Meet Joanna Hoge | Fine Artist & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joanna Hoge and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joanna, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
One of my favorite sayings is actually a Zen proverb: ‘the obstacle is the path’.

I think it prompts a shift in mindset when you’re struggling with something or someone. I try to think about how the experience I’m encountering can help me to grow, even if it’s quite difficult in the moment. If we can take a moment to slow down, breathe, and reconsider how we’re approaching a situation, sometimes that’s actually enough to actually transform it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a fine artist who works primarily in ink. My body of work is largely inspired by the division of somatic and psychological experience in Western culture- a culture that teaches us to view and treat our bodies and our minds separately. The drawings I create use anatomical rendering as a site for integration, blurring the lines between an objective, scientific understanding of the body’s parts and a personal sense of embodiment.

Recently, the focus of my work has shifted to explore questions of bodily autonomy alongside the social, emotional, and physical aspects of having children. Motherhood is emphasized as a cultural ideal, even as we cut the systems and programs that would support would-be parents. Structural inequality drives higher maternal mortality for people of color as they navigate our healthcare system.

Restrictions on reproductive care limit our basic rights of how and whether to become a parent. I desire to provoke questions about how these dynamics exist and shape our culture and to shed light on the resilience of those who fight to secure choices for themselves and their futures.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
A week-long itinerary is a tall order for a city that brims with myriad options, so let’s focus on a single perfect day:

I’ve developed a soft spot for Tokyo Premium Bakery in Denver, so I think I might lure a friend there first thing in the morning with the promise of a delicious red bean donut.

We’d pop by Movement in RiNo for a quick bouldering sesh before checking out the latest exhibition at the MCA.

A stroll in Wash Park might take us into the evening, and dinner plans would undoubtedly involve sushi at Izakaya Den. Honestly, there are so many places I love in Denver, it’s quite hard to pick!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe my artistic development to many folks, to my family, first and foremost, for creating a supportive environment in which to explore my ideas, no matter how strange. My time as an undergraduate at Saint Louis University proved especially fruitful; folks around me were invested in asking meaningful questions through their art practice- and in pushing the boundaries of their crafts. This encouraged and inspired me.

My success as an artist is inextricably tied to the support of my parents, my dear friends in Colorado and beyond, and several compassionate mentors. I owe them everything.

Website: https://www.joannahoge.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joannallyson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joannallyson

Image Credits
Angela Amen