The American Artists' Hand Archive LLC
Vanessa Hoheb is currently producing an archive of bronze life casts in participation with many of America's most accomplished visual artists. Vanessa takes the original impressions of the artist's hands in their studios and oversees every step of the production of the bronze castings. The finished bronzes are meticulously crafted and of museum quality.
In her capacity as a technical advisor, Vanessa Hoheb has had the privilege of working closely with a long list of extraordinary and influential visual artists on milestone sculptures.
A fascination with the hands of skilled craftsmen extends four decades back to an apprenticeship with her father, sculptor Bruce Hoheb. Ms. Hoheb's expertise has provided a unique opportunity to be witness to the act of artmaking, up close. Each artist, in their own way, approaches aesthetic challenges through the most basic manipulation of materials with gifted hands. As agents of creativity these hands bear the marks of use that are inextricably tied to important contributions to contemporary American art.
The American Artists' Hand Archive endeavors to document artist's hands with the goal of establishing an archive for exhibition.
AAHA is proud to announce the sculptor, Thomas Donahue, as the archives Artistic Director.
Donahue has been instrumental in crafting the Archive's goals, philosophy and mission statement. His extensive experience with the exhibition of objects has been informed by his past sculptural and curatorial successes.
The Archive interviews each artist while they determine the gesture, context and patina that most accurately convey a relationship to their hands and their work. The results of these interviews contribute to the appreciation of these living national treasures.