PlySpace Presents “Girl Talk: Storytelling as Advocacy” With Resident Siena Hancock

PlySpace is a new artist-in-residence program based in the Emily Kimbrough Historic District in downtown Muncie. Photo provided.PlySpace is a new artist-in-residence program based in the Emily Kimbrough Historic District in downtown Muncie. Photo provided.

By: Erin Williams–

Muncie, INPlyspace, an Artist Residency Program of the Muncie Arts and Culture Council, will be wrapping up the Spring Residency Term with a panel discussion and presentation organized and moderated by resident Siena Hancock. Girl Talk: Storytelling as Advocacy will be held at the PlySpace Gallery (608 E. Main St, Muncie, IN 47305) on Thursday, May 9th, from 6-8 PM.

Girl Talk: Storytelling as Advocacy will feature the voices of Ashleigh Bingham, Jill Christman, and Angie Roger-Howells, women who navigate the stories of women in Muncie through their storytelling and interview practices. Hancock will lead the discussion, focusing on how sharing the narratives of women’s experiences can serve as a catalyst for social change. During the event, she will also speak about the Community Collaborative project she has completed this spring as part of her residency.

Hancock joined PlySpace as an artist-in-residence in February of 2019. During her time in Muncie, she has conducted over 30 interviews with local citizens that discuss community, activism, and technology. Hancock is an interdisciplinary artist from Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Art with her Bachelors of Fine Arts in 2016, and has recently completed an installation at the Dirt Palace in Providence, Rhode Island and a residency at Main St. Arts in Upstate, New York. She will depart PlySpace this May.

In conjunction with the end of her residency, Hancock curated a mask exhibition on the first floor of the Muncie Makes Lab (628 S Walnut St, Muncie, IN 47302). The exhibition and performance event, False Faces, will open on Saturday, May 11th, from 5 to 8 pm with a masquerade reception. Light refreshments will be served.  The Funcie Femmes, Muncie’s own burlesque troupe, will perform on the second floor of Muncie Makes Lab at 7 PM. Please be advised performances will include some adult content. Those who prefer not to view performances are welcome to remain on the first floor of the gallery. Attendees are invited to wear masks to the opening, or attend a free mask-making workshop for adults on Friday, May 10th, from 5-8 PM, at Muncie Makes Lab in the gallery. Supplies will be provided but interested participants are welcome to bring supplies to share with the group.

More information about PlySpace Spring Term events can be found on the PlySpace website at www.PlySpace.org/events and the PlySpace Facebook page. Questions or comments about the PlySpace Residency program, events, and community collaborations can be directed to the Residency Coordinator, Erin Williams, at hello@plyspace.org.

PlySpace is a program of Muncie Arts and Culture Council in partnership with the City of Muncie, Ball State University School of Art, and Sustainable Muncie Corporation. PlySpace is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.