Hannah Ward (Alumnx

I view my drawings as ceremonial narratives, told for the purpose of healing and nourishment. My work examines the intricacies of religious phenomenon and ritual in relation to the natural world. I am interested in exploring the relationship between the frailties of the tangible body and the resilience of the spirit. I combine local forest wildlife and fragments of the human figure in order to reimagine religious iconography. These dismembered forms are laboriously detailed and rich in sensual color.

Through careful rendering and arrangement, bodies become vulnerable altars, assigned meaning. These tableaux depict delicate and affectionate interactions with violent or unnerving undertones. They speak to sensations of intimacy, anxiety, and grief without context. My work is informed by magical, alchemical, and religious practices, as well as the tarot, macabre historical events, and a lifelong interest in medical anomalies and injuries. Visuals are often dictated by my personal journey with recovery, along with insights I have explored through ritual, meditation, yoga, and alternative medicines.

Recent works articulate a graceful struggle between the sensations of control and surrender. I explore how the construction of images serves as an invocation and generates meaningful connections. These drawings chronicle an awareness that is both haunting and elegant, a space where physical boundaries quietly blur. They justify actions of strength and tenderness despite necessity and apathy.

Hannah Ward

MFA Painting and Drawing, Alumnx 2018

Eulogy for Mary Toft, Colored pencil, 38 x 50 in. (right)

Colophon

The second issue of assembly was produced in Spring 2021 and published using Issuu. Gill Sans was selected for the body typeface. Geneva was used for the title font.

The Assembly team would like to thank Dean Jeni Mokren and Art Department Chair Thomas Albrecht for their crucial support. We are enormously grateful to Emilie Houssart and Amy Pickering for proofreading this issue. Additional thanks to the Art Department faculty for helping us promote the call for submissions. Thank you to all the students and alumnx who shared their inspiring work.

Cover: Ana Maria Farina histérica #8, Jardim Secreto (hysterical #7, Secret Garden), detail 2021. Upcycled fibers on monk’s cloth Back Cover: Marisa Lucchese Self-Portrait at 21, detail 2020. Digital photograph, 3702×4503