Creative Residency 2021 Jurors:
Visual Arts

Meet the jurors for the 2021 Creative Residency program.

Hilda Shen has long been interpreting the interplay between human culture and the natural landscape. Her use of simple materials to express complex ideas and cultural beliefs has resulted in sculpture, installations, drawings and prints. Shen has exhibited throughout the New York area as well as in Seattle, Tennessee, and Florida. In 2015, Shen was delighted to be the second artist resident at the Bloedel Reserve. Other residencies have included WillapaBayAiR in Washington State, the Millay Colony for the Arts, Yosemite National Park, and Platte Clove. Several fellowships and grants were generously given by schools where Shen has taught, including Parsons School of Design/The New School. Shen was a studio member at the Elizabeth Foundation of the Arts in NY for 15 years before moving to her current Brooklyn studio in 2016. Reviews from 2004 to the present for both large-scale and intimate work have been published in The New York Times, ARTNews, ArtAsiaPacific, The Brooklyn Rail, and The Village Voice. Shen received a B.A. in music and East Asian Studies at Oberlin College before studying sculpture at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and getting an M.F.A. at Queens College, City University of New York.  Website: hildashen.com

Kristin Tollefson is an artist and educator who grew up in the Puget Sound and Mountain West. She earned an M.F.A. in metalsmithing from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a B.A. in art history and sociology/anthropology from Carleton College and certifications from the Teaching Artist Training (TAT) Lab and Seattle’s Emerging Public Artist Roster (EPAR). Kristin’s path has consistently woven between making art and sharing her excitement about it with people, and she brings more than 30 years of experience to her work at BIMA. She has a firm conviction that beauty can be found in the most unlikely places. She has received honors from Delta Kappa Gamma, the Island Treasure Award, and numerous residencies from Iceland to Chile. Her public art commissions can be found in parks, libraries and schools around the Pacific Northwest and her studio sculpture and jewelry have been exhibited internationally. She has received recognition for her work from the American-Scandinavian Foundation, the Fulbright Commission, Americans for the Arts. Her work has been published in Fiber Arts Design Book and Metalsmith Magazine.

Matthew Offenbacher seeks constructive, positive positions at often difficult intersections of individuals, communities and institutions. His work has been called “freakishly egoless,” vulnerable, funny, and queer. Offenbacher grew up in Portland, Oregon and currently lives in Seattle, Washington. He also runs a press which publishes ‘zines and books by Northwest artists. Matthew has received numerous awards for his work including a SmART Ventures grant from the City of Seattle, two 4Culture Awards and a Neddy Award from Cornish. He has also taught at several universities including the University of Washington, Seattle University, and the Pacific Northwest College of Art. For a list of his projects, exhibitions and writing, visit www.helloari.com.