Art Archives

TSA Crosscurrents::A Dangerous Dose of Fiber Inspiration

November 4, 2016 by Heather Filed Under: Art, Handmade, Inspiration & Education, Textiles & Pattern 2 Comments

WARNING:::This post contains a dangerous dose of Inspiration! A little over a week ago I returned from TSA Crosscurrents, where I spent a week fully emersed in all kind of fiber goodness. The Textile Society of America conference is held every other year and when I heard they were going to be hosted by SCAD (my Alma Mater) I was quick sign up! I had to find a way to justify this trip since I no longer “work” in the textile field so I offered to volunteer. But any of you who know me have seen that my passion for fibers and textiles is life lasting and not going anywhere!

In conjunction with this Conference, SCAD put together several incredible Exhibitions including this work at the SCAD museum, If We Must Die by Ebony G Patterson (above) and Guests, Stranger and Interlopers by Subodh Gupta (below).

My former textile professor, Pamela Wiley had an incredible one-woman show, Now the Once with her stunningly surface embellished quilts (though I hate to even put them into a category)…works below.

This conference gave me the opportunity to personally meet (and Hang out with!) textile and fiber mentor’s such as Yoshiko Wada, Catharine Ellis, Roland Ricketts and Ana Lisa Headsrom. I have looked to these women’s blogs, artwork, books, DVD’s and more for both inspiration and knowledge over the many years since I stepped foot on this creative path. Yoshiko curated the show Arimatsu to Africa, a stunning sampling of shibori!

Arimatsu to Africa:Shibori Trade, Techniques and Patterns

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And Catharine curated Indigo and Beyond including incredible examples of contemporary works in fiber and indigo.

Indigo and Beyond

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And, there were even more Exhibitions (5-6) showcasing innovative contemporary textile work!

TSA 2016 Exhibition Works

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Beyond the visual delights that seemed to be everywhere I turned, my head was spinning! The session panelists were all foremost curators, experts, archivists, researchers and educators in the museum and education fields. I was both out of my element and totally in it! Have you ever experienced that? I was especially interested in panel’s having anything to do with indigo, natural dye, archiving, organizing, legacy of artists…and I was so excited to learn resources (which I will be sharing in future posts) where my art and organizing worlds overlap!

My final treat of the week was returning to Ossabaw Island to assist Donna Hardy with a fresh leaf indigo workshop. Despite the horrid mosquito’s and the storm damage from Matthew, the weather and workshop were unforgettable as always (do GO if you ever have a chance-next year hopefully).

Sea Island-Ossabaw Indigo Workshop

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Feeling so blessed to be able to schedule this time out! Having been a part of TSA helps me feel like I am still connected to the textile and fibers world (which I am locally as well) and gives me a sense of perspective and excitement for my ideas and what’s happening in “the field”!

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Organizing Lessons from Arrowmont

August 26, 2016 by Heather Filed Under: Art, Art & Design, In the Studio, Inspiration & Education, Organize, Tips & Resources Leave a Comment

What can we learn from simply observing how artist organize their space in a co-working environment? Lots I think!

While I was at Arrowmont I took the opportunity to walk around and look at other artists work but I also was observing their creative spaces.

How artist organize and tips we can apply to our own creative spaces.

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Studio Time at the Vat Shack

June 11, 2016 by Heather Filed Under: Art, Art & Design, Handmade, In the Studio, Inspiration & Education Leave a Comment

I’ll be spending a lot of my Saturday’s this summer in my new shared temporary studio, The Vat Shack. This project brings together 6 Indigo & textile artists for a summer of all things blue!

The Vat Shack artists have affectionately been dubbed the “Den Mama’s”.

This project has been made possible by Charleston non profit, Enough Pie in partnership with Clemson’s architecture students (and others) who built this amazing temporary traveling “studio” for this specific purpose. The Den Mama’s and Enough Pie had regular meetings with the students and professors to share in the process of designing this space specifically for our needs. It was so fun to see it go from concept to reality, they did an amazing job and gave us just about everything on our “wish list”!

The Vat Shack set up

The Vat Shack storage

After the “shack” was delivered we came together to set up 3 types of Natural indigo vats, a Ferrous (Iron) vat, Fermentation vat and Hydrosulphate Vat. These three types of vats were selected to illustrate the evolution of this artform and craft throughout history (fermentation being the oldest type, Hydros the most “modern”). I was really in my element getting to set up the supplies and organize all the tools, shelving, space layout etc.

Den Mama’s setting up Indigo vats

Last Saturday this project was launched into the community with a public event Awakening:Indigo IV. All the Den Mama’s were there to share Indigo dyeing with the community. All afternoon we gave demonstrations of dyeing with indigo, shibori techniques and people added to the Community Rag Quilt (a Gullah Tradition being revived by the Gullah Lady).

Heather K Powers with Wire Hanger Mandala

The Gullah Lady

Art installations (I created another one of my wire hanger mandala’s above) were onsite along with performances by story tellers (like my friend Sharon Cooper Murray-below) and a screening of the indigo documentary Blue Alchemy by Mary Lance who was in attendance and helped to create a lasting blue memories in Charleston!

Charleston community tries their had at Shibori

Mary Lance creates something blue to remember Charleston

Den mama’s will be spending time in the shack teaching workshops, camps and leading community dye days (first and third Saturday’s each month into October). This project is such an exciting way to bring together all different kinds of people in the Charleston community to learn about the art, craft, science and history of Indigo in the Lowcountry and around the world. I’m very proud to be a part of this and I hope to see you out there this summer!

All together in Blue! (L—>R Rachel Parris, Cathryn Zommer, Mary Lance, Arianne King Comer, Heather K Powers, Leigh Magar, Cara Earnst, Sharon Cooper Murrah and Kristy Bishop)

In the Studio with Tim Hussey-Part II

June 2, 2016 by Heather Filed Under: Art, Art & Design, In the Studio, Organize, Tips & Resources Leave a Comment

In today’s interview we will take another peek at In the studio with Tim Hussey. Last week we talked about his background, his new studio space and his creative legacy. This week we dive into organizing specifics and he shares some tips he’s learned through his years as an artist in various capacities. His new space is open to the public, and his latest show Listing, is his first in this new Studio. I dropped by while the show was hanging but he’s also shared a few shots of how he works in his space. These photos are not styled and are typical of what his working studio looks like on an average day. All the photo’s in this post were supplied by Tim too!

Tim Hussey Art Studio Organization Part II (see Part I here)

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Spun from my roots

March 29, 2016 by Heather Filed Under: Art, Art & Design, Inspiration & Education, Museums & Galleries 1 Comment

What do textiles have to do with Organizing? Well nothing really on the surface but textiles are a part of the tapestry of who I am both creatively and professionally. I’m also fascinated by how many recycled textiles, other “found objects” and collections of “stuff” are making their way into the fine art world. I’m not sure if this is merely a trend or a theme that is communicating something about our relationship with “our stuff” as a culture. On my recent trip to NYC I found a tremendous amount of inspiration and specifically sought out exhibits that included textiles in one way or another.

My first stop was at Museum of Art and Design aka MAD where in the main stairwell a site specific installation of woven fabric had been threaded through the architectural elements of the building. It kind of reminded me of yarn bombing but on a more sophisticated interior scale…like huge dramatic drapes.

In addition to Museum, MAD is an educational resource for children and adults. They have an artist residency program including open studio times for artists and workshops all overlooking their location on Columbus Circle. Boy would I love to sit at that loom and weave while overlooking the hustle and bustle of the city!

Closing this Saturday is the exhibit Ebony G. Patterson: Dead Treez which was rich in layers of textures, found objects, recycled textiles and meaning. I’m a little obsessed with how textiles and recycled materials are making their way into fine art these days and this is one of the reason’s I really wanted to see this exhibit.

My next stop was the National Academy Museum, nestled between the Guggenheim and Cooper Hewitt. This was my first visit to this museum and school. I found myself drawn to exhibits at locations that favored the promotion of art through education, a coincidence perhaps but my mind is nothing if not curious to continue learning! I sought out this specific exhibit of Miriam Shapiro after her recent passing last year. She’s an epic, visionary artist who happened to work with textiles-once thread of her multi faceted life’s work. Below is one of my favorite pieces in the show, one of her “femmage” works that includes scraps of fabric.

And finally, the exhibit Beauty-Cooper Hewitt Triennial. I almost skipped this museum (although it’s one of my favorites) because I didn’t think I would have time. I’m so glad I didn’t since they recently re-opened after a major remodel. This expansive exhibit explores various themes of Beauty in multi- disciplinary works of art and design. One of my favorite aspects of the renovation is their use of technology. Along with each ticket sold, visitors are given a large stylist pen to “collect” images and text from throughout the exhibit. When they return home they can log into their specific user account (save your ticket!) and learn more about each piece of interest. I love that you feel like you are bringing home a little piece of the exhibit and there’s less pressure try to read all the exhibit info while visiting.

Over the weekend I hung out in Brooklyn and took a trip to see the Textile Arts Center. I’ve been wanting to visit this “maker-space” for several years now and am envious of such a wonderful resource for learning about all things textiles! This is the place to go if you live in NY and want to learn about textiles in your spare time…a great way to find out if you really like something before investing too fully into a lot of expensive equipment (space is a premium and having a floor loom in NY would be a luxury for some!).