Ellen Hanauer
The Life The Children Built
November 4 – November 26, 2023

Ellen Hanauer’s exhibition, The Life The Children Built offers visitors a thought-provoking journey into the world of two young child immigrants who arrived in America unaccompanied during the early 1900s. This exhibit visually narrates the immigration experiences of Hanauer’s grandfathers at ages eleven and thirteen, along with her great-grandmother’s challenges working in a textile mill as a child. Like countless other young immigrants, they ventured to America independently, seeking to forge better lives for themselves, and these artworks unveil their emotional odyssey. Through sculpture and installations, this exhibition captures their spirit, resilience, solitude, and hardships, with the aim of fostering understanding, empathy, and appreciation through storytelling. This work shines a spotlight on aspects such as cultural adaptation, language barriers, courage, strenuous labor, ingenuity, homesickness, heartbreak, and the aspirations that drove these immigrants to pursue their dreams. This exhibition invites viewers to reflect on their own immigrant ancestors and to embrace today’s immigrants with the same pride and respect as if they were our own.

About the Artist:

Ellen Hanauer is an international sculptor and installation artist who has spent much of her career depicting the emotive states of the world. She uses mixed media to share her personal history through object-based narratives. Hanauer has dealt with feminist, reproductive, biological, and psychological issues, often portraying the subject matter from the inside out. The inspiration for each piece is derived from its concept, which inspires her to continue evolving techniques and using materials in original ways. Throughout her career, she has continued to integrate social activism into her work. Hanauer is a self-taught artist who began her career studying the human body in the cadaver labs at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She has exhibited nationally and internationally in museums, universities and galleries, including solo exhibitions here and abroad. Her commissions are installed throughout the country and her work is in the collections of museums, corporations, townships, and private collectors.