In a studio bursting with colorful glass, Kim Hogan stood among her artworks big and small at the Banana Factory Arts Center. The sun highlighted her mosaics as we discussed her inspirations for her art and her plans for the future. Seven years ago, Southsider’s Sam Sorensen met with Hogan and wrote extensively on Hogan’s path into mosaics, as well as some of the wide range of works she had created. Recently, I revisited Hogan as she has continued her work at the Banana Factory. Hogan began our chat with a discussion of her process as well as her commitment to mosaics and arts education.
In discussing her art, Hogan noted the need for a balance between inspiration and discipline, and how mosaics offer a wonderful medium for that balance. The imperfect shards of glass in mosaics represent a “departure from perfection,” Hogan claimed. Through mosaics she feels liberated from the need for flawless, straight lines or strict adherence to realism. This freedom flows especially when working as an educator and art instructor, which she often does at the Banana Factory, in schools, and with cancer patients in hospitals. In working with community members, Hogan highlights how everyone can benefit from recognizing the importance of creating art for ourselves rather than for the fulfillment of other’s desires. With her instruction, youth are exposed to an art form that does not prioritize perfection, but rather encourages experimenting with glass colors and placement according to the artist’s whim and desire. Hogan’s focus on personal satisfaction above perfection truly highlights how broken and imperfect things can and do make beautiful designs, and that the job of an artist is not to create perfection, but, rather, to create art that is honest in its emotion and beauty.
One such opportunity for the community took place at Towamensing Elementary School in Lehighton, PA, where students worked with Hogan to create the mosaic above. Students across grade levels collaborated on every stage of the project from simply thinking of the images they wanted in the mosaic all the way through to the unveiling of the mosaic. This project took place over the course of several months in 2019. Working together as part of Hogan’s residency in Lehighton, Hogan and the students presented a visual representation of both the history and beauty of their school. The finished mosaic features the school’s building, surrounded by Christmas tree farms and a field of flowers, with a plane soaring overhead. Once their theme was chosen, the mosaic was built in sections that eventually came together to form the beautiful landscape pictured above.
This project and others that Hogan has completed within the community, such as her work at Northampton High School or Resurrected Life Church, focus on establishing legacies for Lehigh Valley locals. By encouraging children and adults to consider the significance of our surroundings and community, we instill in ourselves a desire to recognize and celebrate institutions, like schools and churches, that make our area unique and serve as hubs for community life and connectivity. The Towamensing Elementary piece serves as a creative lesson to current students that by coming together they can create beautiful art with jagged edges. This lesson transcends the creation of art and effectively informs the way children can contribute to community building. The use of mosaic art showcases that the pieces alone do not make art, but that together they build something beautiful. Future students can look upon this work hanging in the school and absorb the pride and creativity of past years.
While working towards the betterment of the community is typically a great motivator for Hogan, she also acknowledges the personal stake in each piece she creates. When asked about her favorite mosaic so far, Hogan paused for a moment before laughing and stating, “While I’m working on any piece, they’re my favorite!” Once her work is completed and either sold or displayed in new homes across the Lehigh Valley and beyond, Hogan has faith that her pieces are “going to a good place” where her art’s “intention to help” will shine through.
Although Hogan does not have a favorite mosaic, she did mention a meaningful recent piece, called “Cherry Blossoms,” which she noted are often synonymous with sudden bursts of vibrant life. Hogan’s mosaic captures the delicacy and stunning colors of these blossoms beautifully through hundreds of shards of carefully placed glass. The dark, tangled tree branches that sprawl across the work serve as contrast points for the deeply pink flowers that dot the scene. Just as cherry blossoms bloom in the springtime when we grow weary with winter, Hogan’s piece is a breath of fresh air with grass swaying in the breeze as the blossoms offer an umbrella of color.
Hogan doesn’t stick with a single particular theme in her work, but she does revisit some imagery that proves popular. The “Cherry Blossoms” piece is one such scene. Having been displayed at Warner Art Glass Center, Hogan has worked on several iterations of this piece as each one can be customized with flower placement and coloring, thus allowing new art to bloom forth from her original piece. Hogan even fashioned her own version of the flowering tree for herself, which hangs proudly in her home. This playfulness with her works exemplifies Hogan’s desire for her art to encourage viewers to have fun, as she believes that “life’s too short to live in misery.” Instead, appreciators of Hogan’s art can run with the bright and amusing nature of her creations and leave her work with the joy she instilled in their hearts from pieces such as the carnival and bedtime story mosaics below.
The whimsy exhibited in Hogan’s pieces shown above brings a smile to viewers’ faces when they recall youthful trips to the circus or their own childhood stories about animals. These pieces can also create a sense of “healing through art” as Hogan puts it. “Jump Through the Hoop” was even purchased to be put on display at the Lehigh Valley Health Network hospital’s Cedar Crest campus. With the whimsy of the tiger jumping through the hoop and the cow planning an impossible jump, these fragmented images remind adults to cater to our inner child. Like the tiger, we can aim to make it through difficult situations (although they may not be as dramatic as a burning hoop!) and, like the cow, we can dream of overcoming impossible odds right before we take a leap of faith and finally aim for the stars and moon.
Hogan’s ability to blend healing and joy in sparkling glass mosaics was honored by ArtsQuest Foundation, which seeks to sustain the community-focused arts. The Foundation’s Linny Awards celebrate local “artists, arts educators, businesses and philanthropists,” and in 2019 Hogan won Visual Artist of the Year in recognition of her contribution to the Lehigh Valley art scene.
Looking into the future, Hogan hopes to expand her artist residencies on an international scale. Travel “wakes your body up,” Hogan explained, and the chance to chase her artistic endeavors across the world is incredibly enticing. After her artist residency in the south of France was canceled due to COVID-19, Hogan hopes to find more opportunities that will allow her to meet and talk to new people who can inform her art’s evolution and style.
Within the Lehigh Valley, Hogan resided at Studio 350 in the Banana Factory. She shared her space with photographer Bruce Ward. The Banana Factory closed on January 1st, 2025 for construction of a new ArtsQuest Creative Factory. Hogan auctioned off her collection from the studio and now continues to create new pieces. ArtsQuest continues to showcase talented local artists and offers classes for the community. More information can be found at Visual Arts — ArtsQuest.
Edited and updated by Randi Hogden.
