Kirsten Hassenfeld, (American, born 1971) Millefleur (detail), 2019, salvaged textiles with mixed media, 78 inches diameter, (c) Kirsten Hassenfeld
Kirsten Hassenfeld, (American, born 1971) Millefleur (detail), 2019, salvaged textiles with mixed media, 78 inches diameter, (c) Kirsten Hassenfeld
Kirsten Hassenfeld, (American, born 1971), Millefleur (detail), 2019.
Salvaged textiles with mixed media. 78 inches diameter. (c) Kirsten Hassenfeld
Kirsten Hassenfeld, (American, born 1971) Millefleur, 2019, salvaged textiles with mixed media, 78 inches diameter, (c) Kirsten Hassenfeld
Kirsten Hassenfeld (American, born 1971), Millefleur, 2019.
Salvaged textiles with mixed media. 78 inches diameter. (c) Kirsten Hassenfeld
Windy Chien (American, born 1967), Circuit Board, 2021. Rope, vintage 24k gold Japanese thread, synthetic Chainette yarn, 58 x 96 x 2.5 in. © Windy Chien.
Windy Chien (American, born 1967), Circuit Board, 2021.
Rope, vintage 24k gold Japanese thread, synthetic Chainette yarn, 58 x 96 x 2.5 in. © Windy Chien.
Windy Chien (American, born 1967), Circuit Board, 2021. Rope, vintage 24k gold Japanese thread, synthetic Chainette yarn, 58 x 96 x 2.5 in. © Windy Chien.
Windy Chien (American, born 1967), Circuit Board (detail), 2021.
Rope, vintage 24k gold Japanese thread, synthetic Chainette yarn, 58 x 96 x 2.5 in. © Windy Chien.
Liz Robb (American, born 1985), Passage II, 2021. Cotton, grout, 84 x 45 x 19 in. © Liz Robb.
Liz Robb (American, born 1985), Passage II, 2021.
Cotton, grout, 84 x 45 x 19 in. © Liz Robb.
Lisa Solomon (American, born 1973), Senninbari [1000 stitch knot belt] (detail), 2016. Hand-dyed & tied cotton rope, 122 x 299 x 4 in. Courtesy of Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. © Lisa Solomon.
Lisa Solomon (American, born 1973), Senninbari [1000 stitch knot belt] (detail), 2016.
Hand-dyed & tied cotton rope, 122 x 299 x 4 in. Courtesy of Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. © Lisa Solomon.
Kira Dominguez Hultgren (American, born 1980), At Least Both Your Parents are Brown, 2020. Brown yarn, silk, leather, fleece, felt, belts, fabric, wood, 82 x 77 x 3 in. Courtesy of Eleanor Harwood Gallery, San Francisco, CA. © Kira Dominguez Hultgren.
Kira Dominguez Hultgren (American, born 1980), At Least Both Your Parents are Brown, 2020.
Brown yarn, silk, leather, fleece, felt, belts, fabric, wood, 82 x 77 x 3 in. Courtesy of Eleanor Harwood Gallery, San Francisco, CA. © Kira Dominguez Hultgren.
Jacqueline Surdell (American, born 1993), Orange 2, 2018. Braided cotton cord, steel curl bar. 104 x 59 x 15 in. Courtesy of Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco, CA. © Jacqueline Surdell.
Jacqueline Surdell (American, born 1993), Orange 2, 2018.
Braided cotton cord, steel curl bar. 104 x 59 x 15 in. Courtesy of Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco, CA. © Jacqueline Surdell.
Dana Hemenway (American, born 1982), Untitled (extension cords – four blue), 2021. Extension cords, light bulbs, wood, mixed media, 81 x 24 x 14 in. Courtesy of Eleanor Harwood Gallery, San Francisco, CA. © Dana Hemenway.
Dana Hemenway (American, born 1982), Untitled (extension cords – four blue), 2021.
Extension cords, light bulbs, wood, mixed media, 81 x 24 x 14 in. Courtesy of Eleanor Harwood Gallery, San Francisco, CA. © Dana Hemenway.

A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard

February 25 - June 25, 2023

From micro artworks the size of your hand to mammoth room-sized installations, the national roster of women artists in A Beautiful Mess push the boundaries of their textile-based medium. Using rope, yarn, clay and wire, this group of conceptual artists knot and twist their media into sculptures that range from minimal and hyper-organized to utter pandemonium. They explore personal and political ideals — order and chaos to the extreme — and freely break the rules to create their beautiful artworks. Serious about making a strong cultural and intellectual impact, this group deftly weaves their message into works that demonstrate extraordinary technical skill.

Artists include: Windy Chien, Kira Dominguez Hultgren, Kirsten Hassenfeld, Dana Hemenway, dani lopez, Hannah Perrine Mode, Liz Robb, Katrina Sánchez Standfield, Meghan Shimek, Lisa Solomon, and Jacqueline Surdell.

A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard was organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA.
Bedford Gallery

This exhibition is made possible, in part, with generous support from:

Platinum Sponsors
Shari and John Hicks

Silver Sponsors
Isabel Becker
Gerald and Sondra Biller
Keith Monda and Veronica Brady

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Installation view of "A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard" at Sarasota Art Museum
Installation view of Hannah Perrine Mode, Rope Team, 2018-2020 at Sarasota Art Museum.
Installation view of "A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard" at Sarasota Art Museum
Installation view of A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard at Sarasota Art Museum
Installation view of "A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard" at Sarasota Art Museum
Installation view of A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard at Sarasota Art Museum
Installation view of "A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard" at Sarasota Art Museum
Installation view of A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard at Sarasota Art Museum

Programs

Blue Star Museums Program

Sarasota Art Museum is a Blue Star Museum

Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design (SAM) is pleased to participate in Blue Star Museums, a program that provides free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families during the summer. The 2026 program will begin on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 16, 2026, and end on Labor Day, Monday, September 7, 2026.

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Call to Artists Announced for Tampa Bay Area Exhibition ‘Skyway 2027: A Contemporary Collaboration’​

Five regional art museums, the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg; The John and
Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota; Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota;
the Tampa Museum of Art; and the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, are pleased to
announce a call to artists for “Skyway 2027: A Contemporary Collaboration”, the fourth iteration of the exhibition
celebrating the diversity and talent of artistic practices in the Tampa Bay area and beyond.

Blue squigly lines on a red background

Sarasota Art Museum to Present Major Survey of Prints by Conceptual Art Pioneer Sol LeWitt

Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design (SAM) is pleased to present “Beautiful Ideas: The Prints of Sol LeWitt,” on view from May 17 through October 25, 2026. This exhibition explores the extensive printmaking career of Sol LeWitt (1928–2007), a leader of the American Minimalism and Conceptual art movements who famously declared that “the idea becomes a machine that makes the art.”