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Cultivate GR, a relatively new gallery in Grand Rapids, MI, is hosting: We ARE Here: More Than Just a Number, an exhibition showcasing the work of 11 artists from across the country, who, while working in a variety of media, share the distinction of all being over the age of 50. I am delighted to have the opportunity to show these two of my favorite small works. My good friend and fellow Detroit area fiber artist, Boisali Biswas, also has work in the exhibition.
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Back to the Wall, the Being Slept, 2016,
Hand-stitched, waxed, single strand embroidery floss,7 colors, on black paper. 4.5” H x 3.25” W
My use of the word "Being" in the title of this piece recognizes that this is an unusual individual who felt exhausted and needed the support of the wall to hold it upright and to protect it while it slept. I think all of us have felt ostracized and in need of rest and protection in one way or another at some point in our lives. All the stitched lines in this drawing are intentional in that they are placed to portray exactly this image.
Flight, 2016
Hand-stitched, waxed, single strand, shaded embroidery floss, 2 colors, on black paper. 4.5” H x 3.25” W
Flight is very different. It is made entirely of unintentional lines, the lines that appear on the back of the work that I cannot see as I stitch. The lines overlap. The knots are visible. It illustrates not only all the gestures and movements my hand made while stitching the piece, but also the energy it took to create it; the energy it takes to launch a body into the air! When I finished the work and turned it over to look at these unintentional lines, the title immediately came to me and the decision to show that side was made.
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We ARE Here, More Than Just a Number
Dates: April 7 - May 24, 2023
Opening reception: April 7th from 5 - 9 PM.
Cultivate GR
620 Wealthy St, SE,
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Hours: M - F 10 A - 8 P
Sat 10 A - 5 P
Closed Sunday
Website: https://www.cultivategrandrapids.org/
If venturing to the West Coast of MI, I hope you take the time to stop in and see the show.
More news will be forthcoming this summer, so be sure you have my email in your contact list or in your address book. Thanks!
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 I have had the honor of being included in Live Coal Gallery's Aired Out Quilts project which is a contemporary riff on the use of quilts by the Underground Railroad to broadcast messages of safety or danger. I was interviewed to tell the story of our connection to our neighborhood. April Anue, a very talented quilt artist, interpreted one of those stories and made it into a beautiful quilt which was displayed on the porch of my studio in November, 2021. In addition to receiving the quilt, I have also been included in the documentary film about the project. The film premiers on August 6, 2022 at 6 PM at the Michigan Science Center. Details are in the image above.
The premier is a fundraiser for the gallery. Live Coal offers art programming to local communities in the form of its Artsmobile as well as exhibitions at The Red, a gallery space on Clairmont Avenue.
Please join me on the red carpet at the Premier and see some of the quilts made for the project! Tickets are $30.00/person. You can buy tickets at the door or pre-order tickets online from the Michigan Science Center:
https://buy.acmeticketing.com/orders/469/tickets?eventId=62d19109d0bcf724800241c2&cdEventIds=62d19109d0bcf724800241c2&date=2022-08-06T18:00:00-04:00
Thank you Aired Out Quilts team for including me in this wonderful community project! |
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REMINDER:
Dates for my televised MetroArts Interview on Wayne State University PBS station, Ch. 56.3:
August 8, 2022 at 12:30 PM,
with repeats on
August 10, 2022 at 6:30 PM
August 14, 2022 at 9:30 AM.
It will also be available on WTVS3 on Comcast Digital (Channel 288), Charter Digital (Channel 433), and on Bright House Digital (Channel 156).
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Urbanization: The Bloodlust of the Built Environment
Is currently on view at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago as part of the gallery's 30th anniversary celebration. The show is up until July 16, 2022. You can also see the work online.
For details: https://womanmade.org/generations-30-years-of-woman-made-gallery/
As I was stitching this piece I thought of the red rectangles as city blocks, graves, parking lots, farms, as well as the death and displacement of human beings who were in Detroit before my ancestors (who were themselves displaced persons) arrived and all that has been paved over since then...the bloody history of this world.
Photo credit: Tim Thayer
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Lather Up! will be shipped to the Textile Center in Minneapolis, MN in mid-July for an exhibition of members' work: Common Thread, from July 26 - October 15, 2022.
For details: https://textilecentermn.org/acommonthread2022/
I stitched this piece right after the first COVID lock downs in Michigan. I was determined to depict all the soap that was capturing and carrying away the corona virus and also making my hands raw from frequent washing. I finally found olive and laurel oil soap at a local Middle Eastern market that healed my hands.
Photo credit: Tim Thayer
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All Women Are Daphne will be installed at the Jordan River Arts Council Gallery in East Jordan, MI as part of the Members Invitational Show from August 28 to September 30, 2022. For details: https://www.jordanriverarts.com/
I will be adding an entire garland of leaves because of all the women whose work I've read, seen, and learned about since 2021. I will be stitching 5 new pieces to replace work that had been purchased from the installation when it was on view at the Hannan Center, Kayrod Gallery: Poetic Cloth exhibition in November, 2021.
Photo credit: Tim Thayer
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MetroArts Interview
In November of 2021 I was interviewed about my work by MetroArts, the Wayne State University PBS station for later broadcast. I just received a notification from MetroArts that my segment will be included in Season 11 of MetroArts Detroit which begins the week of July 11, 2022.
My segment will be broadcast on Ch. 56.3 on August 8, 2022 at 12:30 PM, and will repeat on August 10, 2022 at 6:30 PM and again on August 14, 2022 at 9:30 AM.
It will also be available on WTVS3 on Comcast Digital (Channel 288), Charter Digital (Channel 433), and on Bright House Digital (Channel 156).
Afterwards it will be available on the MetroArts website: www.metroartsdetroit.com |
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An invitation to submit work to a juried show at the Jordan River Arts Council (JRAC) prompted me to complete work on an idea that I have been thinking about executing since 2012. It gave me the motivation to experiment with paper shapes both 2 D and 3 D and merge them into wall mounted reliefs.
The title of the exhibition is Pieced, Layered, & Stitched. It asked for quilted work with an architecturally inspired theme. However, the JRAC, encouraged me to submit my stitched paper work, knowing that I don't usually work with fabric.
I had begun stitching a large sheet of watercolor paper that I had previously perforated into abstract forms. I usually work standing and stitching large sheets of paper suspended from the ceiling. Since I was only concerned with two areas of the sheet of paper, I cut them out and stitched them by hand while manipulating them on my large work table.
Urbanization: The Bloodlust of the Built Environment, 2021
Dimensions: 13.5 in H x 22.5 in W x 2 in D
I had several blank papier mache structures left from my 1997 Structural Diaries series. I cut one in half, removed the base, closed the open back and base and created a paper "skin" for each half that I would cover with the same stitch pattern that was developing on the background shape. I cut away some of the stitching that had been completed on the background and outlined the areas to accept the architectural elements. Once the background was completely stitched, I outlined the form on archival mounting board, cut it out and perforated the mounting board matching the holes on the edge of the stitched background. I stitched the background to the mounting board utilizing those perforations to create an outline. Then I fabricated a foam core support and attached it to the back of the mounting board with loops of archival, self-adhesive, linen hinging tape. Finally I glued the architectural elements in place to the front of the stitched form.
As I was working on the piece, with different tonalities of red and pink thread, I thought of city blocks, subdivisions, buildings and all the blood that was shed in the process, from the initial taking of land from indigenous people, to the wars fought between colonizers and native people, to the restrictive covenants discriminating against people of color and ethnic origin, to the declaration of eminent domain to take homes and land from people for building highways without adequate recompense, to the paving over of masses of land for parking lots…all of which are still ongoing in our white supremacist society. Thus the title became Urbanization: The Bloodlust of the Built Environment.
Wildernization: The Triumph of Overgrowth, 2021
Dimensions: 17 in H x 21 in W x 2 in D
The second piece already had the structures stitched and ready to be glued in place. But the surface stitching had to be completed. I intended to cover the entire surface of the background with stitches. I pushed myself to add different shades of green and tan to allude to vegetation and earth since this piece was the antidote to the first. Whereas Urbanization represented the destruction of people and the natural environment to build cities, Wildernization represented the natural conquest of abandoned cities by vegetation as I personally witnessed in parts of Detroit over the last several decades. We have a tendency to think of ourselves as the most highly developed species on the planet, when in fact we are merely a part of the ecosystem. Were we to disappear, nature would not miss us so much as decompose us and return our components to nurture our fellow inhabitant species. Every gardener knows this to be true.
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With the two pieces completed, I had to figure out how I could safely ship them to East Jordan, MI. I purchased a special art shipping box from ULINE and customized it for my purposes.
It was a double walled box with three foam pads in it. The top and bottom pads were dimpled. The center pad was flat on both sides and perforated into small squares so parts could be removed to hold a framed work of art snuggly cradled between the top and bottom. This was the pad I had to customize.
I cut templates of each piece out of glassine paper, taped them in place on the middle layer of foam, cut out depressions in the foam to accommodate the architectural elements and lined those depressions with glassine as well. I did this to prevent the foam from abrading the thread on the front of the work which would be placed face down on the glassine.
Once the two art works were in place, I included nitrile gloves to be worn by the person lifting the work out of the box and mounting the work on the wall. You can see the 3M Command Picture Mounting Tabs on the back of each piece. I also included extra mounting tabs in case of an emergency repair. You can see the dimpled foam layer near the top edge of this photo. That was placed on top of the work and the box closed and taped shut.
Then the box was slipped into a large plastic bag, tied shut and encircled with a double row of air pillows I had woven and tied together with a strong cotton cord. I always ship art packed in a box which is then packed into an outer box in an effort to do as much as I can to prevent the work from being damaged.
This is the exterior box with a label indicating which end should be opened. I also included instructional labels at each step of the unpacking and emailed a sheet with same and thumbnail images to JRAC to give them a "heads up" as to what to expect. From their response, all went smoothly.
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Here is the announcement postcard with details of the exhibition:
If you need a trip away, please consider a drive up to East Jordan, MI to see the show. Be sure to email the JRAC if you would like to schedule a weekday visit. Details above.
A view of the interior of the JRAC Gallery as you enter. This is one of the few places that has the courage to use color on the walls of the exhibition space. |
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Pieced, Layered, & Stitched awarded cash prizes as follows:
1st Place
$500 prize sponsored by Pat O'Brien and Associates
Sarah Bearup-Neal
He Burned Down the House on the Way Out
2nd Place
$250 prize sponsored by JRAC
Dolores Slowinski
Wildernization: The Triumph of Overgrowth
3rd Place
$100 prize sponsored by Jennifer Burr-Coldwell Banker Schmidt Realtors
Boisali Biswas
Palace Speaks at Night II
(This work was also used on the banner on the exterior of the building!)
with Honorable Mentions going to:
 Amy Donaldson- Cityscapes
 Mica Harrison- Where the Witch Lives
 Marcia Meyer- Gables
There are many other fine works in the show. You can see them on Facebook at Jordan River Arts Council.
Thank you to the Jordan River Arts Council for their consistent support of Fiber Artists and Art in Michigan!
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Woman Made Gallery
Independent curator, Juana Williams, selected only 35 out of 600 pieces submitted for the 23rd International Open at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, IL. My work, Wiggle, shown below, was among those selected. It will probably be the smallest piece in the show as it measures a mere 3 in x 3 in.
The exhibition will be a hybrid: virtual and in person, from October 30 - November 21, 2020. Woman Made Gallery is located at 2150 S. Canalport, #4A-3; Chicago IL 60608. Please call (312) 738-0400 or email the gallery general@womanmade.org if you wish to make an in-person visit. Gallery Hours: Th-Fri 12-6 pm | Sat-Sun 12-4 pm or by appointment | Closed on Major Holidays. For more information go to https://womanmade.org/
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Grandmother
I was also fortunate to have work included in the Grandmother exhibition at the Hannan Center Kayrod Gallery in Detroit's Cultural Center from August 21 - September 30, 2020. This was a lovely exhibition that presented visual work together with the stories the artists told about the work inspired by grandmothers. I had three, prismacolor pencil drawings on black paper included in the show.
On the left is an image of my maternal grandmother as I remember her in her garden. She worked wearing a worn vest sweater and her babushka/head scarf.
In the middle is a three generations drawing with my Mother reaching up to the tree of life: me, the Virgin, sitting at the base of the tree; and my Grandmother, the Crone, picking strawberries.
On the right is a dream mandala drawing. I am lying on my side, pregnant with my daughter, Claire. Beneath my head is another fetus, my creative imaginination. I am protected by the arms of my grandmother below her all-seeing breasts.
Dorothy Jett-Carter, April Anue, and I talked about our work at the invitation of Kathy Bricker, who organizes outings for the Needle Work and Textile Guild of Michigan, on September 23, 2020 at the Kayrod Gallery. It is always a delight to meet other fiber artists and enthusiasts.
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Marking Time
At the start of the stay-at-home order I thought I would start working on something very different and BIG BIG BIG in my studio! But I just couldn’t do that. BIG just didn’t seem important. The pandemic was BIG and it was making people miserable, sick and killing them!
Then all the face mask patterns became available and I thought I would make a lot of those. I made two and stopped. There were so many patterns coming out almost as fast as I found them. It was no use. It was all too confusing.
Out of frustration, I picked up narrow strips of scrap booking paper I had in my studio and cut them in half so that they were about the size of a bookmark. I perforated lines in the paper with my sewing machine and then stitched into the holes by hand.
 
I made 30 for people I write to every month. Some are almost blind, but these were pieces they could touch and run their fingers over the stitches. I used bright colors too, hoping that even if the lines were blurry, at least the colors would be pleasing.
 
I tore handmade paper into strips too and kept on stitching. Soon I was putting texture between the lines.
 
 
Then I was covering almost the entire piece of paper with stitches.
I call this my Marking Time Series…as we are all marking time until this pandemic is over. This series will be ongoing until I feel comfortable working larger...or perhaps this will remain my way of putting art into peoples' hands so that they can touch something besides computer keyboards or the glass of their smartphone screens. One of my pen pals now addresses me as QEM...the Queen of Exquisite Minutiae. I delight in the moniker! |
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