blog – Page 10 – Deidre Adams

Life on the Eastern Plains commission–finished!

Horizon 18: Plainsong, mixed media textile, 90 x 90 inches

I’m happy to say that I’ve finally finished the commission for the Anythink Libraries that I wrote about here. At 90 x 90 inches, this is the largest piece I’ve ever done, and it represented considerable challenges. After originally contemplating working on it in sections, I decided for multiple reasons that it wouldn’t be feasible in this case. I had also planned on blogging about the process, but when I saw how the fabrics I was working with were so disparate and not at all coordinated, I decided it would be best to show the finished piece first so you wouldn’t all think I was completely crazy.

The finished work is scheduled to be installed on Dec. 13, with a reception following in the afternoon. Starting tomorrow, I’ll go back to the beginning and write about how it was made.

December 1st, 2011|Art|19 Comments

Life on the Eastern Plains

©2011 Deidre Adams. All rights reserved.

This summer I’ll be starting on a new public art project to be installed at Anythink Bennett, a library serving residents of Bennett, Strasburg, and Watkins, a group of small towns on the eastern plains of Colorado. The project, whose theme is “Life on the Eastern Plains,” is the first in a planned series of collaborative, community-inspired artworks for the library district, under the umbrella theme of “This is Who We Are.” This press release has full details.

“Anythink” is the name given to a “new style of library that celebrates imagination, play and interactivity.” The concept is the driving force for the Rangeview Library District, a network of seven libraries serving the residents of Adams County, Colorado. It is a “new style of library that offers memorable experiences and transformations for its customers,” and in addition to books, also offers “innovative programming, technology, and the highest level of customer service so that everyone who walks into an Anythink feels welcome.” This video illustrates the spirit of the Anythink concept and the accompanying logo.

As part of the development of the artwork, I’m talking with residents of the area about their experiences living on the eastern plains. Members of the library district staff are assisting with the interviews as well as recording them for an oral history component of the project. We’ve had one community meeting to introduce the project to the public, and two days of conducting interviews. A final day of interviews will be held this Monday.

In addition to talking to people, I’m also asking them to contribute fabric for the artwork, which will be a stitched textile piece. I’m asking them to give me pieces of fabric that have some kind of a history: perhaps a scrap of an old work shirt, or a worn dishtowel or apron – something that was a part of the daily experience on living on the plains. I want the finished piece to incorporate literal physical artifacts that have come from the community.

I’m also asking for handwritten letters and photographs that speak to the experience of life in the area. These I will scan and return to the owners. My vision is to incorporate some of the handwriting into the piece either by direct printing on fabric or perhaps with a silkscreen.

Anythink publishes a newsletter called Spark. The June 24 issue of Spark has two articles about the art project. The editor, Ken Devine, interviewed me after I was chosen for the project and wrote a great article about my work and how I was selected. Evidently, having a love of grain elevators was a pivotal factor working to my benefit. But whatever the reason, I’m very honored to be a part of this project and really excited to start working on it.

Older grain elevator in Bennett, Colorado. ©2011 Deidre Adams. All rights reserved.

July 23rd, 2011|Art|2 Comments

SDA conference – gallery day, part II

Promise of Calmer Seas, detail, ©Jason Pollen

Sentinels – Jason Pollen

The Christensen Center Art Gallery, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minn.
Through July 29

It would be difficult to overestimate the contribution and influence Jason Pollen has had in the world of textile art over the last few decades. As a long-time president of the Surface Design Association and recently retired chair of the fiber department at Kansas City Art Institute, his artwork and his teaching have inspired countless numbers of students and working artists alike. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to take a workshop with him in the Denver area several years ago, and some of the things I learned are integral to the work I’m making now.

The Winter 2011 issue of Surface Design Journal features an article on his work. “A Safe Place to Play,” by Geraldine Craig, provides a brief history of Jason and his work along with several beautiful photographs. I had been familiar with his textile work up until this point, but his latest work includes a series of tall wood sculptures with complex surface textures and varied colors. Reminiscent of human figures, these articulated structures simultaneously stand on the floor and lean against the wall in a relaxed yet watchful manner. According to the article, “Pollen views them as sentinels, protectors who distinguish between the protected and unknown potential prey.” These sculptures, along with 2 textile pieces, comprise the Sentinels exhibition.

The wall label for the exhibition says:

The inspiration for this exhibition stems from a prolonged experience of physical and emotional wounds, scars and mercifully, an ongoing significant recovery. Witnessing the stages of illness and vulnerability compelled me to create works that reflect on the universality of our fragility and strengths. Cloth, wood, stitching, color and mark-making are the tools I require in my passionate attempt to bring inanimate objects to life. My wish is that they might inspire those who connect with them.

–Jason Pollen

I would say he has succeeded admirably in his wish.

New Tools and Ancient Techniques – Teresa Paschke

Gage Family Art Gallery, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minn.
Through July 29

Iowa State University associate professor Teresa Paschke is “intrigued by the expressive possibilities that exist by merging sophisticated technology such as digital printing with the most modest ones–needle and thread.” The work in this exhibition is based on her experiences in Prague in 2008. It combines her photographs of street scenes, architecture, and graffiti, digitally manipulated and printed on fabric, with hand printing and hand stitching. She wants the viewer to consider how ornament and pattern express cultural and social ideals, and to consider how historical and contemporary forms of visual expression might be related – in this case, historical needlework and contemporary graffiti. The addition of the tactile stitching to the beautifully printed photographs was an unexpected and delightful surprise, bringing me in for closer inspection and consideration.

Whisper: Jiyoung Chung’s Joomchi

Minnesota Center for the Book Arts, Minneapolis, Minn.
Through June 24

Jiyoung Chung is a painter, mixed media artist, and freelance writer. This is an exhibition of her work using an “innovative method for utilizing a traditional Korean method of papermaking called Joomchi.” She also taught a pre-conference workshop at SDA, but it was held at the same time as the one I did take. If I ever get another opportunity to take a class from her, I’ll certainly do it, because I was very impressed with the work in this exhibition. The layering of the sheets, creating intricate interactions within the holes, made me think about the concept of “negative space” in a new way that’s giving some ideas for my own work. Several of the pieces also included stitching and threadwork. I especially loved how the work was hung, with the lighting adding an important contribution of shadows that brought it to life.

The Jiyoung Chung work is being shown at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts – a must-see if you are interested in paper, printmaking, or any form of book arts. Be sure to go downstairs and see their fantastic studios for letterpress and papermaking.