Reconstructing Memories

"I have always had a fascination with the needle, the magic power of the needle. The needle is used to repair damage. It's a claim to forgiveness. It is never aggressive, it's not a pin."-Louise Bourgeois

Opening Today in Rocky Mount

I have two pieces in a show called Handcrafted: a Juried Exhibition of Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Metal and Wood. The exhibition opens today, January 30 from 2-4pm at the Maria V. Howard Arts Center in Rocky Mount, NC., and runs through May 22, 2011.

The gallery is located at 270 Gay Street, Rocky Mount, NC 27804.
Gallery Hours:
Monday - closed
Tuesday - Saturday, 10am-5pm
Sunday, 1pm-5pm

More about the Juror:
Don Davis holds an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and spent most of his career as a studio potter. The initial director of Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts in Asheville, NC and author of Wheel Thrown Ceramics, Davis’ works are included in the collections of The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC, The International Museum of Ceramics in Alfred, NY, and Shirikawa Public Hall, Japan. He was awarded an invitational artist’s residency at Studio Art Centers International, Florence Italy and has presented at the
National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts Conference. Davis is currently Associate Professor in the Dept. of Art and Design at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN and has conducted workshops in La Meridiana, Tuscany, Italy, Atelier Cirkel, Brasschaat, Belgium, University of S.C, The Virginia Museum School, and others.

Sketchbook Project - My Book

The book I made for Art House Co-op's 2010 Sketchbook Project is called "Alphabet Sonatina". This year it will tour to several galleries throughout the United States, and will become part of the Brooklyn Art Library's permanent collection. It's approximately 3.75" x 3.5" x 96" and it made of collaged paper and hand dyed fabrics that I pulled from my scrap bag. There's a ton of freemotion stitching on the book. I loved taking the opportunity to do something spontaneous and fun - working intuitively and instinctively.

Sketchbook Project - Touring Locations

Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn Art Library
February 19-27, 2011
Reception: Saturday, February 19th
12:00-10:00pm
(refreshments starting at 7:00pm)

Austin, TX
Austin Museum of Art
March 12th, 2011
(during the SXSW festival!)

Portland, ME
SPACE Gallery
March 30-April 2, 2011

Atlanta, GA
The Granite Room
April 8-9, 2011

Washington, DC
Tranformer Gallery
April 11-30, 2011

Seattle, WA
Form/Space Atelier
June 10-12, 2011

San Francisco, CA
111 Minna Gallery
June 18, 2011

Chicago, IL
Hyde Park Arts Center
July 14-17

Winter Park, FL
Full Sail University
July 29-July 31, 2011

Out on the Town

Hanging with my Boo Peeps at Abi Blackerby's art opening at Marc's on Market.

Bookmaking

This semester I started my class off by teaching them to make fabric covered, hand-bound books. Lookin' good!

Printshop 3

Printshop 2

Printing some old copper etchings...

Printshop

Cheesecake Factory

A fun day in Raleigh with my hubby is topped off with a lovely piece of red velvet cheesecake.

The Sketchbook Project

Hurray! I finally finished my sketchbook for the 2010 Sketchbook Project! Stayed tuned for images of my book and more information about the touring locations.

The Sketchbook Project unites more than 10,000 artists from over 60 countries with a simple call to action: fill a sketchbook and share it with the world. Now in its third year, the Project reflects the DIY ethos of Art House Co-op, a Brooklyn-based gallery dedicated to creating massive international art projects for everyone.

Beginning in March 2011, the Project will tour the country as an innovative mobile library, visiting museums and galleries in Portland, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, Seattle and San Francisco before returning home to the Brooklyn Art Library. The Library's unique cataloging system, developed specifically for the Project, allows artists to trace their sketchbook's journey through many hands, connecting a physical and virtual community that spans the globe.

In just three short years artists Shane Zucker and Steven Peterman have grown Art House Co-op from a bean of a pay-to-play gallery in Decatur, GA into a Brooklyn-based international collective. The pair are passionate about creating exhibitions with a long shelf-life, and to that end have founded what they call The Brooklyn Art Library - a space wherein the yields of their crowd-sourced projects are catalogued and made accessible to anyone curious enough to look. The coolest part? The content of the Library is mobile, and is currently touring America.

Their lofty goal: to bring art to the masses. Their canny method: by getting the masses to make it themselves. By creating and coordinating massive, international art projects that focus thousands of artists on common themes, Art House invites people to generate artifacts that are guaranteed a life outside cramped apartment closets and dusty rural storage units.

Determination

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”
Calvin Coolidge

Brooklyn Book - In Progress

Some more in progress photos of the sketchbook I'm making for the Brooklyn Arts Library. Just working freely and intuitively. Sewing everything together and burning the edges.