Wu Hanyen is a Taiwanese American artist and maker based in Providence, Rhode Island. Their practice is rooted in woodworking and guided by an ongoing interest in how our bodies move through the world. After experiencing an injury, Wu began exploring the connections between physical care and craft, a path that led to a collection of movement tools designed for everyday use.

Community and collaboration are central to Wu’s work. They often build alongside other makers, sharing techniques, teaching, and creating space for collective learning. Their furniture and sculptural tools are not only objects, but also invitations to move, to gather, and to imagine new relationships between people and the materials that shape our lives.

Wu spent five years working as a production furniture maker in New York City before earning an MFA in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. They are now an Associate Professor in the 3D Arts Department at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Wu has been an Endowed Fellow at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, an Open Studio Resident at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and was recently selected as a 2025–2026 Creative Artist Fellow of the Japan–U.S. Friendship Commission, through which they are studying Japanese woodworking across Japan. Follow along their journey on Substack.

For all inquiries, email hello.workinuse@gmail.com