THE HIVE® ARTIST-In-Residence Program

STUDIO A

• Mel Antuna Hewitt is a bookbinder. She creates art in the form of books; whether they are blank books to be filled in, books to be read, or books that make a person think “How is that even a book?” Mel will be at The Hive through March, 2025.

STUDIO B

• Lacey Bacon (Colville, Couer d’Alene, Shoshone, and Spokane Tribes) works in textiles using natural resources such as shells, beads, and buckskin. Her art allows her to engage with the community and foster indigenous resiliency, particularly with youth. “I use my knowledge and classes as a prevention tool for youth. I strive to empower and create identity for Natives in Spokane so they can work on healing and growth. I do this with and through traditional art.” Lacey will be at The Hive from March – August, 2025.

STUDIO C: Darya and Aimee share a studio and will be at The Hive through March, 2025.

Empty head

• Aimee Brooks is a fiction writer, working on her first novel. Her writing spans many subjects: religion, science, and visual art. A fun fact about her research, “I spend an inordinate amount of time on the Texas Parks and Rec website so I can get every detail just right.”
• Darya Pilram practices the Japanese art of Kintsugi. “Traditional kintsugi takes time since the urushi lacquer used needs to harden slowly. Each repair takes at least 20 steps with days or weeks in between each urushi application. It’s worth the wait — while chemical glue deteriorates over time, urushi is a living lacquer that continues to cure and strengthen for 100 years.” Darya and Aimee share a studio and will be at The Hive through March, 2025.

STUDIO D: Kel Hudson and Mery Smith will be working independently but sharing Studio space through March 2025.

• Mery Smith is a writer whose primary medium is poetry. She is Spokane’s current Poet Laureate and is developing the city’s first youth poet laureate program. She is also working on her second chapbook, CAKE. She’s excited about this residency for many reasons, but she says, “As a working single mother, TIME!”
• Kel Hudson is a painter who works in water-based media. She’s concentrating her residency on a large painting about the grocery store, specifically the Winco on the north side; and how people’s relationship to food and the purchasing of food has changed over the last 4-5 years. When asked about being here, she says “Honestly, I’m most excited about having to pick less dog hair out of my paint. I work primarily in my kitchen at home and juggling work with home is a challenge.” Kel is also the creator of The Spokane Coloring Book.