“Hunt is best known for her simultaneously elegant and awkward wooden monoliths, which over the years have multiplied into groups, or communities. She never cuts living trees, choosing those felled by fire, drought, or wind. She knows where each log comes from, so a sense of place is invisibly present. “I love the changes that wood will go through,” she says, “I love the cracks, and I love that I cannot control it.” Since 2003, she has been providing them with their own contexts, bringing them together “outdoors” in dramatic environments recalling the 19th century gesamtkunstwerk, uniting the arts and the senses. The surfaces of these sculptures, carved by chainsaw, are both raw and sensuous. Some are split and roughly stained, others are smooth, rubbed with glowing graphite, or burned with a torch and then oiled. All demand touch. Hunt enjoys making hard wood look soft and fleshy. There is something solidly comforting about the sculpture’s self sufficiency, and their powerful presences.”
– Lucy Lippard-2005, partial review of video and sculpture installations Free From Fear, 2005 and Natural Displacements, 2002
Born in Stamford Connecticut, received a BFA from Parson’s School of Design in New York City. She has been in numerous exhibits including “Something Fierce” at the Lannan Foundation. Hunt’s work is part of the Nasher Sculpture Center permanent collection.
Munson Hunt’s artwork is a compelling exploration of form, texture, and the intrinsic beauty found within natural materials, particularly wood. Her sculptures and installations stand as a testament to her deep connection with nature, reflecting themes of environmental consciousness, the cycle of life, and the delicate balance between human impact and the natural world.
At the core of Hunt’s work is her innovative use of reclaimed timber. Her sculptures often begin with fallen trees, giving new life to wood that would otherwise decay or be discarded. This process of reclamation is not merely practical but symbolic, emphasizing the lifecycle of materials in nature and our responsibility towards them. Hunt’s technique involves manipulating these natural forms through sawing, chiseling, charring, and burnishing with graphite, transforming raw, organic wood into pieces that resonate with both the tactile and the visual senses.
One of the defining characteristics of her work is the juxtaposition of the raw with the refined. Her sculptures maintain an organic, almost primal quality while also exhibiting a sophisticated minimalism. The surfaces of her pieces, often charred or burnished, highlight the natural textures of wood, bringing out contrasts between light and shadow, smoothness and roughness. This treatment not only preserves the wood but also enhances its aesthetic value, turning each piece into a study of light, form, and material.
In addition to wood, Hunt has explored casting wood into glass, bronze, aluminum, cement, and stainless steel, merging the ephemeral with the eternal. Her glass casts of timber are nearly indistinguishable from their wooden counterparts at first glance, yet they introduce an element of transparency and light play that wood alone cannot achieve. This technique captures the essence of wood while offering a new perspective through the permanence and clarity of glass.
Hunt’s artwork not only challenges viewers to reconsider their relationship with nature but also crafts a narrative about sustainability, transformation, and the beauty of the imperfect. Through her meticulous yet bold artistic process, she creates pieces that are both a celebration and a contemplation of the natural world, urging us to look closer at what we might otherwise overlook.