EXHIBITING GALLERY: St. Louis Artists' Guild

TITLE OF SHOW: Couture Threads of Democracy

OPENING DATE AND CLOSING DATE: September 20th, 2009- November 7th, 2009

CURATOR: Nina Ganci of SKIF International

SHOW DESCRIPTION:

The designers selected for the show have maintained a reverence to reality throughout their fashion career. Their personal work stretches the conceptual boundaries of beauty, culture... and politics.

I appreciate that each designer has remained true to their ideal style . All of them work here in the United States and have significantly contributed to the evolution of our artistic vision.

The pieces in the show reflect our culture, history and fashion. As a collection, it represents an expansion of our perception of fashion and opens up a space in the viewer's mind to see both - the style and the design's structure to fit the human form.

As designers, we're responsible for making our own choices and creating clothing for the people we know. With western wear, we've inherited our sense of dress - a grand responsibility for the way we look, work, and behave.

St. Louis Artists' Guild

Two Oak Knoll Park

St. Louis, Missouri 63105

314.727.6266

www.stlouisartistsguild.org

Submitted by Artist: Loretta Warner

First Inspiration:
As a child, growing up in a big family, we used to get hand me downs from a family, no kidding, with the name “the Bumbs”. They were richer than us. Also, on many occasions, my mother dressed my sister and I (who is my Irish twin) alike, which I disliked even at a young age. I wanted to be me! I remember my father giving me my first Vogue magazine. The magazines were so big and beautiful, back then. I soon discovered Vogue patterns and scotch tape and newspaper. My first pieces were rather funny looking, but shortly, I was copying the beautiful pictures in the magazines!

Cherished possession:
I suppose if I could be buried with one possession it would be my sewing machine. My great industrial Singer machine sits by the window and never fails me, in the beautiful sewing jobs it does for me. Please see self-portrait, in which I took “Photoshop license” of changing Singer’s name to “Killer.”

To keep creative:

I walk early morning and often. I have a great mountain hike about a mile from my live-work studio, called Claremont Canyon. I like to shake the rocks out of my head - meaning, too much thinking does me no good! I leave my thoughts there, on that good, well traveled, dirt path, and then, am clear to create. It is about a mile walk each way to and from, and then a good zigzag hike, up to the top. Many people do it. The truth is, it kicks me in the buttocks every time–and I have been walking it 3 to 4 times a week for years! Please see picture, which is a view from the little bench at the top. Sometimes you can see the whole Bay Area, not always!

Source of my creativity:
I think that the source of my creativity is those moments when I am truly present to what I am doing, there. I am no longer myself. I am One, meaning I am you and you are me. Time doesn’t exist. Work is not work. Life is being. I am always surprised, too, by the results!

Did you chose or were you chosen to create art?
I think that everybody in the universe is chosen to create. As Saint Paul wrote to the people of Corinth “There are different gifts, but the same spirit; there are different ministries but the same Lord; there are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in everyone….” One can substitute the word “dog” for God. It makes no difference. The point is that I am here to use my gifts, as are you.

Art St. Louis- Alice Zrebiec

Joy Deeann Carson, Brentwood, TN. Holding it Together. 2008. Machine Embroidery, Acrylic on Panel, 36”x36”. $600.

EXHIBITING GALLERY: Art St. Louis

TITLE OF SHOW: Fiber Focus 2009

OPENING DATE AND CLOSING DATE: September 14th, 2009- October 15th, 2009

OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, September 25th 6:00pm to 9:00pm

CURATOR OR JUROR: Dr. Alice Zrebiec

SHORT BYLINE/ DESCRIPTION OF SHOW: Fiber Focus 2009 is the 8^th biennial presentation of this nine-state regional juried exhibition focusing on fiber works by artists from MO, IL, KY, TN, AR, OK, NE, IA, KS. Art Saint Louis introduced Fiber Focus in 1995 as one of the many exhibition/venues in the inaugural Innovations in Textiles collaborative. Fiber Focus was and continues to be an opportunity for regional fiber artists to exhibit along side the national and international artists featured at other venues in the collaborative.

Art St. Louis

555 Washington Ave, Suite 150

St. Louis, Missouri 63101

314.241.4810

www.artstlouis.org

Submitted by Juror: Alice Zrebiec

Juror’s Statement

“On my first look at the entries for “Fiber Focus 2009,” I was struck by the incredible variety of the work submitted. Frequently a juror will encounter specific themes or techniques predominating in a competition. This field of entries was quite the opposite and demonstrates the wide range of innovation that exists in art in fiber today. In selecting objects for this exhibition, therefore, I thought the best service I could provide was to convey that bedazzling creative breadth.

Technically, the work includes tapestry and other weaving techniques: hand and machine embroidery; beading and quillwork; netting; felt; dyeing and printing; quilting that demonstrates a new take on traditional patterns, creates a new composition, or is used a part of a mixed media work. Extending the technical and material scope even further are works in handmade and cast paper, basketry, and the incorporation of photographic processes. Many of the works are mixed media and inventively combine different materials and techniques.

Conceptually, the work is equally varied and ranges from realistic representation to abstraction. Some artists take their primary inspiration from the natural world, while others explore color, form and texture or seek—and succeed—in conveying the intangible realm where emotions, memories and imagination live.

Further enriching the possibilities of artistic expression are the scale and dimensionality of the works. Ranging from miniature to massive, the chosen pieces are planar, multidimensional, wearable, or sculptural. Working with digital images, I considered all these aspects: concept, technique, scale and size. I looked for those examples that succeeded the most in combining these harmoniously. A good idea well executed becomes more than the sum of its parts as shown by the fifty-seven entries selected.

I would like to thank Dion Dion, Executive Director of Art Saint Louis, for inviting me to juror this exciting competition, and Robin Hirsch, Associate Director and Gallery Director, for her wonderful organization that made the jurying process so streamlined. And of course, I want to thank all the entrants: keep imagining, keep experimenting, and keep creating!”

Alice Zrebiec

August 2009

About the Juror

Serving as juror for “Fiber Focus 2009” is Dr. Alice Zrebiec. Dr. Zrebiec received her Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts–New York University. Her dissertation, American Tapestry Manufactures–1893-1933, examined the work of three prominent ateliers and the artistic and cultural milieu in which this work was produced. For sixteen years she was curator of textiles in the department of European Sculpture & Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she was responsible

for textiles, tapestries, carpets, ecclesiastical vestments, and fans from the Renaissance to the turn of the 20th century. Her own interests, however, have a wider scope and include ethnographic textiles and contemporary works of art in fiber. A recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, Dr. Zrebiec has lectured internationally and published widely on diverse aspects of textiles and tapestries. She is currently a curatorial consultant based in Santa Fe and consulting curator of Textile Art for the Denver Art Museum.

Nicole Ottwell, Columbia, MO. Definitions—Web. 2009. Jacquard Woven Cloth (Oriole Mill), 46”x38”. Not for Sale.

Shanna Burton, Belleville, IL. Shaman Rabbit. 2008. Wool Felt, Wooden Buttons, 9”. $60.

Artist's statement: “The rabbit metaphor has often been used in mythology, literature, and art to recall intuition, rebirth, and redemption. I am particularly interested in the use of rabbits in art. The shaman rabbit is inspired by Joseph Beuys' performance How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare and by vanitas (17th century Dutch genre paintings). This soft sculpture was made to be posed as animated or quite dead and fits nicely in one's hands.“

St. Louis Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art- Nino Hecht

EXHIBITING GALLERY: St. Louis Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art at Crossroads Gallery

TITLE OF SHOW: Made by Hand

OPENING DATE AND CLOSING DATE: September 8th, 2009 - October 8th, 2009

Opening Reception: Friday September 11th, 7-9pm

IT8 bus tour: Saturday, October 3

Felted Teka workshop with Nino Hecht: Sunday, October 4, 1-4pm

CURATOR OR JUROR: Jo Stealey

SHORT BYLINE/ DESCRIPTION OF SHOW: A regional juried exhibition sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art. Juried by fiber artist Jo Stealey.Stealey is an art professor and head of the fiber department at the University of Missouri - Columbia. Featued in the exhibition into the exhibition: Roxanne Phillips, Pat Owoc, Jennifer Weigel, Virginia Dragshutz, Clairion Ferron, Nino Hecht, Lydia Brockman, Linda Elkow, Jean Mills, Janice Nesser, Kathy Weaver, Betsy Dollar, Christine Ilewski, Trish Williams, Lisa Becker, Marie Samuels, Evie Shucart and Leslie Hume

Crossroads Art Studios and Gallery

501 N. KingshighwaySt. Charles MO 63301

Gallery hours: Wed - Fri Noon-5pm; Sat by appointment

call 314 581-3748

www.wca-stl.org

Submitted by Artist: Nino Hecht

Questions:

• Tell us a bit more about yourself: your location, professional affiliations, personal stuff…

I am a felt artist from the Eastern European country of Georgia currently living and working in St. Louis Missouri. I am a member of the Women’s Caucus for Art and my work is featured at the Art Glass Array on the second floor of the Crossroads Art Studios in St. Charles, MO. I mostly work in my basement and use my kitchen floor for wet felting. I have a husband and a 2 year old son who is usually asleep when I felt otherwise we end up with wool and silk fibers all around the house. Felting is very kid-friendly and makes art projects fun and exciting. I will be teaching introduction to felting class as part of Innovations in Textiles 2009 on October 4, 2009 at the Crossroads Art Studios. I also teach introductory felting, felting jewelry and nuno-scarf (felted scarf) class at the same location couple times a year and felted jewelry class at the Adult and community education of St. Charles.

• What first inspired you to become an artist?

Wool fiber has been used for wearable items and home décor from ancient times. Wool fleece is a warm, dynamic and creative organic fiber from right off the sheep's back. My passion for organic fibers originated from a childhood encounter with nature and cultural harmony. Born and raised in beautiful mountainous country of Georgia, I was fascinated with rich cultural heritage and abundance of folk craft techniques. I was introduced to felting as a child and rediscovered it a few years ago when I started experimenting with natural and hand-dyed wool and silk fibers. I am fascinated with textures, shapes and blends achieved by wet and needle felting and I always look forward to unfolding my final product after rigorous process of wet felting and seeing how multicolor fibers emerge into one solid pieces of felt.

• Please describe your creative process: how you create, when, where, with what materials…

I work with ECO-FRIENDLY wool and silk fibers including exotic fibers like Karakul wool and Tussash silk.

Thin multicolor fibers are built up in alternate directions and then wetted. The process involves rubbing, beating and rocking until the fibers mat together and fleece fabric emerges. Vigorous agitation and soap lubrication allows movement of fibers through organic fabric to create stunning hand-felted textiles. I use wet- and nuno- felting (laminate felt) techniques with subtle needle-felting touches to create two- and three- dimensional art. I also integrate various natural and artificial fibers and fabrics to diversify surface design.

• What are your favorite materials to work with?

I like blending coarser wools with softer wools and silk fibers. Exotic Karakul (Mongolian sheep breed) wool creates very rustic surface and unique blends with other softer fibers like merino and mohair. I use Tussash silk because it is a ‘vegetarian silk’ or type of silk collected after silkworms live their full life and leave their cocoons

• What is your next project?

My next project will continue ‘Housewife’ (piece selected for the WCA ‘Made by hand’ exhibit at the Crossroads Art Studios and Gallery ) series and will explore character and visual images of the early 20^th century Georgian female roles and personality.

St. Louis Artists' Guild- Nathalie Cortada

EXHIBITING GALLERY: St. Louis Artists' Guild

TITLE OF SHOW: Head to Toe: From the Funky to the Sublime

OPENING DATE AND CLOSING DATE: September 20th, 2009- November 7th, 2009

SHOW DESCRIPTION: A juried exhibition that will challenge the notion of functionality yet honor the tradition of wearable art. Work shown will range from head to toe, the Funky to the Sublime and the functional to the non-functional. All textile techniques are encouraged.

St. Louis Artists' Guild

Two Oak Knoll Park

St. Louis, Missouri 63105

314.727.6266

www.stlouisartistsguild.org

Submitted by Artist: Nathalie Cortada
Edinburgh, Scotland

www.atelierscortada.com

• Tell us a bit more about yourself: your location, professional affiliations, personal stuff…
  I am French, born and brought up in Lyon, silk capital of Europe and home of Jacquard and his famous loom. I can’t remember learning to knit, crochet, weave or embroider as a child, my mum does though! I do remember my little orange sewing machine and my brother and I hand-embroidering our own drawings on wee napkin pouches. These are still in use at my mum’s.
  I now live in Edinburgh where I learnt feltmaking and where my textile work has become a lot more three-dimensional, less functional and a lot more surreal.
• Apart from creating things, what do you do?
  I teach textile techniques (crochet and knitting) and papier mâché and card-making at weekly adult education classes. I also run freelance workshops in various crochet techniques, knitting, textile jewellery making, feltmaking and papier mâché.
  I occasionally work in a sewing and knitting shop and enjoy helping customers make the right choices for themselves. And I work for a mental health charity three days a week in an information management role.
• What are your favorite materials to work with?
  My all time favourite material is thick raw wool with the lanolin still in it. However I love experimenting with all sorts of materials and these vary depending on what I want to achieve and my mood at the time. Materials range from the traditional wool and cotton yarn to fancy yarns, via newspapers, network cables, video and audiotapes to fishermen’s warp and climbing ropes. I often have a minuscule project on the go alongside much larger work. I also like to mix materials, little and large, soft and rough, smooth and textured.
• If you didn’t work with fiber, what media would you work with? Why?
  I already work in mixed media and use a lot of recycled materials in my work, mainly plastics and paper. If I didn’t work with fibre and paper my main medium would be with clay for its versatility and malleability. My current textile work is very sculptural, so are my papier mâché creations and clay would allow me to develop the sculptural aspect of my work further. Clay is also a very tactile substance and a pleasure to work with. Firing the object can give unexpected results and the object is always a pleasure to handle.
• What is your next project?
  I always have multiple projects on the go, some have been ongoing for some time (my godson is 15 years old and never did get the cardigan, size 3 to 6 months, started when he was born…).
  I am two thirds of the way through knitting and crocheting a piece for the stitches on the Skye bridge project.
  I am a member of a group of Edinburgh textile artists with an exhibition inJanuary 2010 in Edinburgh. My contribution is based on an African legend my dad had translated from English into French when I was a little girl. The ancient theme is strangely enough very modern, about wasting natural resources for man’s selfish ends. I could easily have a whole exhibition to myself with such a theme!

St. Louis Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art- Christine Ilewski

EXHIBITING GALLERY: St. Louis Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art at Crossroads Gallery

TITLE OF SHOW: Made by Hand

OPENING DATE AND CLOSING DATE: September 8th, 2009 - October 8th, 2009

Opening Reception: Friday September 11th, 7-9pm

IT8 bus tour: Saturday, October 3

Felted Teka workshop with Nino Hecht: Sunday, October 4, 1-4pm

CURATOR OR JUROR: Jo Stealey

SHORT BYLINE/ DESCRIPTION OF SHOW: A regional juried exhibition sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art. Juried by fiber artist Jo Stealey.Stealey is an art professor and head of the fiber department at the University of Missouri - Columbia. Featued in the exhibition into the exhibition: Roxanne Phillips, Pat Owoc, Jennifer Weigel, Virginia Dragshutz, Clairion Ferron, Nino Hecht, Lydia Brockman, Linda Elkow, Jean Mills, Janice Nesser, Kathy Weaver, Betsy Dollar, Christine Ilewski, Trish Williams, Lisa Becker, Marie Samuels, Evie Shucart and Leslie Hume

Crossroads Art Studios and Gallery

501 N. KingshighwaySt. Charles MO 63301

Gallery hours: Wed - Fri Noon-5pm; Sat by appointment

call 314 581-3748

www.wca-stl.org

Artist : Christine Ilewski

Tell us a bit more about yourself: your location, professional affiliations, personal stuff…

I am a mixed media artist living in Southern IL in a very old house on the edge of a bluff, 200ft above the Mississippi River. My studio is in the basement, though I tend to spread my work out throughout the house when I'm deep in it.

My work has been exhibited in the St. Louis Regional Arts Center, Quincy Art Center, Mt. Vernon Mitchell Museum, and St. Louis University’s Art Museum. She is represented by Brewington Fine Arts, Woman Made Gallery and the Il Artisan Shop, Chicago; B Studio, Three Oaks, MI; Swanson Reed, Louisville, KY; and The Contemporary Art Center in New Harmony, IN.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

Beyond my studio work, I am a visiting artist for Liquitex. I give acrylic material and method workshops to university students and professional art leagues. I mother three daughters, participate in a Community Supported Garden, take long hikes and follow local bands with my husband.

What first inspired you to become an artist?

The stuff of a woman’s life has a way of building up; laundry, bills, dryer sheets, memories, photos, dust, paperwork, sketches of her daughters, wounds, rewards, sickness and health. I have long been interested in the way a bit of our spirit on the things we touch and how these things tell our story long after we’re gone. .

Please describe your creative process: how you create, when, where, with what materials…

A particular vintage pillowcase, sheet or curtain often inspires a piece. In "Beach", the floral pattern of the vintage sheet was like feeling a summer breeze and I could almost smell the sand and sun.

Currently, I've started a portrait project on vintage handkerchiefs. I blog have started painting the portraits of children who have died as the result of hand gun violence.

What possession do you most cherish?

My family.

St. Louis Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art- Clairan Ferrono

EXHIBITING GALLERY: St. Louis Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art at Crossroads Gallery

TITLE OF SHOW: Made by Hand

OPENING DATE AND CLOSING DATE: September 8th, 2009 - October 8th, 2009

Opening Reception: Friday September 11th, 7-9pm

IT8 bus tour: Saturday, October 3

Felted Teka workshop with Nino Hecht: Sunday, October 4, 1-4pm

CURATOR OR JUROR: Jo Stealey

SHORT BYLINE/ DESCRIPTION OF SHOW: A regional juried exhibition sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art. Juried by fiber artist Jo Stealey.

Stealey is an art professor and head of the fiber department at the University of Missouri - Columbia. Featued in the exhibition into the exhibition: Roxanne Phillips, Pat Owoc, Jennifer Weigel, Virginia Dragshutz, Clairion Ferron, Nino Hecht, Lydia Brockman, Linda Elkow, Jean Mills, Janice Nesser, Kathy Weaver, Betsy Dollar, Christine Ilewski, Trish Williams, Lisa Becker, Marie Samuels, Evie Shucart and Leslie Hume

Crossroads Art Studios and Gallery

501 N. Kingshighway

St. Charles MO 63301

Gallery hours: Wed - Fri Noon-5pm; Sat by appointment

call 314 581-3748

www.wca-stl.org

Submitted by Artist: Clairan Ferrono

Tell us a bit more about yourself: your location, professional affiliations, personal stuff…

I am a textile artist living in Chicago. For the past eight years my work has been extensively shown locally in Chicago, throughout the Midwest, nationally in the US and internationally. In 2004 I was awarded an exhibition grant by the Illinois chapter of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Currently three of my pieces hang in the American Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire. In 2009 my work was shown in an international invitational exhibit in Taiwan. I am a Professional Member of the Studio Art Quilters Association (SAQA), and am currently curating their international exhibit “Reflections” which just closed at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England. I am a founding member of Fiber Artists Coalition (FAC), an exhibiting group, and a member of the Surface Design Association (SDA) and The Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA) as well as the Chicago Artists Coalition (CAC).

Please describe your creative process: how you create, when, where, with what materials

I create fiber collages and drawings by piecing, fusing, stitching and quilting commercial fabrics and fabrics I have dyed, painted, mono- or screenprinted or shiboried; (shibori is a Japanese technique that is a very sophisticated tiedye).. Sometimes I begin with a piece of white cloth, paint or draw on it with thickened dyes or textile paint or Shiva oil sticks; then I stitch (by hand or machine) other fabrics on top. I use raw edge appliqué, fusing (which uses a paper backed glue web) or reverse appliqué. I may make just one or many layers. Then I add batting and a back and machine quilt to hold the layers together. The final step is to add a sleeve to the back so a rod or slat may be inserted to hold the piece up.

What first inspired you to become an artist? What possession do you most cherish?

I have loved needlework of all sorts all my life—I learned to knit and embroider before I was five. But my formal education has been in literature. I got a Masters and began but did not finish my Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at the University of Chicago. For many years I taught English, writing, and ESL (English as a Second Language) at Roosevelt University in Chicago, The University of New Orleans, and Isidore Newman School in New Orleans.

In 1989, when my daughter was two, I learned how to quilt. My mother’s family was from the hills of Kentucky, so I had heard stories of quilts and quilting all my life. I cherish the Double Wedding Ring quilt my great-grandmother made for her own bed. But I never knew these relatives, and my mother did not quilt. I had to find out on my own. I was quickly caught up in the quilt world, but discovered early on that I didn’t like to follow patterns, but enjoyed working spontaneously. In 1997 I attended the Quilt Surface Design Symposium in Columbus, Ohio. In my family we call it “Quilt Camp.” It changed my life. In 2000, I decided to stop teaching and become a full time studio artist.

What is a typical day for you?

I have both a wet studio (where I paint, print and dye) and a dry studio (for designing and sewing) in my house in Hyde Park. I try to work in one of the studios every day. Even when I don’t want to, I tell myself “Just 15 minutes.” Of course, this is what I really love to do.

St. Louis Artists' Guild- Ann-Maree Walker

EXHIBITING GALLERY: St. Louis Artists' Guild

TITLE OF SHOW: Head to Toe: From the Funky to the Sublime

OPENING DATE AND CLOSING DATE: September 20th, 2009- November 7th, 2009

CURATOR: Lindsay Obermeyer

SHOW DESCRIPTION: A juried exhibition that will challenge the notion of functionality yet honor the tradition of wearable art. Work shown will range from head to toe, the Funky to the Sublime and the functional to the non-functional. All textile techniques are encouraged.

St. Louis Artists' Guild

Two Oak Knoll Park

St. Louis, Missouri 63105

314.727.6266

www.stlouisartistsguild.org

Submitted by Artist: Ann-Maree Walker

• Tell us a bit more about yourself: your location, professional affiliations, personal stuff…

I am an artist who lives in Saint Louis. I graduated in the Spring of ’08 with my MFA from Washington University. I currently teach in the Art departments of Washington U and Florissant Valley Community College and am the Research Assistant at the Saint Louis Art Museum for the Department of Prints, Drawings and Photographs.

• Could you do your art without an audience? How important is feedback?

I think this is the most complicated part of my work that I want to continually evolve. I think that audience is the most essential part of completing a piece. I use textiles and fibers because of the “functional” and “wearable” qualities of the work. I want the viewer to think through the use and function of the piece and in some cases participate in the act of wearing and using the work. I want the work to go beyond the qualities of an “art object” and become more about performance and transformation.

• How does your process of creating an art object begin?

For better or worse my art practice always begins in my head. I am inspired by reading, movies, music and pop culture. I am not the type of artist who goes to the studio and explores and manipulates material until I feel like I have arrived at something (though I often wish I was free to be this way.) Through writing, sketches, calculations and a lot of cerebral manipulations I will finally commit to a nearly fully formed idea and begin the process of making the work. However, I prize the mystery and intuitive methods of some of my favorite artists and would like to move towards a more instinctive way of working.

• Name your top five: musicians, books, movies, websites, artists… (provide a link to websites or artists websites if at all possible)

This is a list of artists who I think have used fibers and wearable art in the most interesting ways.

Annette Messager: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2009/mar/05/annette-messager-hayward-retrospective

Rebecca Horn: http://www.rebecca-horn.de/pages/biography.html

Louise Bourgeoise (Stitches in Time): http://www.recirca.com/reviews/louisebourgeois/index.shtml

Jana Sterbak: http://www.janasterbak.com/images.html

Nick Cave: http://www.jackshainman.com/dynamic/artist.asp?ArtistID=23

Lucy Orta: http://www.studio-orta.com/artwork_fiche.php?fk=&fs=1&fm=0&fd=0&of=4

Sara Lucas: http://www.tate.org.uk/tateetc/issue5/encounters5.htm

Ann Hamilton: http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hamilton/#

Tracy Emin: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturereviews/3557865/Tracey-Emin---dirty-sheets-and-all.html

Ernesto Neto: http://www.armoryonpark.org/index.php/programs_events/detail/ernesto_neto_in_the_wade_thompson_drill_hall/

Mona Hatoum: http://www.whitecube.com/artists/hatoum/

• Define fiber art through your lense as an artist or audience member.

Fiber art has a very specific history that, for better or worse, comes into play in the reading of an artwork. The history of women’s work, craft, fashion and industry all come together in the media of fiber art. I think the most successful artists are very cognizant of this tie to history and elaborate on or exploit these ideas. My interest in using the textile media stems from my interest in identity. Until recently, Western Philosophy considered our identities tied to our mind and souls. Current philosophers and theorists tie identity to the external. French Feminist, Judith Butler describes the body as a tablet where signification and identity are formed as external influences inscribe themselves into the flesh. I see the body as a canvas onto which we apply our identity, consciously and unconsciously. For this reason fashion, accessories and even technological devices become a vehicle for identity and the body a site for a variety of cultural power plays.