Maggie Hensel-Brown is an Australian artist, working predominantly in needle lace techniques.

 

She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Newcastle in 2014, and in the same year opened The Workroom, a small gallery and workspace as a part of the Renew Newcastle initiative.  She worked there for two years as director and curator. 

 

In 2015, Hensel-Brown took a class in Reticella at the annual general conference of the Australian Lace Guild. Since then her practice has been dedicated entirely to lace making. She has travelled and studied needle lace in England, Italy, the United States, the Netherlands, and all around Australia. 

 

Her lace takes techniques from various needle traditions to create contemporary imagery. Inspired by classical pictorial needle lace panels, Hensel-Brown’s work tells stories of the most mundane parts of her life: experiencing the highs and lows of the contemporary world.

 

Since she started in 2015, her works have been recognised globally as significant pieces of lace. Her works have been exhibited widely throughout Australia and the United States. Most notably in the Lace, Not Lace exhibition at the Hunterdon Art Museum, New Jersey USA, Seeing Red at the Lockup gallery NSW, Home is more than a place, Hamilton Gallery VIC, and the upcoming Tamworth Textile Triennial in September 2023.

 

Her works feature in the collections of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney NSW, and The Denver Art Museum in Denver Colorado. 

 

Hensel-Brown also teaches regular classes in person and online and is a frequent educator and panelist at lace making conferences and universities including the Festival of Lace in Sydney, 2021, the Doily Free Zone digital conference in 2021, Wisconsin University in 2021, and Threads of Power at the Bard Graduate Center in New York in 2022.

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