Auden, wearing a brightly patterned skirt, sits in a chair superimposed over an image of their art.

Photo by Belén Romero

Artist statement

I create abstract, paper mosaic collages, each made up of hundreds of tiny segments of paper, arranged in overlapping, swirling lines in vivid colors to create something dreamy, textural, and full of movement. 

My work is entirely in found and reused paper — photographs, magazines, and the ephemera of everyday life. I think of the originators of these found materials as collaborators and co-artists, so that each piece brings together a thousand stories, memories, identities and expressions across time and place, recontextualized and connected in new ways. Through craft and creative reuse, I aim to show my earnest belief in the inherent artistry of life in every aspect, from the gutter to the stars. 

The intricate, precise layering technique I use and the hunt for suitable found materials necessitate moving slow and adapting. Even when I do not explicitly explore themes of disability and illness in my work, I am always guided by a disability perspective that sees deliberation, slowness, and adaptation as worthwhile and beautiful in and of themselves. 

Ill at Ease: an artist talk on disability culture, found materials, and illness

Ill at Ease: A virtual collage workshop with Auden Granger, hosted by 3Arts/Bodies of Work in April 2024.

Residencies, fellowships, and partnerships

  • Bodies of Work is an invitation-only fellowship awarded to individuals creating work that illuminates the disability experience in new and unexpected ways.

  • The Disablity Culture Leadership Initiative is a series of video conversations and convenings with d/Deaf and disabled artists in Chicago, documenting the “Chicago model” of disability aesthetics.

  • Auden Granger is a recipient of a 2024 grant from the Access Living Arts and Culture Fund.

  • Reduce Waste Chicago partners with local artists to gather items for creative reuse.

    Auden partnered with Reduce Waste Chicago in the spring of 2024 to collect paper materials for a public workshop on found materials collage and disability arts and culture.

Looking for arts programming for youth or adults?

I am excited to offer workshops in found materials collage and in paper mosaic. Learn more on the “Workshops” page.