what was returns slowly
Solo Exhibition at Summit Art Space, Akron, OH (May 14-July 11, 2026)
Hannah Bates explores the wildness of post-industrial landscapes through direct engagement with materials and place in this solo exhibition. Bates sourced materials from forests, shorelines, and forgotten urban spaces, gathering objects and observations that reflect the interaction between the human-made and the organic. That experience of wandering and gathering informs her sculptures made from cast metal, glass, plaster, cement, and wood, transforming ephemeral plants, fungi, and debris into enduring forms.
Bates uses mold-making and casting not just as fabrication methods, but as acts of preservation and care. Her practice embraces the tension between permanence and impermanence, found and fabricated, decay and regeneration. By working at a human scale, she invite viewers into a slower, more intimate relationship with the materials and ecosystems that surround us. Through this exhibition, Bates aims to unearth stories embedded in the landscape and nurture a sense of curiosity and connection within the Anthropocene.
Some images included in this exhibition are courtesy of the Cleveland Public Library, Digital Gallery.
