Artwork copyright Karen Hackenberg. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Karen Hackenberg. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Karen Hackenberg. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Under Cover, 2003

Karen Hackenberg
(American, born 1955)

Location: Peninsula College - Fort Worden, Port Townsend

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Karen Hackenberg's Under Cover is part of a series of drawings of common rooftop structures at Fort Worden Historical State Park. Hackenberg is attracted to the rooftop structures' shapes, angles, and placement. She also notes, "they suggest familiar archetypes: tribal hats, helmets, armored knights, soldiers, chess men, military officers, and kings and queens." The title Under Cover is a play on the military term for a uniform's hat, called a "cover." It is a convention in the United States military that an armed soldier must wear cover while indoors to indicate that they are under arms. Hackenberg created this series while an artist-in-residence at Centrum on the Fort Worden campus in Port Townsend, on the Olympic Peninsula of Northwestern Washington.

Curator Kathleen Garrett selected this artwork as part of a collection of artworks for Peninsula College's Fort Worden campus in Port Townsend. The collection reflects and explores Port Townsend and Fort Worden's architecture and its unique Northwest landscape and character.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Peninsula College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Port Townsend, Washington-based painter Karen Hackenberg playfully challenges how waste affects the environment. In an ongoing painting and drawing series, she captures images of trash found near her studio. She also creates drawings on an iPad, intentionally leaving them unfinished. She has served as a panelist, curator, and instructor in both the field of art and environmental affairs.
Hackenberg received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).