Annex space: Senior Selected Works by Hollis Churchill and Charlie Bell

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Graduating Fall 2025 senior selected works by Hollis Churchill '25 and Charlie Bell '25.

The work on display was created in an advanced Sculpture course called Sculpture Studio Advanced practice in which the students have the opportunity to dive deep into process and self directed content. The students had regular individual and bi-monthly critiques with their peers in the class complemented by student presentations. Students made sculpture, installation, and performance work highlighting their vision, influence, and exploration. 

Hollis and Charlie worked together to curate a show selecting objects that compliment each other's practice. The work in the show shares a bit of insight into their thinking and methods in which their research at Bennington came to fruition. Currently, Hollis and Charlie are in a tutorial, Material, Craft & Sculpture: Co-learning and Creating Contemporary Works Through a Technical Lens with John Umphlett. This tutorial explores the intersection of craft and sculpture through an intensive, hands-on study of materials, fabrication techniques, and collaborative learning. Throughout the course of the term, we aim to deepen our technical skills and conceptual thinking across three material categories: metal, fiber, and wood. By working across these disciplines, we will purposefully blur the boundaries between craft, design, and sculpture, to create work that challenges conventional definitions of material practice and broaden our skillsets. 

The tutorial is structured as a co-learning environment: each material unit will include technical demonstrations from the instructor and both students, giving us the opportunity to teach and learn from one another. This shared approach builds a collaborative relationship, confidence in teaching known skills, and reinforces knowledge through active engagement.  Alongside making, we will discuss craft histories and contemporary practices that expand ideas of materiality. On a technical level, the course will emphasize both analog and digital fabrication, (including use of the lathe, TIG welder, plasma cutter, sewing machine, ShopBot, CNC laser, and Rhino) as the foundation of experimenting with hybrid processes that combine traditional craft with contemporary technology.