Tuija Hansen

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Tuija Hansen (HBFA, MA) is a textile artist and instructor living and working in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Tuija studied fibre design at Kootenay School of Arts and majored in printmaking and Social Justice Studies at Lakehead University.  Her works of art document geography: physically and conceptually. Hansen’s practice is strongly influenced by her northern, boreal forest surroundings; as such she incorporates organic, found matter into textile works via foraged plant dyes, and creates wearable pieces that are cozy, warm, and comforting.  Working with traditional textile mediums allows the possibility to engage with her Finnish ancestry via meditative, concentrated, and tactile processes such as dyeing and weaving, while reflecting on the significance of place, migration, and location.  Exploring the similarities and differences in regionally specific plant dyes has taken Tuija’s practice to Iceland (2018) and Finland (2019). Tuija enjoys teaching and learning, recently instructing with Mindful Makers Collective, in Thunder Bay, ON, and working in Community Arts by leading plant-dye workshops with Jumblies Theatre and Arts in Toronto, ON, and as an instructor-in-residence with Thinking Rock Community Arts in Blind River, ON.