Threads: a Sampling of Fiber Arts at the AnnMarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center

She Can’t see the forest through the trees by Jenny Schu. Fiber, glass beads, nylon thread

Moonshine by Allison Korb Fabric ,thread, batting

Threads: A Sampling of Fiber Art from March 18-July 24, 2016

AnnMarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center,

13480 Dowell Road, Dowell( Solomons) MD

It was so exciting to visit and be part of this show, beautifully displayed in the art center, surrounded by gardens and a 1/2 mile walk with sculptures many on loan from the Smithsonian’s Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the National Gallery of Art.

Again, there were so many exhibits, I could not show them all- just trying to show the range of techniques and personal expression that was on display. For me, it is very encouraging to see the huge diversity of ideas, techniques and philosophical expression, with both traditional and contemporary approaches equally represented. I love it!

Drift by Carrie Dickenson Woven discarded plastic packaging

I’m not here for you to taunt by Monica Chulewicz cyanotype on found fabric, dress, lace trim

Flow by Chris Motley knit wool

Kelp forest teapot by Eileen Doughty threads

rawhide by Jacqui Mehring punch needle with 100% cotton embroidery thread

Bewitch by Peggy Wyman long leaf pine needles, irish waxed linen , pearl cotton, beads, wire

Mikey of Mallory by Marie Bergestedt (juror’s award) mixed media

Thursday market by Rowen Schussheim- Anderson tapestry

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Merope by Gabrielle Adynwylde cotton thread on cotton aida

Shadow by Tao Okropiridze tapestry

Cosmos-(Don’t have the artist’s name !!) quilt

Bad Night Moon by Deborah Silver woven, wool, cotton, rayon, silk

Raven by Susan Aaron-Tayler hand made felt, wood, beads, shells

Another face in the crowd by Lynda Andrews- Barry (Juror’s award) digital photograph printed on cotton fabric with hand embroidery

 

Field trip to Kent State University Museum for Focus: Fiber 2016, Contemporary Fiber Art Show

On Saturday, June 18, my husband and I visited the Kent State University Museum, Kent, Ohio to see the Focus: Fiber 2016 National Contemporary Fiber Art Show.

Red Velvet and Linen Hugs by Martin Demaine and Erik Demaine

I have to apologize for my images, as the lighting was very low and my camera started to malfunction and died on me during our visit. Apologies to the artists that did not get their images recorded for this blog- the work was superb. I highly recommend buying the catalog which has outstanding representations of all the entries.

The first pieces were Martin and Erik Demaine’s  folded and creased fabric forms. They are a father-son math-art team exploring the power of folded sheets along creased lines , using a compass to score the creases and cut out a central hole. The sheets folds itself into a natural equilibrium form depending on the creases, a process not yet understood mathematically.

The forms are small but have a monumental presence!

Artist made abaca paper by Jocelyn Chateauvert

 

Red Ripple by Barbara Murak

 

Jocelyn’s  hand made paper twists and contorts as it dries, forming 3- dimensional shapes.

Barbara Murak’s Red Ripple is hand knitted and manipulated into sculptural forms. I love the rippled effect that you can achieve in knitted forms.

Marianne Williamson ‘s Cracks in my composure is a quilted textile that looks like a huge abstract painting. Jill Ault with Choose This has created a quilt of digitally printed cotton sateen, machine pieced and quilted, with some embroidery. It’s a fascinating piece with multiple copies of the same image divided into small squares-no two pieces are the same. The design appears to move across the surface when you look at it.

Cracks in my composure by Marianne Williamson

Choose This by Jill Ault

 

Fire by Susie Taylor

The Swarm (AKA The Laundry Line) by Wendy Ives

Pattern Recall by Mary Ruth Smith

Girl Story by Amy Meissner

Three punch needle pieces by Jacqui Mehring

Betty Busby’s piece Snowbound  is hand painted linen with a mesh overlay, stitched and formed over an armature-it’s big and it towers. Susie Taylor with a piece called Fire combines weaving and origami to create a  dimensional fabric by weaving and folding. Wendy Ives with-The Swarm-is a felted piece with wool dyed with plant and insect dyes. It’s a fun piece and I love seeing felt work (pun intended! ) I love Mary Ruth Smith’s piece too- called Pattern Recall– she uses patterns, threads, and  collages images associated with ‘women’s work’. Amy Meissner ‘s describes Girl Story – as pushing against the definition of the domestic role of hand-sewn fabrics being  warm, decorative and protective. Her traditional, beautiful hand sewn and quilted pieces tell of uncomfortable and frightening narratives.

I am afraid it was at this point my camera stopped cooperating and I was unable to record the rest of the exhibit. This represents less than a quarter of the work in the show, and it truly was an honor to part of such a great exhibit.

This show was coordinated by the Textile Art Alliance, a friends group of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It’s mission is to increase appreciation of the textile arts through lectures, workshops, and exhibitions and to enlarge the textile collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Snowbound by Betty Busby

Talking to myself ( and I’m not listening)

Despite having heard on very good authority that fiber artists need to look and work outside the box, expand in scale ( think monumental!) and explore constructions with new materials such as clay, glass and wood…

I started a tiny tapestry from artwork measuring 5  1/2″  x 8 1/2″ weaving a tapestry at 5″ wide, using the same old soldiers-  wool, cotton, mohair, silk and wool blends. I gave myself a good talking to, reminding myself that I had to get with the program and explore new ways to construct textiles. Yet , despite all my admonitions, here I am working with the oldest and most traditional materials and techniques:-paint, paper, yarns and fibers.