Visiting Artist: Ash Mae Hoiland

Join us for a live demonstration and gallery viewing of Ash Mae Hoiland in the Art Studio.

Artist Statement: I grew up in the Provo valley and have always had a deep love for the mountains and the lake that surround us there. I see them as wise ancestors who know so much more of both the complexity of this land and the simplicity of getting to be here for a short time. As I’ve grown up, I’ve tried to grapple with the realities of the specific history of this place and the fact that my own ancestors had something to do with the way it was taken and changed from the people who inhabited it. 

For years when I painted or sketched, mountains and the lake would show up, almost subconsciously, as if I was paying homage to them every chance I could get. As I’ve left the religion that raised me, I’ve learned that there is new meaning in the ancient geology of this landscape, and a new reverence for my brief time living with this land. 

I see this body of work as a series of prayers of gratitude to this place. And while I know it does not re-write histories or futures, I find that sometimes painting and writing are the best ways for me to reckon with and be in the present.