Hallie James Mathieu

  • (He/They)
  • CERAMICS
Matheiu

Trained in social practice and visual / critical studies Hallie is an artist, writer, educator, and from Western Michigan who was raised in the greater Chicagoland area. Their work is rooted in the radical cultural politics of DIY and Anarchist communities in Grand Rapids, MI, Ox-Bow School of Art, & Chicago who value community organizing, creative collaborations, and holistic philosophies.

Before coming to Colorado from 2019-2023 they lived and worked at the nation’s second oldest artist residency, Ox-Bow School of Art on the coast of Lake Michigan, where they co-founded Ox-Bow’s Culinary Artist in Residence program and helped lead various community building initiatives. Hallie does not differentiate between “correct” and “incorrect” methods for making art, choosing to opt for a situational and reflexive approach that responds to society's needs. Some moments call for writing, some for community organizing, some for service, and some for traditional methods like sculpture or video work. They work in clay because it offers a rich conceptual framework to explore themes of community organizing, memory, language, grounding, body, and perception.

“I’m seeking to redirect the accumulation of harmful western ideologies towards new social realities that encompass holistic inclusivity, radical care, and timelines that are built upon slow practices. I’m asking that we perceive ourselves as active agents in creating a holisticism that proliferates through time, knowing it doesn’t happen tomorrow or individually, but together over the duration of human existence.”

For their work they have been the recipient of numerous residency opportunities: Ceramics School (Detroit, MI), The Mendocino Art Center (Mendocino, CA), High Desert Test Sites (Joshua Tree, CA),Township 10 (North Carolina), and Taos Ceramics Center (Taos, NM). They have been invited to show work in galleries and public spaces across California, Chicago, Wisconsin, and Michigan with prominent artists in the field of contemporary sculpture. Read more about their personal history, working methodologies, and community initiatives at www.halliejames.art and badatceramics.substack.com