Upcoming shows

Midas Touch to be in Providence Art Club All Juried Media Exhibition.

Snakes and Ladders

Snakes and Ladders
Opening: October 6, 2012, 5-7 PM


Please join me for the opening of my solo show featuring suits, headdresses, drawings, artist books and sculptures from "The Lottery Project." The lottery is the most Democratic of ways to make a buck. Any day, someone can climb to win, and then turn around and slide down a serpentine slope the next. Pieces in this exhibition are made from cast off scratch tickets, security envelopes from financial institutions, betting slips near my home and from visits around the region. Part survey show of the past six years and new work.

On view at the AS220 Project Space from October 7-27, 2012.

The AS220 Project Space is located at 93 Mathewson St. Providence, RI.
Open: Wed-Fri: 1pm-6pm, Sat: Noon-4pm & by appointment.

Above: Icarus Helmet. Scratch tickets, dental floss, cotton. Photo by Erik Gould.
Bellow: The Golden Boots, The Golden Tower and Jacob's Ladder. Photos by Erik Gould.

Simple

Back in the studio finishing unfinished things. My daughter pulled a book about origami off the shelf today. She pulls out lots of books these days, but this one caught my eye. I have had a dilemma for a year now about creating a different heel for a pair of boots I am making for a friend. I made an art trade in 2010 with my friend Michael Aaron McAllister. I still owe him a pair of boots. I got pregnant right around the promise, then had Asha. I finally have moments where I can think for long periods of time again re:early bedtime for baby.

I wanted a particular angle to the heel. I mean, a FAB heel, as the new owner would is fabulous. The heel is the thing that gives each boot piece life..a suggested arc of movement. Flipping through the book I started paying attention to the diagrams. The line of one finally made me go,"Oh,that's the way it should fold...." Finally. So simple I could not see it. I played with a piece of scrap paper and there it is.

Racine Art Museum

Three new pieces are on display at the Racine Art Museum in, "To Wear, Or Not To Wear."

Continuing colorful pattern throughout the museum, RAM Curator of Exhibitions Lena Vigna organized To Wear or Not to Wear, which showcases artist-made garments and objects of adornment that are both wearable and non-wearable. Visitors to the museum will discover a dress constructed of ceiling tin, a collar of airbrushed aluminum, and shoes made of discarded lottery tickets. This exhibition includes the work of emerging and established artists such as Daniel Jocz, Kay Khan, John Petrey, Marjorie Schick and Rebecca Siemering, from various backgrounds including metalsmithing, sculpture, fiber, and commercial photography.

Join me for Pawtucket Open Studios

Not only will my studio be open on September 24 and 25, from 11-5 PM, but I am hosting a make and take class with materials I use with my sculpture. Drop in, and create some hand-embroidered postcards or a small book. All materials are provided with instruction for $10 per person, with early bird discounts if you register with a friend or child before the 24th.

Studio is located at 545 Pawtucket Avenue, Room C204, Second floor. Map is here.

Studio Class

Single $10.00 Bring a Friend $17.00 With Child $15.00

Wheel of Fortunette

This past week, I have been working on a piece for National Grid, using a recycled refrigerator. Several other artists are participating, and they will be on display in Providence in late July. Cannot wait to see what everyone else is doing. I am taking a cue from carnival fortune telling machines and I am adding a spinning wheel with environmental "fortunes" around the edges of a wheel Pictured is the start of it. The colors are from a palette given by National Grid.

Hope springs eternal

Back in the studio again after a brief absence for my biggest and lifelong project- the birth of my daughter Asha in March. Asha is a Hindi name for "hope, desire or wish." Being pregnant took me offline for awhile, and made my life more interior, so there have not been many posts in the last year. With a few shows coming up in the fall at the Racine Art Museum and the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, I am back at work. With the piece work style I use with the lottery tickets I have been able to continue work at a slower pace, but at least some pace. Look for more posts soon-including updating my web site.

Montreal

Me and Erik went to Montreal last week for a little getaway, as it is such an inspirational art treat of a city. We stumbled upon the Silophone and Erik took some video of me singing into it. So much fun! I think this is one of the best public art projects I have ever seen. The fact that you can participate is extraordinary. I was also amazed at how well kept and clean the area was, no chips in the concrete or graffiti. An great deal was to get an art/subway pass good for three days. We rode the metro everywhere and went to at least 5 museums, got into special exhibitions at no cost and the botanical gardens. I really can't say enough about how tourist friendly and art filled this city is.

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.

Back in the Window next week

If anyone is dropping by the window to see something new this week, I had to take a break due to back strain the studio. I wish I could say it was something heroic, but long hours of sewing, and not stretching enough, can take a toll! I am about done with a bunch of swatches, the quilt will be at a point of finished. I will be updating the site with these swatches as I complete them this weekend. Sorry to miss you if you drop by!

Pigeons

This week's piece is about the residents many love to hate; we trip over them Downtown, they congregate in the plaza and fly in hordes near where we eat-pigeons. Pigeons have a long and intimate history with humanity, following humans into cities. These "Rock Doves" have survived on our garbage, and are often called "flying rats," but they are from the same family as doves.They are actually one and the same, just a different species. It is all semantics as to which is the better bird.

With the weather still holding it's warmth, I have passed by many children at the bus stop running through packs of these birds, enjoying their company. Seeing the lift off from the child's play reminded me of the exploration of Eadweard Muybridge's photos, and how simple and curious investigation can lead to something profound. The city is a place of work, but is it a place of play outdoors enough for families? I grew up in Omaha, NE, and in the very heart of Downtown are built in slides. Big, bright, and large enough to sit in your mother's lap if you got scared. Located in the Gene Leahy Mall, an outdoor park in the middle of the city, the park edges a massive library, fountains and shops, what you want in the heart of a city. Burnside Park in Providence has had a lovely transformation in the last few years, and it has become a place to congregate and celebrate during the warmer months, and through the winter months at the skating rink.

When I first came to Providence, I would walk Downtown on weekends and it would be me and a few pigeons. I would maybe run into a few people. The city echoed. Pigeons have historically followed humanity and its ephemera. The flocks are so numerous now that they have attracted predators like hawks and owls. It is only because of Providence's success at attracting more people to live and work Downtown that they have been able to multiply.

Included on this section are quick sketches of rock doves I have seen while waiting at the bus stop. Many of these were done while seeing children running through large gatherings of them. The pigeons are not only on this swatch, but they fly and eat elsewhere on the quilt, scattered like in real life, and everywhere!

Art New England reviewer Doug Norris recently called to interview me in my capacity as Providence Art Windows Director and the current show, which I am a part of. He also writes his own independent blog, the independentsartsblog, where he had this to say about my work:

Lot of Art
"A Providence artist has found a way to make something of value from all of those shredded hopes and confetti dreams. Rebecca Siemering’s “A Fine Suit,” made from more than 1,000 discarded scratch tickets and representing over $3,500 in gambling losses, was presented as one of the Providence Art Windows in 2007 and now stands in the offices of its new owners, Fidelity Investments in Smithfield.

Siemering, now the director of Providence Art Windows, began creating additional objects out of lottery cards, while developing installations for other projects that represent some of the most intriguing art being made in Rhode Island. Among them: Her latest art window, “piece(work),” a time-based installation on Eddy Street, and “The Bells Ring for Thee,” still decaying in the North Burial Ground as part of the Cryptic Providence group installation. For her window, which she visits and works on weekly, she designed a “crazy quilt” that reflects the news of the world and the buzz of conversation around Providence. For the graveyard, she created a landscape of sound in an adjacent field, “planting” rows of metal flowers that played a vibraphone’s range of tones in the breezes, gusts and rainfalls that filled the seasons."

Thanks Doug!

When it is a good thing not to be first.

"Unemployment will reach 13.8%" is the prediction that Rhode Island will reach this number by 2010. At least we are still not the highest. Our little state has been hit very hard.

Providence just hosted the National Arts Marketing conference this weekend. I was privileged to participate in the Artist Boot Camp, among the many offerings and volunteer at the tourism table to let the attendees from across the country know what great things there are to do around town. Everyone was impressed by the small size, excellent offerings of art and food, how easy it was to walk from one thing to another. It was nice to be reminded we are doing things right in a lot of ways, and if we pay attention, our "Creative Capital" can help everyone benefit and make the % go down.

Caduceus

There will be no sewing in the windows this or next week, as I prepare two large pieces in the studio, and finish several smaller ones....

Caduceus, symbol of communication and the healing arts. From the Encyclopedia Britannica," staff carried by Hermes, the messenger of the gods, as a symbol of peace. Among the ancient Greeks and Romans it became the badge of heralds and ambassadors, signifying their inviolability. Originally the caduceus was a rod or olive branch ending in two shoots and decorated with garlands or ribbons. Later the garlands were interpreted as two snakes entwined in opposite directions with their heads facing; and a pair of wings, in token of Hermes’ speed, was attached to the staff above the snakes. Its similarity to the staff of Asclepius the healer (a staff branched at the top and entwined by a single serpent) resulted in modern times in the adoption of the caduceus as a symbol of the physician and as the emblem of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Let's hope the two sides of our government can come to an agreement, and decide to help and heal, rather than hold back on healthcare for everyone. Stay tuned for some pictures of the work in progress.

UPDATE: I finally finished this piece this week, and have left my pencil tracing on the background to show my original tracing of the caduceus. I started to think more and more about the fight for healthcare, and imagined two blind snakes reaching with their tongues in the air, hunting, seeking...something. Seems visually apt for the discussion that keeps going back and forth in committees.

Later on in the season, "Can all you can, can,can!" This is the time of saving and storing. How could I not speak of how many are trying to save money and share the bounty of their own gardens? This year, I planted potatoes, which are now in the fridge, along with blackberries and blueberries from the yard. Tomatoes, cucumbers and more blackberries went into the pot to savor them later. I hope everyone enjoyed their yard as much as I did (despite the extended rain).