Project #4:

Title of Project:      Beyond the Fiber of Being

Approximate Start and End Dates: 

Spring 2013 TBD by Spruill Art Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia

Location of Project: 

Spruill Gallery, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Atlanta, GA 30338
 
Requested Funding amount (up to $400):   $_400.00

Project Overview:

The visual arts category known as Fiber Art has been exploding during recent years in dynamic gallery and museum exhibitions, in coffee table and “how to” books, in university programs and on-line workshops, and more. The Museum of Art and Design (MAD) in New York mounted exhibitions in which fiber art was showcased: “Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting” and “Pricked: Extreme Embroidery” brought in record crowds. In spring of this year Philadelphia hosted multiple fiber art venues- exhibitions, conferences, classes and workshops- making up FiberPhiladelphia 2012 to which thousands flocked from several countries; American Craft moved its headquarters to be closer to the fiber arts action in Minneapolis; the Philadelphia Museum of Art recently showcased the art exhibition, “Craft Spoken Here” a broad overview of how the craft of fibers has given birth to the art of fibers; internet site Crafthaus, a wonderful and selective showcase of fiber art is booming with talent; new magazine Fiber Art Now has opened to much lauded success, and the DIY movement is going strong with classes in knitting, basketry, weaving, sewing and more gaining in popularity as a whole new generation learns the craft of fiber techniques, using it in multiple artistic ways.

However, Atlanta has lagged behind in showcasing this important artistic area. There are many of us fiber enthusiasts who are trying very hard to increase exposure to, and recognition of, the arena of fiber art; South East Fiber Arts Alliance or SEFAA, the state of Georgia’s first dedicated fiber arts center, opened its doors in Atlanta in September of 2011. I was a Board Director and part of the planning committee for this venture which seeks to bring the fiber arts to the forefront of the Atlanta arts scene; there is much hard work ahead for the promotion and recognition of the value of our organization to Atlanta and its environs. The High Museum, Atlanta, Georgia has virtually no contemporary fiber art collection save for a few Gees Bend and historical quilts, a few embroideries, and assorted bits and pieces of an historical nature. There are few exhibitions that feature fiber art in the Atlanta area.

I seek to grow awareness of this exciting visual arts discipline and to expose the people, art enthusiasts and art critics of Atlanta to the wealth and excitement inherent to fiber art. By showcasing artists who incorporate either fibers or fiber arts techniques in unusual, dynamic ways in both functional and non-functional pieces, awareness and enjoyment will be expanded for this exciting area of art.
 
Proposed Events:

Exhibition- featuring a focus on MODERN applications to the art category “Fiber”
Opening Reception
Panel discussion- Fiber in the art world
Fiber art workshop led by SEFAA
Knitting, stitch, weaving demos
On-site, curated tours of exhibition



Participating Artists and Crafthaus artists

Heng Lee
Amie Adelman
Daniel Evan Schwartz
Kristina Goransson
Andrew Jackson
Rebecca Howdeshell
Ann Rowles
Aubrey Longley-Cook
Lesli Robertson
Amandine Drouet
Atticus Adams
Rachel Timmons
Emily Cobb

…and more!