Hannah Chalew is an artist, educator and environmental activist from New Orleans. In this interview we discuss Hannah’s perspective on moving back to her hometown of NOLA and finding community there as an artist. Living in an area that is visibly being destroyed by the fossil fuel industry, Hannah’s work explores what I means to live in the age of global warming and we talk about the anxieties associated with this.
Hannah’s work evolved from the scrap yard as she combines recycled materials to make work that is sculptural and ethical…she strives to have a fossil free art practice. Her highest goal is for her work to help imagine new possibilities for a livable future.
Our conversation also reflects on the practical ways Hannah is juggling 2 kids under 4, her day to day shuffle as an artist finding time to make meaningful work. We recognize the struggle that we experience to figure out exactly what to focus on as artists and connect about the effort it takes to be strategy minded in the studio.
Final Five:
Art Crush – Wangeshi Mutu
Travel – India
Film or Book – Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard and A Psalm of the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Favorite Meal – anything with eggplant
Shoutout – Willie Birch – Nola artist and mentor
See more of Hannah’s work on her website and find and follow her on instagram!
The Artist/Mother podcast is created and hosted by Kaylan Buteyn. Connect with Kaylan via her website or instagram or follow her substack here!
