American Made in American Style Magazine!

If you pick up the Fall issue of American Style, you will see a detail shot of American Made. More online.

Fiber Art International 2010

My suit "American Made" is in FI 2010. It is an honor to be in this show, in the good company of fantastic fiber artists from around the globe. The conference and catalog surrounding the exhibition were well-put together, and visiting Pittsburgh is always a joy. What a wonderful city. I had time to walk through several neighborhoods when I was there, and in every one of them, there was an open window where a classical musician was playing. Even in my friend Joanne's home, her husband Layo is a musician from Venezuala, so I heard him practicing with his traditional music group. It was like one long dance through the city every day.

I also need to comment on the many wonderful artists I met. Everyone had a chance to share something about their work during the Fiber Art Forum. I have never been part of a show where there was so much interest in everyone else, and the willingness to share techniques and stories. I have a lot of new friends! In particular, I learned a lot about paper making from a fellow New Englander, Jennifer Davies, that Canada has an intriguing lottery system from felter Andrea Graham, and what it is REALLY like to live in Hawaii (firework mania and bugs that can move furniture) from Leisa Rich.



To see more about the show and the artists:
http://fiberartinternational.org/

Material Desires opens tonight!

2/11/10 – 3/13/10 Material Desires Rebecca Siemering guest-curator
Jenine Bressner
Lynne Harlow
Peter Lutz
Jennifer Maestre
Barbara Owen
Islay Taylor

Bright work for a dull season. At the tail-end of winter, we all get a little stir crazy, waiting for the colors of spring to pop again. Craftland Gallery will be filled with primary colors and patterns to thaw the mental freeze of winter. Colored pencils, fabric, glass and paint will fill the gallery with eye-popping warmth and wonder.

Opening reception for Material Desires is Thursday, February 11th from 5-8pm.

Lastly, it never ends

Creating piece(work) has been a very physical and mentally challenging task. If you look below, you will see the journey of the project through my (mostly) weekly posts about each swatch, and its meaning. The transformation will continue when it gets back into the studio on December 2, 2009, and I will put dated updates on the original posts.

I started out to physically sew in the window every week, with several objectives in mind: utilize only materials that were found or already in the studio; be very Providence-centric to make it site-specific; keep a rigorous weekly schedule to not over analyze each piece. Respond to the questions of the week or the day only. In a way, the individual pieces have become drawings and plans for future sculptural projects. From being in the window, and just being Downtown, I learned more about the community in the last few months than I have in years, and made some new friends. I have also learned some physical limits and how to plan a project of this size better next time. Learning never ends.

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by, Magnificent Meg, and to Mr. And Mrs. Park for putting up with me moving all of the wigs in the store to get in the door.

Wrap up

For my last swatch I am ahead of myself, as the store is closed for Thanksgiving. Being a season of giving, there is a wonderful exchange that happens Downtown on the State House lawn the day after Thanksgiving. Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is either "Black Friday" to some (those who want good deals for Christmas and care to shop), or the antithesis "Buy Nothing Day " ( for those who would rather stay away from the crowds or be charitable to the community in some way). This year, with the hard economic downturn, it may be hard to choose for some, if one has the option that is. Buy local or at least buy at a business to keep the economy healthy, or save money, downsize, an hopefully give to others. I think many are conflicted.

Well, for the latter, who want to reach out, the 13th Annual Buy Nothing Day Winter Coat Exchange is held this Friday, November 28, from 10 am to 2 pm, State House lawn (rain/snow site: St. Patrick’s School, 244 Smith St, Providence). Exchange a coat or leave a coat for someone in need. If you do go out and get some Christmas shopping done early, buy local if you can, and that is another way of giving back to the Rhode Island economy

Buy Art!

Did you know that for every dollar an artist receives, at least 3 times that amount goes back into the community? Providence has more artists per capita than any other US city according to some studies. The Providence Art Windows project can personally vouch for the % above, as I had past artists take a survey this Spring. For the $100 given to an Art Windows selectee, at least $200 went out for supplies, $20 for coffee and lunch, $50 if the artist needed a babysitter for the hours of installation. For out-of-state participants, the % was much higher, at least $700, which included air fare or car rental, and hotel stays. With the high unemployment rate, let charity begin at home. Buy local art, or locally funded projects, and you will let the wealth spread back into the community.

Can all you Can, Can, Can!

This October, I had a visit from some unwanted new friends-mice.

We had never had any in our house, but we knew our neighbor Charles did, and he was battling them all of the time. Charles decided to move this Fall after becoming seriously ill with pneumonia. He was in assisted living for awhile, and I would take him flowers from his beloved garden and straighten up the house while he was still away. He thought he would return within a few months, but all of the food went bad in the fridge, which I threw out,too. I missed him, as we would always chat on the porch when I took a break from working at home or passed him coming back from the studio. His relatives came and cleaned out the house in September, and right after he moved to Virginia, Charles passed away in his sleep. The neighbors and I still morn the man whom we called, "The Mayor of Pawtucket Avenue," always on the proch with a smile, a good word, and advice for the garden.

The new visitors came once the food was gone next door. I also think it was my prolific garden of sunflowers, dropping seeds throughout the yard, and me collecting them within the house for next year. I grabbed a few though Have-A-Heart traps and let the mice go in the woods, and got several plug-ins that emit a sound only mice can hear to drive them away. I started to think about how many people are being good little mice these days, canning and freezing food from the garden. I put up blackberry jam, tomatoes from the yard, pickles and peaches from local produce, and froze blueberries and peas, dried some beans. There is a shortage of food in the country, and more and more people are having a hard time providing food for their families. I hope many learn lessons from the dreams of mice, and put away for the future.