Jenny Hager, M.F.A.
Professor in Sculpture
E-mail: j.hager@unf.edu
Phone: (904) 620-4687
Office: Building 45, Room 2014
Faculty Bio
Website
Areas of Expertise
Sculpture, Installation Art, Visual Art, Contemporary Art
Education
MFA - Art Studio (Sculpture and Digital Media) - San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
BFA - Art Studio - University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
BA - Art Education - University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Biography
Jenny
K. Hager, Professor of Sculpture at the University of North Florida, received
her MFA in Sculpture and Digital Media from San Jose State University in San
Jose, CA. Interested in a variety of processes and materials, including steel,
cast iron, post-it notes, video, wood, digital photography and found objects,
she finds inspiration in dreams, objects from her childhood, gadgets, sea life
and other curiosities. She is also very interested in collaboration; the spirit
of community important in both her teaching practice and in her own work.
Hager’s
work has been exhibited across the country and recently in the Cymru Ironstone
Castle Exhibition in Wales, the Pedvale Open-Air Art Museum in Latvia and Il
Giardino di Daniel Spoerri in Seggiano, Italy. Flight Lab, a video installation
by Hager, has traveled to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans and
York, Pennsylvania. Hager’s most recent series “Second Line” celebrates
diversity of culture, individual storytelling and the spirit of the Second Line
tradition of New Orleans parade culture. In this series, Hager creates
large-scale parade animals inspired by the Chinese zodiac and infused with a
personal narrative. Most recently, Hager created a 20’ tall steel mosaic
giraffe sculpture for the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and two sculptural
benches for downtown Jacksonville, FL.
Hager’s
teaching practice fosters a creative and collaborative environment where
learning can thrive. Expanding the horizons of our students is a significant
part of her teaching practice. She believes that learning that takes place
outside the classroom, in our own community, has the potential to be more
impactful, for both the student and the community at large, because Community
Based Learning offers a chance to engage with local culture, a chance to build
relationships with community partners, and most importantly, a chance to
provide real life experiences for the students. Community based learning is a
core component of her teaching practice. She and her students have created work
in conjunction many community partners, including Fleet Landing, Klutho Park,
Gerdau Ameristeel, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, the Looking Lab at City
Hall, MOCA, CoRK, Ponte Vedra Cultural Center, MOCA, Hemming Park, and One
Spark.
Hager
is an active member of the Jacksonville art community. She has served on the
MOCA Collections and Exhibitions committee, as well as the MOCA Education
committee. Interested in promoting local artists and creating creative networks
in Jacksonville, she has served on the steering committee for the Northeast
Florida Sculptors group since its inception in 2009.
Hager
has a vision to bring Jacksonville to life with sculpture, beginning with UNF’s
campus and extending to the community of Jacksonville and beyond. In partnership
with MountainStar Capital, the Lazzara Family Foundation, and Instructor Lance
Vickery, she also created a sculpture park in Jacksonville Beach in 2016, which
showcases large-scale outdoor sculptures by UNF Sculpture students. Hager and
Vickery also created a Sculpture on Campus Program at UNF, which showcases
large-scale outdoor sculpture, sculptural bike racks and benches by faculty and
students. Most recently, Hager and Vickery installed a collaborative sculpture,
“3 Clouds,” at Douglas Anderson High School in Jacksonville.
In
2014, Hager created Sculpture Walk, an outdoor sculpture park for downtown
Jacksonville. Sculpture Walk, Inc., a registered 501(c)3, has hosted over 36
outdoor sculptures, bike racks and sculptural benches by international, national
and local artists in Jacksonville at Main Street Park and Klutho Park. Hager
has permanent works at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Atlantic Beach and
downtown Jacksonville.
More
of Hager’s work can be seen here. www.jennykhager.com