Sarasota Art Museum Presents
A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard
Opening Feb. 25, exhibition showcases contemporary fiber artists challenging status quo
January 10, 2023
Sarasota, FL – Jan. 10, 2023 – Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College presents A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard, on view Feb. 25, 2023 – June 25, 2023. From micro artworks the size of your hand to mammoth, room-sized installations, the 11 women artists represented in A Beautiful Mess push the boundaries between craft and fine art, taking the art form to new heights both conceptually and physically. The exhibition is organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California.
“Continuing our commitment to bring a wide array of contemporary art to Sarasota from near and far, we proudly present A Beautiful Mess,” said Virginia Shearer, executive director of Sarasota Art Museum. “Originating from California, this touring exhibition provides an opportunity for our community members to not only experience intriguingly familiar, yet complex fiber artworks created now but also to encounter the work of acclaimed women artists from all across the continent.”
“Curators love the unexpected ways in which artists explore traditional forms and materials, whether those artists are driven by a desire for formal and material experimentation, by curiosity about narrative potentials and conceptual play behind traditional practices, or both,” said Rangsook Yoon, the Museum’s new senior curator. “The artistic caliber of this roster of fiber artists represented in A Beautiful Mess is truly impressive, and I say that as a curator who worked with some remarkable fiber artists in the past. Their ingenious processes and material innovation will surely fascinate visitors, many of whom may themselves knit, knot, macramé, and crochet.”
“Curators love the unexpected ways in which artists explore traditional forms and materials, whether those artists are driven by a desire for formal and material experimentation, by curiosity about narrative potentials and conceptual play behind traditional practices, or both,” said Rangsook Yoon, the Museum’s new senior curator. “The artistic caliber of this roster of fiber artists represented in A Beautiful Mess is truly impressive, and I say that as a curator who worked with some remarkable fiber artists in the past. Their ingenious processes and material innovation will surely fascinate visitors, many of whom may themselves knit, knot, macramé, and crochet.”
Salvaged textiles with mixed media. 78 inches diameter. (c) Kirsten Hassenfeld
Featured artists in the exhibition include Windy Chien, Kirsten Hassenfeld, Dana Hemenway, Kira Dominguez Hultgren, dani lopez, Hannah Perrine Mode, Liz Robb, Meghan Shimek, Lisa Solomon, Katrina Sánchez Standfield, and Jacqueline Surdell. Whether by utilizing non-traditional materials, tapping into personal memories, or untangling complex histories, the artists in A Beautiful Mess strive to reinvent and elevate their chosen medium, historically considered mere craft and women’s handiwork.
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 taps into the fiber arts renaissance currently taking place in the contemporary art world. Using an array of unconventional, utilitarian materials such as rope, yarn, clay, wire, and extension cords, these talented artists knot, twist, macramé, and weave to create visually and conceptually compelling works that range from minimal and hyper-structured sculptures to complex and organic installation.
Although the materials and means of production vary for each artist featured in the exhibition, they all share a commonality in their pursuit to upheave the status quo, upending traditional perceptions about fiber arts. Mining personal and collective histories, these artists not only expand the definitions of fiber arts but also address significant political and sociocultural issues, including racism, sexism, and climate change.
Although the materials and means of production vary for each artist featured in the exhibition, they all share a commonality in their pursuit to upheave the status quo, upending traditional perceptions about fiber arts. Mining personal and collective histories, these artists not only expand the definitions of fiber arts but also address significant political and sociocultural issues, including racism, sexism, and climate change.
![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.](https://i0.wp.com/www.sarasotaartmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/FeaturedImage_WindyChien_CircuitBoard_1024x746.jpg?fit=840%2C630&ssl=1)
Hand-dyed & tied cotton rope, 122 x 299 x 4 in. Courtesy of Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. © Lisa Solomon.
Each artist radicalizes the medium from a unique perspective. Renowned artist Windy Chien pushes her craft to the cutting edge by integrating technology, design, history, and even linguistics into her large-scale installations. The San Francisco-based artist believes “it is the responsibility of artists to modernize traditional crafts and forms,” and she fulfills this promise with slick, ingeniously woven pieces rooted in architectural and digital engineering. Chien is passionate about the practice of knot making, with a keen interest in the practical function each knot possesses. By elevating the art of the knot into expansive installations, she challenges the original role of these rope-bound objects and, as American writer Rebecca Solnit puts it, allows “the mute material world [to] come to life.”
Machine knitted yarn, fiberfill, 34 x 39 x 6 in. © Katrina Sánchez Standfield.
Handwoven cotton and hand-cut novelty fabrics, 88 x 36 x 3 in. © dani lopez.
Similar to Chien, Chicago artist Kira Dominguez Hultgren integrates technology into her massive weavings to question cultural constructs. Treating her loom as a digital computing device, Dominguez Hultgren literally and figuratively weaves HTML code to create intricately layered personal narratives. The artist uses images from the Smithsonian’s digital archives of Navajo textiles, CAPTCHAs, and computer language throughout her material-heavy pieces. These grand installations speak to Dominguez Hultgren’s experience as a mixed-race artist and serve to deconstruct her family’s post-colonial history. In addition to using the internet as source material, Dominguez Hultgren collects personal, re-appropriated elements to integrate into her weavings. She incorporates rock-climbing ropes from her practice as a climber, silk fabric from the saris of relatives, and even strands of her hair. Together, Dominguez Hultgren’s synthesis of technological systems and non-traditional fibers challenge assumptions of identity and the tradition of weaving itself.
By bringing their unique stories to the forefront, the artists in A Beautiful Mess simultaneously tell profoundly powerful personal histories and challenge us to rethink about the traditions and norms: what to continue to honor and what needs to be addressed and eradicated.
For more information about participating artists, please refer to the attachment with this press release.
This exhibition is paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues.
For more information about participating artists, please refer to the attachment with this press release.
This exhibition is paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues.
About Sarasota Art Museum
Sarasota Art Museum is a catalyst for appreciation and understanding of the art of our time. As a platform for exposure, education, and experimentation, the Museum inspires new ideas and new ways of being through an endless rotation of transformative, relevant, and pioneering exhibitions and programs designed to elevate and empower all by cultivating discerning visual thinkers and ethical citizens.
Sarasota Art Museum is Ringling College of Art and Design’s dynamic laboratory for the exploration and advancement of contemporary art. Sarasota Art Museum shares the Ringling College Museum Campus with Ringling College’s Continuing Studies program comprised of the non-credit Studio and Digital Arts program and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Ringling College.
Located in the historic Sarasota High School, Sarasota Art Museum opened to the public in 2019 in the beautifully reimagined building by K/R Architects. The new Museum is comprised of 15,000 square feet of dedicated exhibition space, a plaza court, the Great Lawn featuring temporary sculpture and site – specific installations, Bistro, and SHOP.
As Sarasota’s only museum solely focused on contemporary artists and their work, Sarasota Art Museum offers visitors a place to see thought-provoking exhibitions and participate in education programs that start conversations and amplify the city’s creative spirit.
SHOP, located in the Museum’s lobby, features an eclectic collection of exhibition-related merchandise, art and architecture books, contemporary jewelry, and gifts.
Bistro at Sarasota Art Museum is located on the Museum’s campus in Paul Rudolph’s Sarasota School of Architecture 1959 Vocational Shops building. The Bistro fare is inspired by Florida’s regional fruit stands and farmer’s markets and emphasizes local produce, healthy proteins, and artisanal specialty items brought to you by Executive Chef and general manager Kaytlin Dangaran.
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Media Contact:
Ashley Parker
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Phone: 941-713-9821
aparker@magnifygood.com
MagnifyGood
Phone: 941-713-9821
aparker@magnifygood.com