Thanks, Emily Pfotenhauer, for the links!
Binary Visions: 19th Century Woven Coverlets from the Collection of Historic Huguenot Street
A Notion to Sew: The 19th Century Needlework of Hylah Hasbrouck and her Daughters at Locust Lawn
Monday, January 24, 2011
An Artists Talk with Handmade Meaning Contributors
The first of two large events associated with the Handmade Meaning exhibit occurred yesterday. Artists Susan White of Madison, Anne Kingsbury and Courtney Heimerl, both of Milwaukee, all gathered to speak abut their work and then answered questions as a panel, moderated by Prof. Beverly Gordon of the Design Studies Department. Each artist gave a talk about their working methods and piece(s) in the show. Some themes discussed by the, in both their talks and in the Q&A focused on time, repetition, and meditation.
White presented a new performance art piece where she examined the role of making and notion of work without producing an object through crocheting a chain, the foundation of all crocheted objects. Kingsbury talked at length about the role time plays in her art practice of beading images of her journals, where she records the time it takes her to complete activities. Heimerl gave a history of her involvement with craft. Her embroidery is featured in the show, and the theme she takes up in the objects on display are death and coming to terms with it as a life process.
 |
| The panel, from left to right: Courtney Heimerl, Anne Kingsbury, Susan White, and Beverly Gordon. |
 |
| Susan White's talk. |
 |
| A detail of Anne Kingsbury's beaded record of time. |
 |
| Courtney Heimerl's modified t-shirts, made as part of Milwaukee's Fasten clothing cooperative. |
Handmade Meaning Exhibition Opening
On December 17, 2010, the James Watrous Gallery opened the exhibit "Handmade Meaning: The Value of Craft in Victorian and Contemporary Culture." We'll call this post a photo essay:
 |
| A large crowd on opening night, with a redwork quilt in the background! |
 |
| A group gathers to watch the demonstrations. Becca Keyel (with spinning wheel) and Malka Salomon, with embroidery hoop) were both in Prof. Martin's class. Becca also created the Handmade Meaning blog. |
 |
| Breanna Norton, also apart of the organizing class, helped to install and advertise. She also took an independent study over the summer to help out with the exhibition. |
 |
| Prof. Gene Phillips of the Art History Department, along with Andrew Stevens, the Chazen Museum of Art's curator of prints look at Mary Dickey's "Container for My Ashes." |
 |
| A better view of Mary Dickey's "Container." It's simply gorgeous. |
 |
| Anne Kingsbury in front of her beaded deerskin. She records pages from her journals and reflects on time by beading entries onto the pelt. This piece will not be finished until she has covered it entirely. |
 |
| More Art History faculty! Prof. Nancy Marshall (center) and Prof. Susie Buenger (right). |
 |
| A better view of the other demonstrators. Josh Hebbert crochets and Malka Salomon embroiders. |
 |
| Emily Pfotenhauer, one of the organizers, poses with BA Harrington, a Material Culture student, and Prof. Ann Smart Martin, who taught the spring 2010 exhibitions class that helped to organize the exhibit. |
 |
| Prof. Martin with her daughter, standing next to a lovely hair wreath loaned by the Mayville Historical Society. |
Baroque Bassonist Plays for AH363
Apologies for this untimely post, but complications with cameras before Fall semester ended, then break stalled this post. Marc Vallon, associate professor in the School of Music here at UW-Madison, graciously agreed to come to Prof. Martin's AH363 class to play the baroque bassoon. Prof. Vallon brought two bassoons, one in the eighteenth century style, which he made himself, and a modern model. He played both and put the music and the instrument into a historical context. I found it interesting that bassoonists improvised much of what they played, having only a scant outline to follow. A video is forthcoming, so check back soon!
 |
| Professor Marc Vallon speaking to the class. |
 |
| His reproduction eighteenth century bassoon, which he made himself. |
Creating a Ring Bottle-Michelle Erikson Demonstrates
Michelle Erikson, a ceramist practicing in Yorktown, Virginia, gave a demonstration at the American Ceramics Circle's annual conference, held this year in Milwaukee. She demonstrated her method for making a ring bottle.
The Myth of the American West: A Project by Artists BA Harrington and Chele Isaac
This wonderful website documents their cross-country trip, driving the old Santa Fe Trail out to San Diego, California, where BA is the artist-in-residence in the Art-Wood department at San Diego State University. Congratulations also to BA for finishing her M.A. paper in the Art History department! The website will fill you in on the details. Please check it out:
Reminder: Handmade Meaning Exhibit-Closing February 6, 2011
This is a reminder that Handmade Meaning: The Value of Craft in Victorian and Contemporary Culture, the exhibit put together by Martha Glowacki and Emily Pfotenhauer, in collaboration with Prof. Ann Smart Martin's Spring 2010 exhibitions class will be on view at the James Watrous Gallery until Sunday, February 6.
The closing celebration will also be on February 6, from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. There will be an exhibition tour followed by a reception and presentation, "History Through Women's Hands," at the Wisconsin Historical Museum auditorium. Presentation speakers include Nancy Mithlo (UW-Madison Department of Art History), Nicholas Reynolds (Oneida Nation Museum), Brian Bigler (Mt. Horeb Historical Society), Lyn Korenic (UW-Madison Art Library), and Emily Pfotenhauer (Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database).
There is also plenty of time to embroider a square for the Community Quilt Project! The project, inspired by the redwork quilts made for community fundraisers during the late 1800s and early 1900s. To participate, pick up a packet from either the James Watrous Gallery or Stitcher's Crossing on Odana Road, stitch one of the designs, and return it to the gallery. Finished squares will be pieced together to create a quilt. Check out the exhibit's blog, Handmade Meaning, to see other squares for the project!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)