November, 2021

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Slowinski Studios News     November, 2021     All Women Are Daphne is the installation piece I created for an invitational fiber exhibition, Poetic Cloth, at Hannan Center, Kayrod Gallery, curated by Najma Wilson and Richard Reeves, Jr.. Measuring 9 ft. x 8 ft. it is the largest installation I have created and took over a month of 6-10 hour days to execute.  I hired a studio assistant for the first time.  Elaine Ltief cut 90% of the paper leaves and glued some of the base leaves onto the satin ribbon I used to carry the garlands.  She also volunteered to help with the installation.  Bob D'Aoust provided the wood frame and hauled buckets of approximately 150# of river rock into the gallery for me and helped arrange them.  Even with careful planning, we did experience a few glitches but were able to resolve them on site.         Hope you can come to the opening or at least see the exhibition over the next two months. Daphne is a beautiful river nymph in Greek mythology who only wants to live in the forest.  Trouble begins when Apollo, son of Zeus, mocks Eros’ abilities as an archer.  Eros knows that Apollo desires Daphne and retaliates by shooting a gold arrow into the heart of Apollo which enflames that desire and a lead arrow into Daphne’s heart which makes her reject Apollo’s advances.  Apollo relentlessly pursues Daphne. Daphne flees and appeals to her father, Peneus, the River god, for help.  Peneus obliges by turning Daphne into a laurel tree!  As a tree, she is immobilized, rooted to one spot.  Apollo still desires her and lounges beneath her branches and exploits her by making crowns from her leaves which he bestows on his favorite artists and poets.  Thus, mythology begets misogyny. All Women Are Daphne celebrates women from all cultures and countries who are creative in surviving in a misogynistic world that is still trying to keep us in our place while exploiting our talents.  It is made of paper leaves in shades of green and blue that represent Daphne’s transformation into a laurel tree as well as her prior existence as a water nymph.  They are all hand-cut from templates made from actual bay leaves. Over 670 names hand-printed on paper leaves in gold ink, honor women from all cultures.  It is important to name names.  Blank leaves honor women who remain anonymous or non-existent in historical records. 45 two-sided, stitched cards are named for women in my family or whom I have met.  An image of trees or natural environments is collaged on the back to tie the card to Daphne’s story; the stitching on the front abstractly relates to the woman for whom the piece is named. Preserved fresh bay leaves, embody the mythical, transformed, and immobilized Daphne.  Each is hand-stitched and placed in the garlands to honor women’s handwork and culinary skills because we all stitch our lives together and feed our creative selves in all we do. River rocks, in the frame below the garlands, represents the rivers and streams with which Daphne is associated.  (The halo chandelier is the type of lighting at the gallery and not part of the installation.) Special thanks to Elaine Ltief, my studio assistant on this project for all her cutting, gluing, and help with installation; to Bob D’Aoust for his technical expertise and muscle; to Claire D’Aoust for being my sounding board.  Thank you to Richard, Jim, and Michael who also helped with and recorded moments in the installation.  To all the Daphnes in my life, you inspire me!  Thank you.   On November 14, 2021, I will be interviewed about my work by MetroArts, the Wayne State University PBS station for later broadcast.  I have had the honor of being included in Live Coal Gallery's project:  Aired Out Quilts.  The project is a contemporary riff on the way quilts were used by the Underground Railroad to broadcast messages of caution or safety.  I was one of the interviewees and told stories of our life in our neighborhood.  April Shipp, a very creative quilter, was assigned to interpret one of those stories in a quilt.  On November 20, 2021 the quilt will be installed on the front porch of the studio from 11 AM to 5 PM for travelers to see.  Hope you can come by to see it!

September, 2021

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Slowinski Studios News September, 2021 The Healing Memorial Unveiled at the TCF Center August 31, 2021 at 12 Noon I attended the media unveiling of The Healing Memorial since I had been in communication with some of the speackers who would be at the event.  Deputy Mayor, Conrad Mallett introduced the work, addressed the importance of the project for all Detroiters and pointed out the many detailed objects on the 24 x 24 inch panels.  Thus far, 32 panels have been completed and mounted on the wall.  More panels will be added throughout the remainder of this year. Rochelle Riley, (on the left) Director of Arts, Cultural Affairs and Entrepreneurship for the City of Detroit spoke of the heavy losses experienced by Detroiters during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  She addressed the inability of families to hold funerals and grieve together.  She referred to the Memorial Drive which honored the first 900 people in Detroit who died of COVID-19 that was organized by her department on Belle Isle one year ago and of the many who have died since.  She also spoke of the collaboration between the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the City of Detroit, her department, the TCF Center, the Cranbrook Art Museum, and the artist, Sonya Clark, as well as the individual makers who worked together to make this memorial a reality. Mark Wallace, President and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy (not pictured), spoke enthusiastically of the project and the Conservancy's efforts to collaborate with the City of Detroit, the TCF Center, and the Cranbrook Art Museum in making the concept of the Healing Memorial a reality.   Laura Mott, Senior Curator of Contemporary Art and Design, at the Cranbrook Art Museum (also not pictured), addressed the museum's involvement in working with Sonya Clark, the history of Clarks's Beaded Prayer Project and the unique aspect of this project for Detroit.  This is the first time that Clark has designated such an installation for a specific city.  The museum is also charged with collecting the amulets, mounting them on the panels, presenting, and preserving the installation for the future. Rachel Frierson, (above on the right) Director of Programming for the Riverfront Conservancy, spoke of her own loss of her husband (not due to COVID) in the past year and of her inability to mourn with family due to the pandemic.  She understood the need for some personal expression of grief, not only for herself, but also for everyone else during this pandemic.  She was only too glad to initiate hosting “making stations” on the Dequindre Cut, the Riverwalk and to facilitate more such events at the Sidewalk Festivals, churches, neighborhoods, and other locations around the city to promote the healing process for Detroiters. Maureen Devine, Curator for the TCF Center, indicated that she was delighted to house The Healing Memorial at the TCF Center.  The space it occupies was unused and open and would provide adequate space for people to be able to experience the panels both from the 3rd and 4th floors as the space is two floors high.  There is also an escalator that connects the two floors that will allow people to see the work as they descend from the 4th to the 3rd floor.   The explanatory panel will also be in place until the panels are returned to the Cranbrook Art Museum where they will become part of the collection some time after August 31, 2022. 32 panels have been completed thus far and are in place.  Each panel measures 24 x 24 in, is made of wood, has a piece of archival foam core laid on top and is tightly wrapped in muslin.  Each amulet contains a handwritten message that is folded, covered with fabric, stitched or tied closed, and embellished with at least one bead.  Preparators at the Cranbrook Art Museum  pinned each amulet in place, carefully packed the panels and installed them at the TCF Center.  Approximately 1200 amulets have been included in this portion of the installation.  More amulets are in process and still more will be collected from future making sessions at the Cranbrook Art Museum and around the city.  People are encouraged to host making stations at their churches, in their neighborhoods and in their homes with family and friends. For more information, go to: https://detroitriverfront.org/thehealingmemorial or https://cranbrookartmuseum.org or Attend an upcoming making station:  September 4 & 5, 11 & 12, 18 & 19 Cranbrook Art Museum, 12-5PM September 18  West Riverfront Block Party West Riverfront Park, 11-6PM October 9 & 10 Detroit Harvest Fest Dequindre Cut, 11-6PM I was fortunate to have been interviewed by The Detroit News writer, Maureen Feighan, for an article about The Healing Memorial that appeared in the paper on August 24, 2021.  I met her for the first time on August 31st at the TCF Center and we spoke briefly. To see her articles please go to my website: https://www.doloresslowinski.com click on MEDIA in the menu bar, then scroll down to the items listed under the video.  Click on the one you want to see. Thank you to everyone who came to Slowinski Studios in July and August not only to work on amulets, but also to be in community and share stories about our losses.  Thanks too to those of you who invited friends to your homes to give even more people the opportunity to express their grief and transmute it into something beautiful encompassing us all.  I hope all of you have the opportunity to see the installation at the TCF Center. Exhibition News! Urbanization: The Bloodlust of the Built Environment, (on the left) will be on view at the Watermark Art Center, 505 Bemidji Ave., Bemidji, MN 56601  from September 3 - October 30, 2021 as part of the Surface Design Association juried, members exhibition called Earth Matters.  For more information, please go to: https://watermarkartcenter.org/earth-matters/ Wildernization: The Triumph of Overgrowth,( on the right) will be on view at Woman Made Gallery, 2150 S.Canalport, 4A-3, Chicago, IL60608 from October 7 to Novermber 6, 2021 as part of the gallery's 5th Midwest Open exhibition.  For more information, please go to: https://womanmade.org/

March, 2021

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Slowinski Studios News     March, 2021 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. 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.   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. 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!