We recently connected with Morgan Hale and have shared our conversation below.

Morgan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

From a young age, I loved creating things. Other interests have come and gone but making art has always stuck around. After I was accepted to Massachusetts College of Art and Design, I toured the school and fell in love with the fibers department studios. There were rows of beautiful wood floor looms, big windows, and a huge yarn closet. I knew I wanted to learn how to weave and be in that amazing space. Once I learned, the process, the possibilities, and the repetitive motions kept me coming back. After college, I continued making art and then moved into making more functional items. One thing I wish I had learned was more in-depth information on running your own business. While some of the basics were touched upon in school, I think more business-related classes could benefit many art students. I have spent hours researching and teaching myself the numerous tasks that it takes to run a small business and it was a slow process to seek out the information on my own.
I do think going to art school was essential for me though. Having the dedicated time to learn about art history, textile processes, and explore different materials was very important. I could have learned those things on my own but combining them with the ability to work in a studio with fellow artists, get feedback and participate in critiques and show my work through school galleries were experiences only art school could offer as a package.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a Brooklyn-based artist with a focus on floor loom weaving. The work I create comes together at the intersection of art, craft, and design, with emphasis and expertise in textile techniques. If you’re unfamiliar with looms and weaving, I’ll fill you in. The basic definition of a loom is a device used to weave cloth. Looms can be as simple as a frame with yarn wrapped around it in one direction, which is the warp, then the weaver inserts yarn in the opposite direction, which is the weft. This combination of warp and weft creates the weaving. My work is done on a floor loom which is a large, durable wood and metal structure that is completely hand-operated, its many connected parts allow it to create complex designs.

I have been weaving since 2012 but continue to expand my practice by exploring new materials that oppose the traditional softness of textiles and blend into the realm of sculpture. Currently, I weave with paper yarn on my loom to create flat, interlocking double-layered pieces. Once off the loom, the pieces are hand manipulated to create depth and shape. The resulting forms are diaphanous yet structural. These woven sculptures reference moments and memories observing nature. The pieces draw inspiration from trailing plants, light streaming between trees, the setting sun, driving down a tree-lined street, and other snapshots of nature. In past projects, I used a painterly plaster technique on hand-woven panels. I would apply the plaster in different ways and mask off areas to create textural and dimensional surfaces. Themes of time and perception are common in my work, but sometimes I simply play with color, shape, and material.

One of my favorite recent projects was Plein Air Weaving, an outdoor weaving demonstration. Although usually associated with painting, this act of creating outdoors allows the artist to capture changing light in any medium more easily. Drawing from this I set up my floor loom in a park near my Brooklyn studio, working in the moment to create weavings that explore the passing of time and the movement of light and shadow. The event was open to the public and the weavings were given away to people from the community as part of a free raffle during the event. I was awarded a City Artist Corps Grant which helped make this event possible.

Making fine art is my current passion but I make functional work which is very rewarding too. For a few years after college, I created items like blankets, pillows, scarves, hand towels, and coasters. I have been commissioned to make many of these types of items and more recently I wove room divider panels upon clients’ requests. Working on client commissions is a fun challenge, clients usually have a vision for something that is an offshoot of an existing work of mine but sometimes they’re looking for something completely new. I love seeing where the collaboration between their ideas and my execution lands.

Alongside my personal practice, I wrote, illustrated, and self-published a beginner’s weaving guide titled Weaving Untangled in 2021. This introduction covers recommended tools, creating a warp, loom setup, how to read a pattern draft, weaving tips, finishing techniques, resources, and more. There are illustrations included throughout to guide the process. I also offer one-on-one weaving classes in my studio which take students through the process outlined in my book to create a custom project.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think more funding for artists is key for supporting us and producing a thriving creative ecosystem. Let’s start at the elementary school level by ensuring art programs are well-funded and students have access to many materials. At the college level, I believe tuition should be free but a step in that direction would be more public art schools with tiered tuition rates. I attended the only public art school in the US, MassArt, which offers in-state, New England, and out-of-state tuition rates.

If you can make it through college as an artist it can be hard to find a career path that is fulfilling financially and creatively. Compared to more traditional “9 to 5” employment the trajectory of an artist can be similar to riding a rollercoaster. There can be many ups and downs and many hurdles, especially financially. Benefits like insurance tend to be a much higher expense and paid time off doesn’t exist when you work for yourself. Post-school funding is so important for keeping artists going after they leave the safety net of college. A program called Creatives Rebuild NY was recently launched, offering guaranteed income for artists and an artist employment program. Programs like this are moving in the right direction to support artists and creatives in the long term.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There are so many great aspects to being an artist. I love the process of creating, from making the initial sketch to figuring out how it will come together, to adding the finishing touches. Being able to share and discuss my work with people who may have never seen anything like it before is also incredibly fulfilling. But the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is having the ability to create something out of nothing. This may seem obvious to non-creatives but I think many artists forget what a wonderful talent this is. Taking an idea and turning it into something tangible isn’t something everyone can do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.morgan-hale.com
• Instagram: @m.h.a.l.e
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morganhalestudio