EXHIBITIONS
Mining Mending
Textile Center, Minneapolis
April 25 - July 15, 2023
An invitational exhibition of nine contemporary artists who explore the theme of mending as the conceptual and technical basis for their artistic practices. Two large pieces from my Raw Edge series are included in the exhibition.
Color VI
Gail Severn Gallery
Ketchum, ID
May 9 - June 30, 2023
An exhibition of represented artists whose work demonstrates the powerful response that color can elicit from the viewer. My work is represented by pieces from the Raw Edge and horticultural series.
PUBLICATIONS
Five Contemporary Embroidery Artists
by Jo Hall
TextileArtist.org
In this article from the U.K. featuring my work, I talk about the inspiration for and making of Shooter, part of my series How the West Was Sewn, in which I stitch leaves, vines and branches from the covers of pulp cowboy novels. Read article here →
Mending money: Lisa Kokin
Essay by Maria Porges
Maria Porges has written an insightful essay about my work with money as part of a series of essays featuring, in her words, “artists for whom mending plays a significant role in their art practice.” The essays feature work in a diverse array of media and I am honored to be included. Read essay here →
RECENT COMMISSIONS
Dorian's Rose The Dorian #2
Calgary, Canada
This commission, for a Victorian-themed hospitality venue,
stipulated three elements: that the piece be made from vintage
copies of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, that the
overall shape be the Alberta Rose, the provincial flower of
Alberta, and that, although a wall piece, it needed to be
sculptural. I love working within these types of limitations.
Using six different copies of the book, I made Dorian’s Rose
from both the pages and the covers of the classic novel.
More commissions examples →
East Meets West Raffles Boston
Boston, MA
Given the theme of East Meets West for a hospitality venue, I created fourteen patinated copper pieces which use asemic text, both horizontal and vertical, in the form of punctured holes made with a sewing machine. Manipulated safety pins are an additional element in some of the pieces.
More commissions examples →
RECENT ACQUISITIONS
Inquiry Paperback book covers, mull, thread, wire
56 x 35 inches, 2020
Private Collection
Portland, ME
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48-49 (Democracy: A Very Short Introduction) Zippers, thread, shredded money, 26 x 28.5 inches, 2014
Private Collection
Oakland, CA
MENTORING & CRITIQUE
I work one-on-one with many artists in my Coaching/Mentorship Program, an outgrowth of decades of mentoring graduate students in local colleges and universities. The program is tailored to the needs of each artist and includes six one-hour meetings or the equivalent to be completed within six months.
Artists use their coaching/mentorship sessions for critique and career development, as well as issues related to maintaining a consistent studio practice.
For artists who live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, mentorships are available via Zoom.
Read more →
BLOG FROM URUGUAY
For the Time, Being Patinated copper, watch springs
10 x 11.75 x 1 inches, 2021
My work featured on El Hurgador: Arte en la Red, a blog from Uruguay. A bilingual Spanish/English mini-survey of work from The Wordless Library, books made of copper with asemic text.
Read more →
VIDEO
Territory
A short video of Territory by Lia Roozendaal. Territory, part of the Raw Edge series, measures 49 x 80 inches, and is made of reclaimed fiber, scraps and failure fragments rescued from the studio floor.A commission I recently made.
Community Health Innovations (CHI)
Montage Health/Community Hospital of the
Monterey Peninsula, Monterey, CA
I received a large commission for the new Montage Health/Community Hospital in Monterey, CA. Nature Library will be viewed from both sides in a beautifully constructed Plexiglas box. The piece is the result of countless hunting and gathering forays to find discarded books at the local recycling center and is composed of dozens of book cloth covers from a wide variety of sources. It was a true pleasure to make the piece, knowing that it will contribute to a feeling of well-being and tranquility as people “read” the bits of text while waiting to see their doctor.
My photographer, Lia Roozendaal, made a video of the process from beginning to end titled Nature Library Enjoy!