Meet Emma Hapner

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emma Hapner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emma below.

Emma, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

In an artistic sense, it took me awhile to figure out what I was really trying to say with my work, and how that related to me as a person. My older works revolved primarily around aesthetic, and sometimes seemed to focus mostly on things I found beautiful. During grad school, I started using more and more pink in my work, and realized that I wanted to make work about women’s experiences and the intricacy of womanhood, by re-imagining classical compositions. I started painting my friends from school and explored their unique fashion sense in each painting. This was definitely a move in the right direction, but I didn’t feel comfortable exploring any negative or uncomfortable topics while using others as my models. I felt that I would be projecting my own experiences onto their image. Finally, after graduating, I began exploring more self-portraiture. It was so liberating to use my own image to tell a story–to be my own muse. I started making a work about my own experiences, my emotions, and things that I Iove, and I found that by telling my own story, I didn’t need to make work that strives to be “feminist.” Other women would see my work, relate to it, and tell me their own stories, and in this way I feel empowered to continue to use self-portraiture to connect with others. This has helped me realize that my purpose is to use art to celebrate femininity, in all of its complexity.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My name is Emma Hapner, and I am a figurative oil painter based in New York City. I originally moved from Indiana to pursue my goal of becoming an artist and attend graduate school to study Fine Art. I maintain my studio practice while also working as the Director of Business Administration for Visionary Art Collective, a writer for New Visionary Magazine, and an Art History Instructor for Ivy Tech Community College. I am passionate about teaching, and love watching my students learn more about art, and giving them to tools they need to achieve their goals. Through teaching, I learn just as much as my students do, and my art historical research has had a profound influence on my work as a painter. I am currently working on a new series of paintings and drawings inspired my medieval tapestries and illuminated manuscripts, and using these motifs to talk about love and relationships as a contemporary woman.

Since 2023, I have had two solo exhibitions through Village One Gallery in NYC called “Girls Will Be Girls” and “Cowgirls and Mermaids” where I continued to explore my experiences of femininity while referencing contemporary aesthetics using classical oil painting techniques. Some of the work from these series are now available as a part of a capsule collection of products with Primary Arte. The amazing team at Village One also recently included one of my pieces at their booth at Volta Art Fair.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I would say the areas or qualities that have been the most impactful in my journey are community, passion, and fearlessness. I would advise those early in their journey to build up a community they can rely on for support, and that you can support in turn. Surrounding yourself with people in your field, in my case, other artists, is so important because it allows you to make connections, get feedback, and feel encouraged. I think passion is always one of the most important qualities you can have, no matter what you’re doing. As an artist, I feel that being passionate about your work is the best driving force to keep creating, and to create work that is genuine. Lastly, I think that being fearless is so important. I spent too much time worrying about judgement when I started painting self portraits; that people would think that I am vain or self-obsessed, but by letting go of that fear, I was able to make work that I am excited about and is a true reflection of who I am. My advice is to never let fear hold you back.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am always looking to collaborate! Right now, I am looking for a space to show my new body of work in progress called “All’s Fair” I hope to incorporate new elements to create an immersive experience, and would love to work with a space that focuses on empowering emerging artists. I would love to also find ways to incorporate an educational aspect, by potentially hosting an artist talk or workshop. I am open to galleries pretty much anywhere; I love getting to travel, meet new people, and experience new places.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emmahapner.com/
• Instagram: @emmagracehapner

Image Credits

N/A