Alumni Spotlight: Hugh Hayden '18
The Alumni Spotlight is a place to hear from the School of the Arts alumni community about their journeys as artists and creators.
I grew up in Dallas, TX at the edge of the woods. I had a close relationship with the surrounding landscape that was nourished through a practice of gardening and later owning koi and creating a series of water gardens. During highschool landscaping grew into a passion and I became the youngest member of the North Texas Koi and Water Garden Society with several ponds in my parents backyard. Fast forward 15 years and living in NYC with limited access to nature I now explore ideas of belonging to a social landscape through a lens of camouflage and natural materials.
I’m a sculptor creating visceral experiences that transform perceptions of familiar concepts via both object making and interactive culinary installations. Whether through the lens of camouflage or culinary implements my work explores the underlying infrastructure, relationships and systems of social interactions.
Was there a specific faculty member or peer who especially inspired you while at the School of the Arts? If so, who and how?
As both his student and TA, Rirkrit Tiravanija offered me an alternative perspective on my work that tended to always be pretty unique, and challenged me to think in more expansive ways.
How did attending the School of the Arts impact your work and career as an artist?
I started carving wood after picking up some scraps on the way to Prentis. As a whole the grad program provided me a dedicated time and space to nurture and develop my creative ideas and engage with critical dialogue around my work and that of peers as well as pursuing a diverse offering of courses outside of the Visual Arts Program that could further enrich my practice.
What were the most pressing social/political issues on the minds of the students when you were here?
The 2016 election/Trump presidency and the high cost of tuition at Columbia...I wish we could have talked somewhat more about the art that was being made...
What was your favorite or most memorable class while at the School of the Arts?
My first semester I took "Image Worlds," a writing course taught by Hilton Als that was offered to all disciplines in the School of the Arts. Not only did it introduce me to a wide range of literature and film that engaged art history but also was a chance to meet students from film, theater, and writing.
What were the first steps you took after graduating?
I quit my architecture job to go collect wood at the Texas/Mexico border for a show the coming fall at Lisson Gallery.
What advice would you give to recent graduates?
Don't burn bridges! Think both macro and micro, not just about short term gains but rather creating, maintaining, and sustaining a lifelong career and meaningful relationships.