i'm a little tired and i thought this might be a good time for a "mini issue" of the newsletter, organized around a theme: fiber and textile art (my favorite!). i don't know how mini this ended up being but it was fun to have a more specific focus... or maybe i should say a "common thread" hehe... a while back i was talking with a friend of mine who also uses a lot of textiles and sewing in their work, and we thought maybe fiber art would get more press if writers were aware of how many amazing puns are possible?? have fun looking for examples in the articles and such that i've linked this week : )
Woven Histories | 4Columns
i really enjoyed this review of a recent show at the los angeles county museum of art focused on the lineage of modern through contemporary textile-based art. i wish i had gotten to see the show! it includes some pretty big names in textile history, like leonore tawney, eva hesse, sheila hicks, and sonia delaunay. i thought the writer of this piece (sasha archibald) deftly summed up some of the major critical dialogues surrounding art and craft over the past century... if you are interested in learning more about these histories, i strongly suggest checking out this book:
String, Felt, Thread — University of Minnesota Press
A beautifully illustrated history of the use of fiber in the American art world in the postwar era
i have read elissa auther's string felt and thread several times over and always find new things to be excited and curious about. the way this book is structured---each section focuses on a different facet of fiber art in the 1960s/1970s---reflects the different ways textiles were used and received in the various spheres of the art world. i think everyone who is interested in the use of fibers, or even more generally, craft, in contemporary art should read this book asap!
The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine: Rozsika Parker: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
the subversive stitch is a bit older, and probably would benefit from some updated perspectives (it's been a while since i read it), but it is one of few books i have found dedicated specifically to a critical discussion of embroidery. (if there are others, pleeeease let me know!) it has been especially valuable to me as an embroiderer just for the historical context it offers. most books on embroidery are either how-tos or are kind of stuffy museum archives (still good for pictures though!). the subversive stitch was first published in 1984, just a few years after judy chicago's spectacular and embroidery-heavy artwork the dinner party was first exhibited...
Judy Chicago’s Work Aged Poorly. That’s a Good Thing. – ARTnews.com
A retrospective tells the story of the artist Judy Chicago did not become.
speaking of judy chicago, i have mixed feelings about her but she is kind of unavoidable if you're into any kind of overlap between craft and feminism. second wave-ers like her have a bad rep these days, which is earned in many cases, but i don't think she's evil. this review of the big judy retrospective at the new museum does a pretty good job of unpacking what is difficult about her work and what potential her practice held at the time. i don't think i love her early minimalist stuff as much as this writer, and i wish the article was given a little more space to think through some of the issues it brings up, but all in all a great read! what do you think of judy chicago? or do other people not think of her as much as i do?
Faith Ringgold: American People - MCA Chicago
This exhibition encompasses 60 years of Faith Ringgold's revolutionary body of work, which bears witness to the complex American experience.
not to confuse anyone, but the judy chicago show is in brooklyn, and the show at the museum of contemporary art chicago is a retrospective of the amazing faith ringgold. i feel like when i love an artist's work, as i do in the case of faith ringgold, different parts of their practice will speak to me during different times in my life. when i first encountered her work, i was most excited about her quilts. now i find myself looking more closely at her soft sculpture (i think of them as dolls, i guess that says something about me!). i noticed this exhibition was originally presented at the new museum (where the judy chicago show is now)... maybe someone will arrange to bring it to portland???
No. 637: Faith Ringgold, George Masa – The Modern Art Notes Podcast
Episode No. 637 of The Modern Art Notes Podcast features curator Jamillah James and author Brent Martin. James has organized “Faith Ringgold: American People,” a retrospective of Ringg…
i also highly recommend listening to this episode of the modern art notes podcast, which features an interview with the curator of the faith ringgold show. they give a lot of interesting background about ringgold's development as an artist that i didn't know, and both the guest and the host make space for each other's readings of individual works, which i thought was really nice. (fyi i only listened to the part of the podcast about faith ringgold, i don't know what the other half is all about but it might be great! tell me if you listen.)
PREORDER: Stitching Freedom: Embroidery and Incarceration – Common Threads Press
PRE-ORDER for release on 16/2/2024For centuries, people have stitched in good times and in bad, finding strength in the needle moving in and out of fabric. Stitching Freedom explores the embroidery made in prisons and mental health hospitals — those who have embroidered to distract, to reflect or to calm. From Mary, Qu
i'm looking forward to reading this book, about the embroidery practices of incarcerated artists. i actually own a beautiful embroidery that was made by a prisoner some time around the 1910s-1920s (a gift from my sweetie, ním---thank you!), and i have always wanted to know more about it and who might have made it. maybe this book will give me a little more insight!
Hot Take at Portland State: Looms Are Computers - Portland Mercury
Computers are alchemical in the way that they use tiny assemblages of conductive squiggles and crystal wafers to generate images, solve complex mathematical problems, and connect people miles apart in real time. How does this transformation from material to information to image occur? Weaving Data, a group exhibition in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University, offers a different way to understand the development of computing technology—by going back to its origins...
if you needed more proof of my love for textiles and fiber art, you can read my review of the group show "weaving data" in the portland mercury. this exhibition was on view at the jordan schnitzer museum of art at portland state university last year from january through april, but you can still see images of a lot of the show on the website.
if you want to try learning some embroidery stitches yourself, the royal school of embroidery has created a really great resource in this "stitch bank." you can browse by embroidery technique, stitch use, and structure, and there are detailed instructions with both illustrations and close up photos, for maximum ease of stitching! what is your favorite stitch? i love making buttonhole nets and bullion roses, and any sort of plaited or interlaced stitch.
upcoming events:
Ido Radon: California | ILY2
i find ido radon's kind of cyber-dystopian artwork so fascinating! i don't know if i always understand all the concepts and critiques her found object assemblages contain, but that is part of what i like about them. i'm really excited to see this new show at ily2, which opens next weekend.
i am especially thrilled to announce redescription, an exhibition of paintings and drawings by ním daghlian, opening thursday february 15. this is the first official grapefruits show in our new location, in the rare book room at mother foucault's bookshop! i feel extremely fortunate to have been invited to curate this very special space, and have lots of things planned for the entire year. i'm extra happy to be presenting this particular body of work by my sweet partner and studio-mate, which represents years of research and care, and which very few people have gotten a chance to see until now. please come join us for the opening reception next thursday, february 15, from 6-9pm. more info on upcoming shows soon!
thanks for reading! send me suggestions, things you have read, pictures of art, or whatever you think is interesting in art right now. winter can be a dreary time, so please reach out if you feel like sharing about creative things might brighten up your day---it would definitely brighten up mine! xoxoxoxoxoxo