Hannah Tripp, EMERGE AIR in Clay '26
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Interview with Katie Bonadies, August 2026
Hannah Tripp was our most recent EMERGE Artist in Residence in Clay ‘26. She and the other artist in her cohort received five months of 24/7 private studio access, communal equipment and tools, shared spaces, creative community and member events, and a modest materials stipend. Their residency ended on July 31, 2026.
Tripp and I had trouble syncing up our schedules and communicated electronically for the interview. Read the transcript of our conversation below.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Katie Bonadies: Tell me about your arts background and any relevant educational experience.
Hannah Tripp: I first tried ceramics in high school and then pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Maine College of Art & Design.
Bonadies: What are you learning as a new graduate in regard to finding time to practice? Are there any supplemental tools or equipment you relied on in college and no longer have access to?
Tripp: In school I was so used to coming in for 10-12 hours a day, but with a full-time job that’s not realistic. At first, I beat myself up over it, but I’ve learned that carving out an hour at a time adds up. It’s the waiting that kills the making; you just need to start.
I do miss making my own clay. A clay mixer is a beautiful machine, and I miss whipping out 100 pounds of material in an afternoon. Losing it taught me to value my clay and work in ways that create less reclaim and waste. I have also had to adjust to smaller kilns. A past project in my yard stands 3-feet tall and almost as wide. That is not going fit into the kilns here, but it has taught me to be intentional with my smaller works. I have time to be more detail oriented.
Ceramic sculptures and functional ware by Hannah Tripp. Decorative terracotta plate by Hannah Tripp.
Bonadies: What is your artistic process?
Tripp: I have to live. It feels counterintuitive to go outside of the studio in order to work but I cannot create from an empty well. When I’ve found inspiration it feels like a need, a venerative desire to represent the subject in my own way. I often start with whatever has been on loop in my mind and meditate on it while I build my form. Once I start surfacing I paint everything I associate with my subject on top [of the form]. Painting is fast for me. I use fluid movements and ten have open slips at once.
Bonadies: Do you start with an intention when you sit down to create?
Tripp: I try to start with whatever is eating me. If I avoid what’s first in my mind it nags me and I wind up making work about it anyway. For example, if I come in to make a platter of a landscape but I can’t stop thinking about grocery shopping, all of a sudden my landscape is a Hannaford parking lot.
Bonadies: Have you noticed any recurring themes come through in your work, be it intentional or subconscious?
Tripp: I am thinking a lot about play and working on what I loved as a child. I’ve made fish girls that remind me of playing mermaids and I’m working on horses that are reminiscent of my equestrian Barbies. I have noticed that despite all the time that’s passed, I am still gripped by the same things I was at eight–the fun part is figuring out why.
Bonadies: Why do you make art?
Tripp: I make art because I can’t help it. Even if no one saw it I would never stop. I was born with restless hands, and I feel most connected to myself when my body realizes the dreams of my mind. I feel so full with thoughts and emotions that I have to find a place to put them. They live in pots, tapestries, paintings, and in the doodles that I can’t bring myself to throw away. I am able to show the world who I am and what I feel through what my body can make.
Bonadies: What inspires you to create?
Tripp: Everything, but especially the mundane. Art writes a cannon and a history of people. Especially art as long lasting as ceramics. I am compelled to show people my truth, my mundanity, and the beauty in it and all of us.
“IT’S THE WAITING THAT KILLS THE MAKING; YOU JUST NEED TO START.”
Bonadies: What inspires you to create?
Tripp: Everything, but especially the mundane. Art writes a cannon and a history of people. Especially art as long lasting as ceramics. I am compelled to show people my truth, my mundanity, and the beauty in it and all of us.
Bonadies: What do you hope to gain from the EMERGE program experience?
Tripp: A sense of how I work best. It’s hard to know straight out of school, with the reins let loose. I’m learning how to motivate myself and how to keep accountable to my goals.
Bonadies: What are you working on now?
Tripp: I am trying out sculptural work. It’s a realm I never explored without academic incentives, but I want to be capable of anything. I want to know when functionality serves my piece and when it doesn’t.
Bonadies: Has the program met your expectations? Have there been any surprises or have you gained something you didn’t expect?
Tripp: I had even more free reign then I realized. I was surprised to gain a better relationship with my work. It has been a long time since I simply made for myself. Even in school I followed my passion but this is removed from all reward, the only outcome that matters is my response.
Bonadies: How will you continue your practice after the EMERGE program? Are you seeking a career in the arts or do you have a creative position currently?
Tripp: I will definitely continue my practice. I feel I’ve been given a good grounding to move forward in my work. I am still sorting out exactly what kind of career I’d like in the arts, but I always want to be close to such creative people. I am currently teaching ceramic classes and I enjoy it immensely. I plan on continuing to teach in the future. There is nothing so sweet as seeing someone’s joy at their first piece and watching their confidence grow as they create.
Bonadies: What are your long-term art goals?
Tripp: I would like to keep teaching while making my own work. I want to create opportunities for artists to connect and collaborate. Feedback is one of the best things we can offer each other and it should continue outside of school settings. I also want to find a perfect harmony between the many mediums I enjoy.
Bonadies: Thank you for sharing your practice with us, Hannah. How would you like people to contact you?
Tripp: My email is hannahtrippceramics@gmail.com and it’s the best way to reach me.
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