February Update
This month is just flying by, isn’t it? I hope all of you are getting a great start on the year and spending lots of time in your fiber studio.
Now Showing…
State of the Art
Red Rocks Community College
13300 W. 6th Ave. Lakewood, CO 80228
January 9 – February 26, 2013
Art of the State
A Juried Exhibition of Colorado
January 24 – March 31, 2013
Arvada Center
6901 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada, CO
www.arvadacenter.org/galleries
Coming Soon…
Regina Benson to speak on Special Artist Panel:
Saturday, March 9: 1:30-4pm
I:30pm….Cash Bar
2-3:30pm….Artist Panel Discussion
3:30–4pm….Mingle with the Artists
Free admission, refreshments and cash bar
“Art of the State” Arvada Center
6901 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada, CO
Call For Entries
The Book as Art: 21st Century Meets Tradition. Presented by the Decatur Arts Alliance and The Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur. An event of the 2013 AJC Decatur Book Festival.
A Call for Artists with details on entry is available at www.decaturartsalliance.org/blog and The Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur website www.artinstitutes.edu/atlanta-decatur. Cash awards are offered. Entries will be accepted online at callforentry.org March 25 – June 3, 2013.
Critique Group Meeting: Denver Metro Area
Who: SDA members and people who may want to join SDA.
When: The Second Saturday of the month.
March 9th from 10:00am-12:00noon
Where:
Eisenhower Recreational Center
4300 E. Dartmouth Ave
Denver, CO 80222
(720) 865-0730
Just east of the Colorado Blvd. and Dartmouth Ave. intersection.
What:
A critique group, this will not just be show and tell but an opportunity to bounce ideas, processes, and issues off the group and get some feedback and constructive criticism. We can also discuss other aspects of our work like business, showing, techniques, and materials.
How:
Bring a piece in progress, one completed, or an idea or issue to discuss for the feedback of your peers.
Colorado members who are not in the Denver area: if you are interested in a critique group as well let me know and I can connect you to other members in your area and help get one started.
Group Progress
We have had two great meetings, it has been really helpful and people have been inspired to work on and finish new work. We are having a lot of fun and would love for you to join us!!
Kudos
Laurie Hill Gibb and her quilted van are featured in a large article of this month’s Quilting Arts Magazine. Congratulations to her!!!! Make sure take a moment to read it.
Mara Kali—a fiber artist with a BFA in fibers from CSU is leading a “Textile Tour to Uzbekistan” this September. For more information check out the website.
https://sites.google.com/site/kalimaratravels/home
SDA Conference Travel Arrangements
There have been a few people who have asked me about travel arrangements to our San Antonio Conference, in terms of carpooling and bunking together. If this is something that interests you email me and I will try to connect you to others similarly inclined.
Food for Thought by: Mary Hertert
Raise your hand if…
Raise your hand if you have ever received an insensitive remark concerning your artwork. Keep your hand up if you have ever made an insensitive remark regarding someone else’s artwork. Now – define what you mean by “insensitive”.
There is purpose to this little exercise. The past month two of us put up a show. It was an extraordinary effort and the show opened to high praise. On opening night my co-exhibitor sold 4 pieces to two people- 3 to 1 person, the 4th to another. My husband leaned over to me and asked “Why can’t you ever make art that sells?”
It definitely stopped me cold. What does one do with a remark like that? Should I deck him or consider what he meant by the remark? When I caught my breath again, I realized that the answer came in knowing my motives for the show. The remark gave me cause to come up with ways to explain that not all art is meant to be sold. That sometimes it serves another purpose and this show was not about a “selling” show for me.
We all get into a twist on what our art is “for”. I certainly have garments that I make specifically for the sale market, but my personal art pieces usually have very different purposes. I have my “un-wearable, wearable-art” garments to go to the runway for 3 minutes. I also obviously have my “unsalable-art” per my husband. For both those categories – the reasons I make them is because they stretch my skill, allow me to make pieces that will most likely never be repeated and usually return to be torn apart and made into something else. This show had deeper purpose. CMU has a very uneasy and not very clear view of what “fiber art” can be. The Fibers course is deemed “domestic”, a “craft”, and certainly “not art”.
This show served to illustrate that the University is wrong about the “not art” part. It very much is – Art. This show opened doors for me that would not have opened otherwise and while individual pieces did not generate specific dollars– I expect them to generate a very different value in regards to respect, reputation and status for the Fiber Arts within Colorado Mesa University. I could have made safe pieces to sell – but they never would have accomplished what these pieces ultimately have and will over the long term.
So thank you husband for the insensitive remark you whispered in my ear opening night. It certainly stung and you don’t want to know what I could have answered – but in the end I got the reward I set out to find.
Wanted:
Information for the Blog. Things I would be interested in….
Your Artist Website: to add/update to the member links
Exciting Events / Art Shows: shows, events, anything fun and fiber that we can come to or go see
Kudos: for yourself and others, we love to share success!
Art Teachers: look at the members who teach section and let me know if you want to be added
Published Authors: tell me the book information so we can read it
Articles: if you have an idea or article let me know.
Thank you Mary for that eye-opening article. It may take time and education to be accepted as fine art. Those who believe are winners. Gerr Calpin, SDA