Briena Harmening resides and works in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a 2010 MFA graduate from the University of Tennessee. She currently teaches Advanced Art, and the International Bachelorette Art programs at Hillsboro High School
Artist Statement
Cross-stitch, quilts, doilies, the sound of my grandmother’s sewing machine, my mom threading her needle for another country-style alphabet: this is the art I grew up with and it is these kinds of traditional women’s work, infused with autobiography, that drive my own practice.
In my work, I combine fiber media with various forms of painting, thereby pushing the limits of tradition and renegotiating the relationship between art and craft. My work is both contemporary and personal: drawing influences from street art and punk rock, and incorporating found objects and spray painted surfaces that become backgrounds for text. The words that I choose – phrases, fragments, and excerpts – document my thoughts about life, loss, and love. This is one of many binaries I explore and seek to balance in my work, along with the traditional and contemporary, the private and public, the domestic and manufactured, and what is delicate and hardClick edit button to change this text.