Meet Maxwell Blankenship | Designer & Textile artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maxwell Blankenship and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maxwell, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
For me, I do not think that there is an “end goal” for what I do. I think when you enter this world of creative professions whether it’s designing, filming, writing, etc. you begin because of the joy and excitement your work brings you. For me I do not have an “end goal” but more of “at a certain point” I want to be…

I want to be well-rounded and an expert in my craft. I want to have designed quite a few hospitality spaces. I want my work to be well-known in the art community. I want to have an entire studio dedicated to fiber art, with large windows letting in the tiptoe of daylight. I want to be a licensed interior designer. I want my textile work to have been in as many exhibitions, runways, and hospitality spaces as possible. I want to be teaching fiber art to creatives starting their journeys.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Definitely my interior design and textile work. I spend much of my time working as a hospitality designer where I am constantly collaborating with a team of designers/architects to help create multifaceted guest experiences at HBG Design. This is where I get to work in crafting refined environments that take on storytelling in a grander way.

When I am not influencing design for the built environment then I am focused on textile art in my home studio. I started my fiber art journey with a single borrowed “J/10-5.75mm” crochet hook with little patience and no plan. Now I have a dedicated studio practice and a tufting gun named Fern.

My fiber art is all about having fun, while exploring my personal experiences as a fat, fem, queer person. Allowing myself to play in the loud beauty of imperfection, while stripping away expectations that are placed on me. A lot of what I do is in bright colors, funky shapes with loose line work that looks to capture the rawness of mistakes through the manipulation of yarn. Through this I have fallen in love with the intuitive process and expressing it through tufting. This love is what helped motivate me in deciding that this year I would organize my first ever textile exhibition. I just finished up the show here in Memphis, TN and I would have to say that this is one of those “at a certain point” moments that I am incredibly proud of and excited about.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Okay, so, if my best friend is visiting for a week, we are most definitely going to several restaurants as she is a foodie and Memphis, as I am finding, has some pretty good food! We would have breakfast (multiple days) at Sunrise Memphis. It has by far the best breakfast in town! We are having potatoes, turkey bacon, and pancakes in that order. We are going to be staying downtown and will hop on the trolley on different days to travel up and down main street to hit up all the local shops, especially Stock and Belle (the main hub for local artisan goods). Obviously, I would have to take my best friend to see one of the great wonders of the world, The Great Pyramid of Memphis (lol). We would shop at the fudge shop inside and then travel all the way to the top to see all of Memphis and most of Arkansas. When it comes to lunch, we are going to make sure to stop by Slider Inn, Viance Kitchen (make sure to order the cheese sticks), and Good Fortune (probably on Thursday for their ramen special). Afterwards we will venture out to midtown to stroll through Copper Young Street (this is where all the cool people are). We would probably have drinks at Alchemy as we waited for our reservation at the Beauty shop. This restaurant has such a great atmosphere, as it has such a fun retro flare with styling chairs as your seats for dinner! After we would have to peek into Drus Bar and then go see what the drag queens are doing at Atomic Rose. Where we would end the night dancing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have had some particularly awesome people along the way who have advocated for me, supported me, and encouraged me. That has ultimately helped catapult me to where I am currently in my career and artistic endeavors. These people range from professors, former supervisors, friends, and my mom, however, one group of women that I believe deserve this shout out would be my former high school teachers and they are as followed: Ashley Hubbard-Heitz, Lindy Truitt, Meg Carpenter, Señora Miller, and Tiffany Cantrell-Saffold.

This group of dedicated teachers helped me not only in my studies, but also with navigating my early dreams and ideas of wanting to pursue a career in the arts. I come from a small southern town, and growing up it was unheard of to branch off into a profession in the arts. You were ought to be going to a trade school, to the army, or starting a family. Which can be a fulfilling opportunity for most people, but I knew I wanted more for my future.

They struck down the conversations that painted creative professions in a negative light. Provided resources that helped inform my decisions and gave me confidence in knowing that this creative journey was possible. These women were my first critical support outside of home life that helped me understand that I had options outside of Rossville, GA.

Nearing the end of my senior year of high school, I was confronted with the daunting question of “what is next” and because of these incredible teachers I had the reassurance and confidence to say, ” In the fall I will be studying interior design with a fibers minor at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).”

Shout out to teachers and the fight for them!

Website: https://www.maxwellblankenship.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_maxiieb/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellblankenship/