This work is unearthing, interpreting, and constructing architectures for liminal spaces that emerge from the intersection of notable African American narratives, architectural form, and theory. What might happen if the balcony of the infamous Lorraine Hotel—the Memphis, TN, establishment where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968—was replicated in a gallery space? Heather Hart focuses on the translation between sites of historical record and the public; the public and her work; and the slippage, construction and communication that happens in between these. She wants her work to act as a translator in a new language between architectures and the public eye. Further, Hart wants to build work where the visitor’s physical perspective on their world changes as they interact, as a metaphor for one’s potential shift in perception and the power of architectures as a catalyst for reclamation or claiming of space. She is interested in not only creating participatory liminal space, but also in questioning dominant narratives and creating alternatives.

Based in Brooklyn, Heather Hart is a current artist in residence at Sharpe Walentas Studio Program, previous residencies include Joan Mitchell Center, McColl Center of Art + Innovation, Bemis Center for Art, LMCC Workspace, Skowhegan, Hermitage, Fine Arts Work Center and at the Whitney ISP. Hart received grants from Creative Capital, Joan Mitchell Foundation, Harpo Foundation, Jerome Foundation, and NYFA. Her work has been included in a variety of publications including Architectural Record, Artforum, the New York Times, ARTnews, Art in America, Artsy, W Magazine, Interview Magazine, Seattle Times, The Stranger, and Time Out New York, and has exhibited worldwide including at Kohler Art Center, NCMA, Storm King Art Center, UTSC, Seattle Art Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, ICA Philadelphia, Art in General, Franconia Sculpture Park, MoMA PS1, Tarble Arts Center, and the Brooklyn Museum. She studied at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Princeton University in New Jersey, and received her MFA from Rutgers University.