In a recent Observer article, UW–Madison’s Katie Hudnall shares her journey as a woodworking artist and discusses her ongoing exhibition at the Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia, on view through July 7.

In the article, headlined “Artist Katie Hudnall on the Slow Joy of Working with Wood,” Hudnall, an associate professor in the School of Education’s Art Department, explains why she is drawn to woodworking. “Everyone has a relationship with wooden objects. We all use things that are like our body, sized spoons, pencils, desks, chairs up to the buildings, and we all have this kind of relationship to it,” Hudnall says.

Hudnall, whose work was also highlighted in a recent New York Times article about women artists making inroads in the traditionally male-dominated field of woodworking, adds that wood’s natural markings inspire her, “with the passing of years etched on every board in the pattern of rings.”

The title of Hudnall’s exhibition at the Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia, “The Longest Distance Between Two Points,” alludes to the slowness of the woodworking process, notes the Observer.

“I think we have a tendency to equate speed and efficiency with good,” Hudnall says. “I wanted something to speak to the slowness and make space for that intentional slowness to be a good thing.”

The exhibition offers a glimpse into Hudnall’s world, and the Observer notes, “It’s obvious that Hudnall’s works are connected to wonder and joy.”