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Bio: Amy Meissner

Heather K. Powers

Alaska artist Amy Meissner entered the MA Craft Studies program intent on bridging literal distance between herself and other thinkers and makers while connecting theoretical constructs to her own textile-based practice. After 20 years of living in the North, Amy is familiar with her embodied response to nature, the seasonal swings of daylight and darkness, and the wide fluctuation of temperatures. A vulnerable and threatened environment influences her definition of “place-based” materials, particularly items that arrive in a place and become stuck or are expensive to remove, such as garments, shipping containers, or plastic waste. This affects her approach to the craft of repair, particularly how and why objects are mended. A frugal, sustainable, and accessible consideration of material and tool selection is always present in her personal work and social practice teaching mending. No fancy imported needles, just reaching for what is at hand.