Friday Fibers Roundup

July 28, 2017

This week’s Friday Fibers Roundup features a mix of drag race costuming, fashioning the future, and the decolonization of craft.

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1) “Steps Towards Decolonizing Craft” by Aram Han Sifuentes explores the problematic use of appropriation, primitivism, fetishisation, stolen, and stripped of context cultures become when artists and craftspeople are “inspired” or “drawn to” cultures not their own (via Textile Society of America).

2) Both Sides Now: Joyce J. Scott & Sonya Clark exhibition is on display August 4th through September 24th at 108|Contemporary in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The show addresses issues of race, representation, and injustice from two major names in the textiles universe.

3) “An Inclusive Documenta Succeeds Despite Curatorial Failures” by Adela Yawitz looks at the arc of Documenta 14 and the consistent presence of non-white, non-heteronormative artists throughout its history (via Hyperallergic).

4) The world’s possibly oldest rug, found in Egypt, is woven entirely from cat hair and had once carried a mummified human foot (via Atlas Obscura).

5) Diego Montoya is the artist and designer behind Sasha Velour’s lace and pearl encrusted mask (that she wore on the finale of RuPaul ‘s Drag Race Season 9), and here Velour comments on working with Montoya (via Creators).

6) “Threads of innovation: Exhibit Explores New Approaches to Fiber in Native Art” by Kathaleen Roberts reviews the exhibition Connective Tissue: New Approaches to Fiber in Contemporary Native Art at IAIA’s Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, and explores environmental themes as well as personal and allegorical storytelling (via Albuquerque Journal).

7) Fashioning the Future: Tomorrow’s Wardrobe is Suzanne Lee’s TED Talk on her research to harness nature to propose a radical future fashion vision: Can we grow a dress from a vat of liquid?

8) The mended landscape artwork of Hannah Streefkerk is nature-oriented, and inspired by natural elements such as water and land formations, trees, flowers and rocky landscapes (via The Textile Artist).

9) “How Society Kills your Creativity” is a an award-winning Pixar short film on being told what is “right” and “wrong” when you’re young and how those actions influence you heavily as an adult (via Collective Evolution).

10) “Portrait and Process” is a studio visit with St.Louis based figurative artist Cayce Zavaglia.