We’re so very pleased to be able to introduce GRETCHEN MAYNARD-HAHN who has recently been commissioned for an exciting new artist-in-residence at Portobello High School, led by Art Walk Projects.
It represents a brilliant new partnership between Art Walk Projects and Portobello High School, embedding an artist in the school over a 5-month period whilst providing a unique opportunity to create a collaborative work with pupils.
The project will explore further the showground era of Portobello, developing out of our ‘Showground’ themed Art Walk Porty Festival this year. A culminating puppetry parade is planned for March 2026.
Gretchen Maynard-Hahn is a visual theatre designer and maker with a background in puppetry, costume, and prop construction. She has worked across a wide range of creative environments, from large-scale West End productions to intimate and experimental projects. She has led puppet departments on productions such as War Horse and My Neighbour Totoro and worked as a puppet technician on The Lion King and Life of Pi. Her practice is rooted in visual storytelling and the emotional language of materials, with a hands-on approach that bridges fine art, performance, and craft.
Alongside her theatre work, Gretchen’s broader artistic practice explores themes of folk culture, post-human storytelling, and outsiderness – drawing on her American heritage to examine myth, ritual, and the blurred boundaries between human and non-human worlds. She creates work that blends the poetic and the uncanny, often through puppetry, analogue effects, and performative objects.
Gretchen is also developing research into sustainable theatre design and construction. She has contributed to the Theatre Green Book and the Society of British Theatre Designers’ Sustainable Materials Guidebook, and recently spoke at a Climate Crisis Theatre Action event. Her current focus is on exploring low-impact materials and processes that reimagine how theatre can be both creative and environmentally responsible.
The residency is supported by funding from City of Edinburgh Council, Portobello High School and Creative Scotland.