SDA Update January 26, 2009

Berenice Pliskin's "Hudson View towards Hoboken" now on display at the Paramount Center for the Arts, through February 28.

REVIEW OF "NARRATIVE THREAD" by Bonnie Epstein

LAST WEEK FOR THIS EXHIBITION -- CLOSES JAN 31.If you are interested in hand embroidery and will be in NYC this week, try to see Narrative Thread. Co-curated by Orly Cogan and Michael Lyons Wier, Narrative Thread is an invitational exhibition featuring the work of 15 international fiber artists.

Narrative Thread
Lyons Wier- Ortt Gallery
175 Seventh Avenue @ 20th St, NYC, NY
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11 AM - 7 PM.

Bonnie wrote: "As a hand embroiderer I was particularly intrigued by the work of three of the exhibiting artists: Cayce Zavaglia, Darrel Morris and Adam Cohen.

Each of them chose embroidery after having worked in other media, and it is immediately obvious that each is well aware of the potential of his or her new medium. Their work is fresh, honest, straight forward and deliciously untainted by trite embroidery-related irony, prejudice or politics.

Zavaglia's background as a painter is definitely evident in her powerfully expressive stitched portraits. Both "Elly" and "Gregg" appear to have been painted with a carefully wielded palette knife rather than with a needle and yarn.

Morris's intimate, evocative, snapshot-like scenes such as "Homemade Hair Cut" and "My Brother's Keeper" are composed of applique covered with richly textural stitching.

Cohen, a glass and wood artist in his early twenties, discovered stitching while studying in Japan. Each of his meticulously outlined and satin stitched robotic army ants and his "Killer Bee" stand in stark contrast to its camouflage fabric environment. Cohen's work is glaringly political without apology, but the political message is totally unrelated to his medium."

SDA Update January 18, 2009

TEXTILE STUDY GROUP OF NEW YORK PROGRAM

Mordant Tears by Polly Baron, 48" x 48", Pictorial ikat, painted ikat warp.

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The Textile Study Group of New York (TSGNY) invites you to attend a presentation by artist Polly Barton at their January Meeting.

Date and Time: 7:00 PM on Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Location: Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist, 40 East 35th Street (between Park and Madison Avenues), New York City, NY
Admission: $5.00 Special Guest Fee for members of other textile organizations;$10 Fee for unaffiliated guess attending a TSGNY meeting.

ROCHESTER, NY OPENING NIGHT FOR RAFA "NEW YEAR, NEW DIRECTIONS" EXHIBITION

Despite an Arctic front that held temperatures in the single digits, a record-setting 211 people attended the opening reception for Rochester Area Fiber Artists' (RAFA) new exhibit at the city's Arts and Cultural Council Gallery. NY State Rep Jeanne Beck's "Parables 4" is one of the pieces in the exhibition.

"New Year, New Directions" features work by 23 RAFA members; visit the exhibition Mon - Fri, 10 AM- 4:00 PM until January 30, 2009 at Arts and Cultural Council for Greater Rochester Gallery, 271 North Goodman St., Rochester, NY.

EXHIBITION

One of Berenice Pliskin's silk paintings, "Hudson View towards Hoboken" is currently being shown in a group exhibition by area artists at the Paramount Center for the Arts. The Paramount Center for the Arts is located at 1008 Beacon Street, Peekskill, NY.

January 11, 2009 Updates

CYNTHIA SCHIRA IN ALLENTOWN ART MUSEUM'S 30TH JURIED SHOW

JAZZ, by Cynthia Schira, 72" h x 108" w, woven on a Jacquard loom, is part of the Allentown Art Museum's 30th Juried Show, February 1- April 26, 2009.

The opening reception is January 31st, 6:00 - 8:00 PM. The Allentown Art Museum is located at 31 North 5th Street, Allentown, PA, 18108.

NEW YORK GUILD OF HANDWEAVERS WORKSHOP OFFERED



Silk Fusion with Karen Selk
1 1/2 day workshop

Presented by the New York Guild of Handweavers at the School for Visual Arts
214 East 21st St, New York, NY.

Saturday, March 28, 2009, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM and Sunday, March 29,2009, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

$120.00 members/$140.00 nonmembers. Materials fee: $75 per person, paid at workshop.

Send your registration check to: New York Guild of Handweavers c/o Susan Weltman, 71 Carroll St., Apt 5C, Brooklyn, NY 11231.

OPENING: PATTERNS AND PROGRESSIONS, LARRY SCHULTE: 25 YEARS ON PAPER
THE LOBBY GALLERY AT 499 PARK AVENUE

First News of 2009!

Piggy Back by Elaine Longtemps

Elaine Longtemps Openings

Elaine Longtemps' piece, "Piggy Back", has been juried into the Allentown Art Museum's 30th Juried Show, February 1 - April 26, 2009. If you are interested in attending the opening on January 31st, 6 -8 PM, please RSVP by January 29 by e-mailing events@allentownartmuseum.org The Allentown Art Museum is located at 31 North 5th Street, Allentown, PA 18101.

Another work by Elaine, "We Are But One World", shown in a previous SDA blog, will be included in CONTINUUM at the George Segal Gallery, Montclair State University, Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07042 from March 10 - April 11, 2009. An opening reception will be held on March 14, 2:00 - 5:00 PM.

INVITATION:

You are cordially invited to attend the opening reception Thursday, January 8, 6-8 PM, for "Economies of Scale", a juried exhibition of miniature works in fiber created by the artist members of the Textile Study Group of New York at the Phoenix Gallery. Dates: January 7-31, 2009.

Location: Phoenix Gallery, 210 Eleventh Avenue at 25th Street, Suite 902, New York City. Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 11:30 AM - 6:00 PM.

"On the Move" by Linda Abrams, 53" w x 57" l.

Linda Abrams Announcement
Linda Abram's work, "Wild Woman" won an award at the Quilt Nihon Japan, was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum in Tokyo and has been part of a traveling exhibit.

Linda describes this piece in her artist statement as "two powerful figures on the move. They are moving out of darkness into the light with conviction and vigor, confident and proud."

Learn more about Linda's art and multiple techniques for creating her work by visiting her website.

Ringing In a New Year!

ART/PLACE 25TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION AT HOUSATONIC MUSEUM


Works from Arle-Sklar Weinstein's "Artist Portrait Project" are on display as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of Art/Place artists at Housatonic Museum in Bridgeport, CT. The Museum's press release states,"A highlight will be a wall with a grid of artist portraits created by member Arle Sklar-Weinstein."

The seeds of the project sprouted in 2007 when Arle was participating in an artist residency in Spain. This inspired her Artist Portrait Project, a series of photo montages of eight international artists and writers. Arle explains that her artist portraits are usually transferred to fabric and then stitched; the works in this current exhibit are 16" x 20" gallery wrapped canvas portraits.


Art Consultant and Reviewer Camilla Cook writes that Arle's work "captures the essence and soul of each artist and their work, but it is the selection of 'artifacts' and montage presentations that displays her astute eye."

Arle will be giving an artist talk and doing a book signing at the exhibition on January 8, 2009, 5:30-7:00 PM.

OFF THE GRID Registration Reminder

It's time to send in your registration for the 2009 Surface Design Association Conference "Off the Grid." For more information, visit the Surface Design Association website.

SDA Member News December 1, 2008

Kyoto Kimono Holiday Sale!

Kimono, haori, obi, fabric, Japanique boutique, gifts and more!

Friday, December 12, 2008
Noon - 7:00 PM

American Association of University Women Branch House in Murray Hill
111 East (Between Park and Lexington)

New York City

Get a preview of the wonderful items you can purchase by visiting the website at http://www.kyotokimono.com/.

If you can't make this sale, you might be interested in bringing Kyoto Kimono's beautiful products to your home for a fashion show and sale, or set up a fundraiser for your organization. Just contact Nancy McDonough, owner, at info@kimono.com . Nancy is also accepting speaking engagements for 2009. She'll be happy to give you more information.

Barbara Arlen Consulting in India

Barbara Arlen left for India on November 18, where she will stay until early January. During her time there she will consult with traditional hand weavers creating original Benares designs and colors for duvet covers and decorative pillows for use in selected Taj Hotels through a grant from the Taj Trade Initiatives with Artisans in Varanasi, India. She will also consult with Paramparik Karigar, a craft person-run NGO in Mumbai, India, and work with traditional Pattachitra, palm leaf hand painters and master Ikkat weavers creating new products for their arts domestically outside of Puri
and Bargarh, Orissa, India.

I hope that Barbara will send us some photos and highlights of her experiences there. I am also trusting that she was safe during the devastating terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Introducing NYS SDA Member Judith Plotner

Judith, a NYC native, studied painting and graphics at the High School of Music and Art and Art and City College of NY, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1961.


Judith and her husband Stan live "off the grid" on a 20 acre former goat farm in Bleecker, NY with two ponds and a 100 year old farmhouse. The couple purchased the house in 1984 as a retreat from city life and moved there permanently 18 years ago when Stan retired from a career teaching industrial arts in the Bronx.

What is life like off the grid? A gas generator powers Judith's computer, copier and sewing machine. In winter, Judith and Stan pump their own water from a deep-draw well outside the house and heat it on a wood stove or gas cooking stove.

Lovers of nature and the outdoors, the couple gardens, hikes, skis, canoes and thrills to the breathtaking beauty of their natural surroundings right at the foothills of the Adirondack park. But in addition to living a life close to nature, Judith is also an accomplished artist.



Judith creates textile art works that integrate her love of fabric and collage with her training as a painter and printmaker. Her techniques include monoprint, photocopy, silkscreen, stamping, dye and paint.

Her work combines typography with fragments of written messages and journals, using the printed word both as an element of design and to provide hints of communication. Judith works in series, continuing the exploration of an initial idea through successive pieces. Each piece is multi-layered. Although her works are both pieced and appliqued, she frequently leaves raw edges to add vitality and immediacy to the work.

To see more of Judith's work and read an article about her lifestyle that appeared in a 2001 issue of Adirondack Life magazine, visit her website at http://www.judithplotner.com/

SDA Member News and Introductions November 20, 2008

"Urban Reflections #5, 35" x 35", by Barbara Jade Triton, Manhattan Quilters Guild member

OPENING: The Manhattan Quilters Guild invites you to attend an exhibition at the Bronxville Public Library. Sandra Sider will lecture at 2 PM on Dec. 2, followed by an opening reception from 3 - 5 PM. The exhibition will be open December 1, 2008 -- January 2, 2009. The library is located at 201 Pondfield Road, Bronxville, NY. http://www.bronxvillelibrary.org/ If you can't attend in person, visit the group's virtual exhibition at http://www.quiltart.com/metro

"A SALE OF THANKSGIVING" FROM MADONA COLE ORIGINALS:

INTRODUCING NYS SDA MEMBER: Madona Cole

Madona is the textile and wearable art designer of the Madona Cole Originals label and the program director/facilitator of My Time Has Come™ programs: a home-based venture in Bellmore, New York. Under Madona Cole Originals, she designs and creates one-of-a-kind and limited edition wearable art fashions and accessories.

Madona explains, "As an artist, I am particularly interested in providing fashionable solutions that address the emotional, social and health needs of women and girls. When it comes to addressing the fashion and emotional needs of women and girls looking to maintain their dignity in the face of chemotherapy treatment and alopecia, it is without question that there is a lack of user-friendly, functional and stylish head-coverings that are readily available. I must note that there is an abundance of bandannas, baseball caps and scarves, all of which have their own merits but are not always appropriate or easy to use if one was to depend on them as the only available solution."

"As this underserved segment of our society deals with their medical challenges, the desire to look and feel intact becomes a matter of necessity. With that in mind, I recently launched the Carolyn Series Turwrap™ and the Rinde´wrap™ as the 'perfect solution' component of my Madona Cole Originals Dignity Headwear ™Collection. The Swarovski crystal on each Carolyn Series Turwrap™ bought for or by someone who is going through chemotherapy treatment, signifies the light that will illuminate the way to victory and the eventual cure of cancer."

Madona has also established a cultural arts program, "My Time Has Come", which offers art-related, cultural and social programs geared toward children, educators and families to create a forum for appreciation and celebration of cultural and social diversity. Madona Cole Originals donates 15% of its profits to "My Time Has Come" support these programs.