HAND SEWN MASKS by Kathrine Page

Hutchings is a multidisciplinary artist, futurist, and educator. She received her MFA from the University of Delaware in Studio Art. But it was her BFA from Towson University in Interdisciplinary Object Design, a hybrid of digital fabrication, craft, and sculpture that seized my attention. As a result, I invited Hutchings to compete in the coveted Hennessy Experiment at The Delaware Contemporary, for which she landed a spot in January 2020. Her room-with-a-view exhibition explores the classic MCM (mid-century modern) diner. Using hand-fabricated iconic aluminum vintage tables and other familiar props in an all-too-perfect awkward uniformity belie something less palatable: institutionalized racism that still exists today. Hutchings dares to subvert the script by inviting viewers “to question their own version of reality” or flip the script by reexamining their own role in promoting a kinder, more inclusive alternative reality. With Hutchings in mind, I created this mask with fabric right out of MCM color and design, buttons from Great Aunt Dorothy’s 1960s collection, and embroidered trim roundels that echo the fabric’s pattern.

MATERIALS: 100% Cotton, polyester ribbon and notions, Pellon interfacing.

https://www.decontemporary.org/hennessy-experiment-hutchings