ABOUT THE RESIDENCY

A house is a form of architecture that many people have a relationship with—either inhabited, visited, or spent some kind of time inside. For some, it is a symbol (of what exactly?), an infringement, an obstacle. For some, it is a home, a trap, a burden— like the library, it has its own architectural teachings. During her time in residence Hannigan will create an artist book. This book will explore and examine her experiences and memories of depersonalization, specifically in the contexts of queerness, class, landscape/ruralness, and mental illness.

In a series of workshops, forms of book-making, visual poetry, and/or writing exercises will be introduced to participants, with the space to interpret these forms as new architecture, if not context, for what experiences may need to heal. Conversations of ourselves, our art, or our experiences may accompany these exercises. Participants will be invited to house their work on the shelves, as we create an intimate home of our work. This includes bringing objects and materials that accentuate the library as a house/home space—pillows, plants, candle, photographs, garments, etc. Like a house, it is the intent that the work, exercises, and library will evolve with those who inhabit it.

ABOUT CATIE HANNIGAN

Catie Hannigan is a queer poet and visual artist whose work incorporates poetry, typography, installation, and photography, with an emphasis on what is simple and deliberate. She has been awarded residencies at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Blackfly Writing Retreat, and the Stonecoast Writer’s Conference. Her paper-based sculptures and artist books have been primarily installed on Peaks Island, ME and New Fruit Studio in Portland, ME. She is the author of What Once Was There Is The Most Beautiful Thing (DIAGRAM 2015) and Water Fragments (Tammy Journal 2017). She is the founder & director of Meadow; a creative space for women, lgbtqia+, gender non-conforming, POC, and/or other marginalized artists & writers in Portland, OR and received her MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

9/24 - 10:30a-1:30p
9/25 - 10:30a-1:30p
9/29 - 12-6pm (workshop 2-4:30p)
10/1 - 10:30a - 1:30p
10/2 - 10:30a - 1:30p
10/6 - 12-6pm (workshop 2-4:30p)
10/8 - 10:30a - 1:30p
10/9 - 10:30a - 1:30p
10/15- 10:30a -1:30p
10/16- 10:30a - 1:30p
10/20- 12-6pm (closing event, 6:30 - 9pm)

ERASURE WORKSHOP
Saturday, 9/29, 2-4:30pm
An erasure is a piece of writing (sometimes including visual elements/mixed media) that is created by erasing words from an original/pre-written text, to create a new text with new meaning. Erasure can be a powerful exercise in re-establishing a narrative, be it personal, historical, and/or societal, and a creative process that is both surprising and freeing. We will discuss how erasure works, look at examples, and converse about our ideas, goals, and questions. Participants are asked to bring a book, your own or another’s text, or some other form of text (a letter, flyer, diary entry, certificate, report, essay, etc.) to create an erasure. Consider a text with personal significance related to house & home, though this is not required. Some texts will be available for erasure, and erasing supplies (markers, paints, white out, etc.) will be provided.

OBJECT ODES
Saturday, 10/6, 2-4:30pm
To begin curating our house/home space, participants will be asked to bring a small object to temporarily archive at the library. You are encouraged to select objects with personal significance, a relationship to the house/home, and objects that will enhance our space as a
home. We will discuss what an ode is, its purpose, and use generative writing exercises to write our own odes about our objects, or the objects of others that may inspire you. Once the object is temporarily shelved, participants will be asked to fill out an archive form (and may include the ode), to be available for the public to read upon encountering the object. We will house these objects throughout the residency period, including the final residency exhibition. Potential objects: plants, photographs, trinkets, a dish, a garment, a book, etc.

DREAM HOUSE x CLOSING EVENT
Saturday, 10/20, 6:30 - 9pm
All participants and public are invited to the Working Library to view all the work created over the course of Textual Teachings— including the erasure, object ode, and box book archives, my personal archive, library, and the work I produce over the residency. Everyone is
invited to draw your “dream house,” to be photographed and digitally archived. The exhibition will also include a poetry reading.