocks of color onto a busier surface in order to flatten it out and guide the eye. This is a way for me to bring a modern touch to the traditional values and community I grew up around.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Copyright
© 2025 Mackenzie R. Hinman. All rights reserved.
Publication Date
2-26-2025
Familial Memory Book
Much of my work is about my family and our genealogy. I do a great deal of work about my Grandma Kizer who passed away and her character and background. I have branded myself as a sort of “mini-me” to my Grandma and my Mother. I believe that much of my interest in culture originates from the mindset of older maternal family members. Once they immigrated to the United States, my Great-Grandparents wanted to “Americanize” fully, even if that meant not passing on their language and history. This mystery and loss of knowledge of my Grandmother's family sparked my desire to know and understand more. In a way, my art is my familial/historical record, or atleast the process of my understanding and knowledge seeking. I think that my search has also made me more open and loving towards the cultures around me and has created an eclectic taste of interests.
My current body of work has primarily consisted of oil paint/fabric mixed media; However, I do also work in some charcoal, sculpture, printmaking, and clay. Sewing and working with fabric is something that I learned from my Grandma Kizer and my Mother, and has become what makes me feel most connected to them. I have been diving into quilting techniques and color blocked in portraits, which creates a thread of narrative that flows through much of my work. I also enjoy superimposing blocks of color onto a busier surface in order to flatten it out and guide the eye. This is a way for me to bring a modern touch to the traditional values and community I grew up around.
