I recently went to see a textile exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum entitled "Weaving Abstraction In Ancient and Modern Art". Absolutely loved it! It will be up until June 16th. The piece shown above is by Sheila Hicks and is entitled Linen Lean-To. Hicks was one of 4 modern artists whose work was juxtaposed with weavings of ancient Andean artists. All of the work in the exhibit utilized abstract designs and geometric patterns. If it weren't for the signage that included approximate dates for the pieces, it would have been hard to distinguish the old from the new in some cases. My sister Molly holding up an M+A Knotted Horse Hair Tassel that looks right at home in the space. Above...
Over at M + A this month we are celebrating the longer days that come with spring, and the wonder of light in general. We are so happy to shed the layers and weight of winter, and ease into sun soaked days ahead.
Kudos to the Museum of Modern Art for its recent herculean effort at reconfiguring its galleries to include the works of more women, Latinos, African-Americans, Asians and other overlooked artists to better reflect the multicultural society in which we live. Kudos as well for changing the way they present the art. Instead of sticking to a single discipline as a way of organizing and showing their vast Modernist collection, they have chosen to mix media. Going forward, painting, sculpture, architecture, design, etc. will be curated together. A big highlight in their reimagined space is a textile exhibit on the third floor in The Philip Johnson Galleries entitled “Taking a Thread for a Walk”. Here is what the MoMA team has to...
These days, nearly everything we buy is mass produced and machine-made. It’s difficult to imagine the days when garments were sewn by hand and cloth was block printed. But in some small workshops and villages in Jaipur, India and elsewhere, there is a commitment to keeping the centuries old tradition of block printing alive. Block printing is known to have been used in India since at least the 12th century, although this method is thought to be around 2,000 years old. First the artwork/design is drawn onto a translucent butter paper which acts like a guide for the block maker to carve from. The papers then transferred to a perfectly smooth block of wood. The block can be sourced from many types of trees but...
