talkin about the talk.

For those of you that could not make it- you missed out!!! The artist talk was wonderful. We had a great turn out and a very intriguing group of artists there.

Interestingly all but one of the artists came to working in fibers through a more traditional "art" medium. Quite a few of them through painting which was evident in their work, and a ceramicist, printmaker, and 2 sculptors. It was fascinating to hear about all their paths to the medium of fiber and how their backgrounds affect their approaches to their work.

Some running themes was how most of the artists really enjoyed and were nourished by the meditative process of working in fiber. A few even used the word prayerful and I thought it was quite accurate as a description.

In addition a majority of the artists were raised in the Midwest and talked a lot about the labor and work ethic that is part of Midwestern culture. I myself am a born and bred Midwesterner and have always felt that this affects the choices I make as an artist working in fiber and embroidery so it was fun to hear others talk about their connection to this.


I loved hearing Meredith Grimsley talk about how her pregnancy affected her work and identity as a women and artist. She quoted the bible, psalms 139 about pregnancy saying:

You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.

...

my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth.

I also in general loved hearing Janice Jakielski as she was a very fun spirited artist - her talk let me understand some of her choices in her work much better. Specifically realizing that in in a way all of her works are self portraits.


And John Paul Morabito's talk enlightened me on his motivation and experience as an artist through his work and the control involved in it.

Their will be pictures to share soon and as I recorded a part of each artists talk you will get a chance to hear some of it soon.

Something to look forward to.

some screen time.

Did you know that you can watch the 3 amazing video works from the Cutting Edge exhibit right in the comfort of your own home on your own computer.

Please check the videos out here. They are quite lovely to see. Obviously you know I think this since I chose them!

Artists: Sarah Bahr, Lou Trigg, and Heidi Field-Alvarez

What are you doing tonight??

I hope coming to the Cutting Edge artist talk.

Tonight at the Textile Arts Center at 7:30 pm.
Get your details here.

and a little mention of the talk here.

statement hats.

Elephants are attacking people

When I went to teach yoga Tuesday I walked into a world of wonderful, creative, whimsy.

Bees! Please come back!

The space that I teach community classes twice a week doubles as a gallery and the artist Miki Katagiri was in the process of installing her amazing, lovely, innovative, and wacky hats.

We are doing everything upside down

Miki's hats combine excellent millinery skills, humor, and political and world issue awareness. Most of her hats though in design very playful and joyful are usually connected to a serious thought and opinion about life, greater awareness & consciousness, or the cultural issues of today.

Heart Attack!!

Miki's art statement is also playful, poignant and poetic:

To me art is more than a sculpture, it's your life, it's how you live, it's noticing the atmosphere in which you exist.
At all times you should be aware of what you see, what you hear, and what you feel!
Even though you can't see or hear certain changes, you can still feel them in your cells.
The universe is all around you and you should notice what is going on.

Green Horns

You could be an ant.
You could be a bird.
You could be any creature.
Be the wind.
Be the earth.

If you let yourself be the earth, you would see she is crying from what human beings have done to her.
We should appreciate what she has given us and return heart-fullness.

Feed mother’s milk with flowers

With my art I want to connect people together and unite ourselves again with the earth.

We must wake up and change.
We can change the world if we want.
Use the universal language.

Life is art

Fox wants to be a bird in the next life

Unfortunately, I do not have many occasions to wear a wacky and wonderful hat, though I envision that Carrie from Sex in the City could pull them off with ease. But a part of me desperately wants a little bit of Miki's world.

I love snail mail

The show opens tonight at RabbitHole Studios, 33 Washington St, Dumbo, Brooklyn.

See more of Miki's work here.

thank u.

Super awesome illustration by Bill Carmen.

Some over due links to mentions of Cutting Edge & some sweet features on me.

Cutting Edge shout out here.

a nice little mention of me at Hey, We Made it, and Olive Design.

and glad to know that folks are interested in what I am saying here and here.

Thanks everyone!!!

Future Heirlooms-

Read my interview with the fabulous, sweet, and funny Bridget Franckowiak AKA Bee Franck.

details.

Work getting done bit by bit in the few hours that I find here and there. Starting to feel a little more like this is possible art and motherhood. Difficult, challenging, but possible.

Artist's Talk.

Cutting Edge: A Celebration of Fibers

Artists/Curator Talk -- This Friday--OCTOBER 8, 2010 at 7:30pm

Participating artists:

Meredith Grimsley
Tod Hensley
Janice Jakielski
Alisha McCurdy
Margarita Mileva
John Paul Morabito
Sierra Furtwangler
Amanda Tiller.

The exhibition, Cutting Edge: A Celebration of Fibers, will be curated by Joetta Maue, a celebrated textile artist recently known for her series of embroideries and images exploring intimacy. This exhibition will feature works from various fiber artists and present a large array of textile mediums from stationary installations to performance and video work.

Get all the information here.

rubber banded baubles.

So generally it would not be like me, as a curator, to curate jewelry into a show of mine- but when Margarita Mileva submitted her truly fabulous rubber band jewelry to Cutting Edge...


I just could not deny it. And when I got to see it in person it was even more fabulous. Margarita's background is architecture and when she began to create jewelry she was inspired by the ever present materials of the office such as paper clips, business cards, and spiral notebook bindings.


I am a girl always after a great new bauble and Margarita's work is the perfect fit for me and my style.


When the Textile Arts Center ladies mentioned that she had recently finished a Rubber band dress I just had to see it... and it was equally fabulous and a colorful, playful edition to the show. Margarita co-created this dress with her daughter Iva.


Margarita has had a vast number of write ups for her jewelry design and been a featured artist at a number of design shows. Here is a recent interview with her and a feature. If you want a Margarita original of your own, I know I do, you can get them at her etsy shop or check out her website here.

Thread Reviews.

Check out my opinionated review of Handmade Nation over here.