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| Wonderland, Miriam Schapiro, 1983 |
Over the years, I've written posts ranting about how nobody gets what we really do. I'm mean sure people might understand what a quilt is. What they don't get is the blood, sweat and tears that goes into a quilt. Okay, so that's a little dramatic...but really have you met me? Realistically though, it's that extra "something" that makes quilt making much more than a simple craft. It's definitely an art form no matter if you do
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| detail, The Bitter Nest, Part II |
traditional or modern or art or a mixture of all three.
And that's what was celebrated at the Renwick Museum's exhibit, Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women. This was the final stop in our recent visit to Washington DC art museums. Looking back at the experience, I spent my whole time investigating how each woman made her pieces, wondering what her creative process was like. I looked at the mark of the hand that was on display and marveled at the artists' choice of textures.
What I didn't do was really look into the backstory of each piece. For me, it's normally one or the other. I can look at a piece as a form of independent art or I can see what the piece is trying to express to me. Normally, I can't do both in one sitting or at least not on the first visit. I figured that there would be plenty of the story of each piece on-line, so on my visit, I focused on the art by itself.
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| The Bitter Nest, Part II: The Harlem Renaissance Party, Faith Ringgold, 1988 |
And I wasn't disappointed. I only recognized a few of the names I saw. Most pieces were more than 30 years old, only proving that fiber art has always been around. (Which by the way the world seem to discover when the Gee Band quilts made such a splash) The one that left me in awe was I finally got to see a quilt by Faith Ringgold in person. Her quilt, The Bitter Nest, Part II: The Harlem Renaissance Party tells the story of an imaginary family. The story is depicted through the figures in the center, while written in words around the edge. Another thing checked off my life's bucket list....see a Faith Ringgold quilt in person.
The exhibit wasn't just about the art pieces themselves, but the stories that went behind them To that end they held an open house where the artists and visitors got to mingle. Gosh, I would have loved to been at that. Please click here though to see the pictures, because it will show you how amazing the exhibit looked in person. They also produced a 10 episode podcast, Backstitch to feature each artist talking about her pieces in her own words. Plus they even have a lecture on YouTube, that I haven't gotten a chance to watch. So I was proven right - there was plenty of information about each piece online for a deeper dive into the meanings of the art.
Besides the pieces themselves, the highlight of the exhibit was a small room that featured a peak into the work product of the artists. When I'm doing an art quilt, I tend to have all sorts of "research" before I create. Apparently, I'm not alone. Not often is the viewer treated with peak behind the curtain. Lia Cook was kind enough to show us her thought process.
The piece I liked the most was Carolyn Mazloomi, Family Embraces (1997). When I saw it, I said, "OMGosh! It's hand quilted." A voice behind me, countered "Oh it can't be. Nothing that modern would be." Luckily my back was to the woman because I literally rolled my eyes. Seriously, the stereotypes of our art will never cease. Anyways, I digress. I thought Mazloomi's use of line in such a strong graphic statement really masterful. And yes, the hand quilting was amazing too.
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| The Family Embraces, Carolyn Mazloomi, 1997 |
Needless to say, it was a fitting end to our visit to DC. The Renwick never ceases to disappoint. I just wish it was bigger.
And that leads me to say...
What Have You Been Up to Creatively?
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