Nationally recognized artist and military veteran Jenn Hassin is partnering with future U.S. military members in the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets for an exhibition titled Respect at the Wright Gallery. The exhibit opens Sept. 11. Hassin's work has been featured in the Pentagon since 2012, in museums across the country, and commissioned by private collectors.
Working with the student body, Hassin will create a site-specific installation in partnership with Texas A&M's Wright Gallery. As a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Hassin's interests lie in our current sociopolitical realm, along with our overseas interests and matters of humanity. She will ignite the core values that Aggies share with the military, engaging the community to participate in blurring the lines that divide us. With respect to all walks of life, she will allow for an open environment to feel safe in expressing one's personal interests and how they want to see our country do better.
Hassin’s artwork is inspired by sociopolitical conversations she hosts while creating intricate pieces for her installations. During the creation of Respect, Hassin met with students in the Corps of Cadets during the summer. The students assisted in the creation of pulp for handmade paper and sculptures during an open conversation that individually impacted the participating members to change, open, or expand their understanding of what their future holds.
Her work is created by decomposing materials, such as military and prison uniforms. Depending on the topic, Hassin begins her installations by creating pulp out of the relevant material, then pressing it to create handmade paper. The next step is individually rolling each piece of paper, often by the thousands. In Respect, Hassin features rolled paper installations, ceramic work, and pulp sculptures created with recycled military uniforms.
Hassin’s use of paper and ceramic represent the fragility of respect and the importance of caring for it as a core value. She sees her role as someone who challenges her collaborators and the audience not only during the exhibition, but during the creation. Hassin and the student body explore various viewpoints of the U.S. military and Respect through their creation of this one-of-a-kind exhibition.
According to Stephen Caffey, Wright Gallery curator and Texas A&M art historian, the importance of Hassin’s work lies in its ability to create lasting impacts. "Tactile, subtle, and powerful, Hassin's work engages the senses and the emotions long after the viewers initial contact," he says.
