Hadley Byrne / PLAY PRETEND is a multi-media artist focused in ceramics, sculpture, storytelling, puppetry, and illustration. Their work explores themes of spectrum: the inner child and the adult identity, whimsy and weight, the masculine and the feminine, daily and ancestral ritual, death and rebirth, masks and what they attempt to cover.

As a maker Hadley is particularly interested in the preservation of play. What is play? Who is it for? What purpose does it serve? How do we access it at different stages of life? What is the relationship between play and creativity? Can one exist without the other?

Whether whimsical, functional, ornamental, or anywhere in between, PLAY PRETEND uses a variety of mediums and motifs to inspire reflection on identity and play. Their intention is to invite others to explore their own sense of playfulness, as well as their positioning within the many spectrums that they themselves fall within.

Hadley is currently making and managing a community pottery studio in Easthampton, MA.