Anne Hayden Stevens
Anne Hayden Stevens is a painter and printmaker working outside Chicago, IL. Her work was included in the Rockford Art Museum Midwestern Biennial, and in the Evanston+Vicinity Biennial at the Evanston Art Center, and will be included in “Boundary Issues’ in Fall 2019 at the Hyde Park Art Center. Stevens has exhibited locally at the Governor’s State University Art Gallery, the Harold Washington Library Center, and the Bridgeport Art Center. Stevens curates exhibitions for the Evanston Art Center as part of the collaborative Side/Lot with artist Mat Rappaport, and organizes sites for the Terrain Biennial in the north suburbs. She holds a BFA in Drawing & Printmaking from California College of the Arts, and a MA in Visual Studies from UC Berkeley.
CNL: What is one thing you feel you have learned or experienced as an artist that you feel you can share with your peers and emerging artists in the field?
AHS: Building and serving community is a great way to advance your career.
CNL: What’s something that you’re seeking from others in the field to support your practice?
AHS: I need more painting specific critique and feedback, so I'd like to build a painting critique group.
Narcissus in Drought, 36x36" oil on panel, 2018
CNL: What’s a piece of advice you would share with other artists or cultural producers in your field?
AHS: An artist I know has lived a rich creative life on this advice: Don’t be afraid to make tough demands of both yourself and the universe, and don’t settle for less than what you really want. I am passing on her advice because, like many artists, I don't feel I am always successful at this. My work persists, however, and when I do push myself and the universe to realize my goals, I am fulfilled. I keep this piece of advice as my north star.