Bryant Holsenbeck – An Interview
Bryant Holsenbeck, a sculptural textile artist and environmental activist from North Carolina, began her creative journey with a deep love for three-dimensional art forms. She grew up immersed in the world of tactile materials and has always been “a maker, a gatherer, a tinker, a what-if-we did it this way kind of girl…”
Basket-making originally spoke to Holsenbeck because it mirrored the meditative qualities of pottery, which is how she started her career. Inspired by indigenous practices emphasizing hunting and gathering materials, Holsenbeck began transforming discarded plastics, grapevines, and reeds into intricate baskets, embracing their imperfections rather than striving for uniformity. Her baskets quickly gained popularity, prompting her next venture, creating sculptural hats.
Holsenbeck’s career took a pivotal turn during her residency at Headlands Center for the Arts on the coast of California. She arrived without any materials and created using only found materials like mail packaging and metal cans. Her initial pieces received mixed reactions, but they left a lasting impact, encouraging her commitment to environmental activism and deepened her practice of transforming trash into beauty.
Holsenbeck’s current work is inspired by observations of local wildlife and continues to blend artistry and activism. In her biography, she explains: “As an artist and a sculptor, I look to the natural world to understand how things are made”. She focuses on the curves of the animals she creates and what makes them distinct, using plastic bags as filler and adding bits of fabric or plastic to help produce her shapes. These unique works perfectly reflect her belief in the power of creativity.
Today, Holsenbeck also enjoys teaching her methods to others, and she’ll be in Atlanta teaching Wrapping Wild: Creating Sculptural Animals from Recycled Materials on October 19 and 20, 2024. Don’t miss your opportunity to study with Bryant and to transform your fabric scraps, old buttons, broken jewelry, and plastic bags into three-dimensional animals – real or imagined.