Making Connections with Art in Museums, Magazine and More

I had a delightful moment of artistic connection in the doctor's office yesterday. (The fact that I was at the doctor was not delightful, but there was this silver lining.)

They have nice magazines at the office and I was flipping through Architectural Digest and was drawn to the images in this profile of artist Theaster Gates.



Then on the next page, there was a piece of his artwork that looked familiar. It's the piece on the lower left.



I'd just seen this piece (or one very similar) at the Tate Modern in London the week before! It stopped me, drew me in and created a lasting impression. It's made from the discarded pieces of a basketball court from a Chicago-area high school. It points to Gates' frustration with the dismantling of decent public education in Chicago, particularly for African American students.

I didn't take a picture of that piece in London. But, I did photograph this Gates piece also at the Tate.



Can you guess what it's made from?



Yes, fire hoses originally used to break up protesters fighting for civil rights. Powerful.

Clearly, these two pieces of art are quilt-like in many ways. I suppose that's part of why I am drawn to them. And yet, I don't make quilts like that. I don't piece fabric. I don't use recycled materials. I don't really explore political or provocative themes in my own work.

But, it's not about me and my work and my personal style. It's about taking the opportunity to see everything! And welcoming interesting thoughts, study and critique of art that catches my eye. Especially if it comes up repeatedly and unexpectedly.

I don't think I'll be able to track any kind of direct influence or inspiration from Theaster's work into my own work. But the fact, that it exposed me to something new is enough.

We live in a time where we have access to so much. There are so many things to explore: museums, magazines, You Tube channels, TED talks, podcasts, movies, tv, lectures, clubs, Facebook groups... the list is endless. It's the proverbial double-edged sword, right? It's easy to get over exposed and overwhelmed.

When I visited the Tate with my mom and daughter, I'd never heard of Theaster Gates.  (Here we are in the Tate's cavernous central hall.)



I probably would have forgotten him if he hadn't popped up in the magazine.

I'll continue to go to museums, to flip through magazines, to peruse Pinterest, to listen to podcasts. But, I'll also try to go a little deeper occasionally. Mindless scrolling through images or aimless walks through museums seem sort of wasteful.

For now, I'll do a deep dive and learn more about Theaster.

Here are some of the resources I'm eager to explore.

Tate Modern Profile
Theaster TED talk
YouTube Art Channel profile
He's a part of Art 21
Oh, there's a bit of controversy to consider

To take this unexpected connection a little further, Theaster's work with reclaimed materials related to African American life reminds me of Hank Willis Thomas' quilts made from prison uniforms and athletic jerseys. I first saw his work on the Instagram of one of my college friends.

Is that an artist that you've discovered unexpectedly that stayed with you?

Blog Renew: 11

Grab a cuppa, let's have a chat.

What should I blog about when I really have nothing to say? Or the things I do have to say are too personal or negative or reflect poorly on people I care about?

When I started blogging nearly nine years ago, blogs were much more personal. Blogging has changed a lot since then. So have I, I suppose. Blogging now has the potential to be much more professional. Blogs generate books, teaching opportunities and sales. 

If I am completely honest with myself (and with you), I am interested in publishing opportunities, teaching and selling my work! I shouldn't be ashamed to say that, right? I'm not. But I do feel the teensiest bit of discomfort using my blog as a marketing tool. Maybe it's because it didn't start out the way and I'm still adjusting and trying to find my way... as a blogger, as an artist, as a mother balancing the many responsibilities and opportunities that come my way.

This is part of what I want to explore in this Blog Renew project. I'm thinking about what I enjoy sharing. I'm considering options for different kinds of posts and the right balance for the content on my blog.

A couple of you did make specific requests for things you'd like to see on the blog. My mom wants to see more pictures of her grand kids. Misty wants to know how I set up my workspace. I'll cover all that within the next 19 days!

What thoughts do you have about blogging and the balance between professional and personal?

Mixed Message

 Claire and I went out for Asian food after her oboe lesson last night. This was my fortune...

And this was the word on the back of my fortune...

We agreed that they don't really go together.

But, as I thought about it some more, I think actually they do go together. When embarking on new adventures or exploring new opportunities, inevitably there is stress, concern and anxiety. At least, that's generally how it goes for me.

It's just a matter of keeping everything in balance. Maybe they should print something like that and stuff in fortune cookies.

Book Review

A couple of months ago while reading my twitter feed (mostly stand up comics and witty writers), I came across an opportunity to sign up for an online book club and free copy of America, You Sexy Bitch by Michael Ian Black and Megan McCain.

Book blogger Mandy Boles was kicking off a new project on her blog, "Mandy's Blogger Bookclub." To celebrate the project, she gave away 50 copies of America, You Sexy Bitch! Gave away! I am a huge fan of Michael Ian Black, so I signed up and won a copy. The only requirement was to write a review and post it on my blog by August 15. (Ooops. I'm late. Sorry, Mandy.)

First, a confession. I decided to buy the audio book rather than read the actual book -- as you can see in this photo. It's narrated by MIB and Megan McCain and I think that adds a lot of personality and nuance to the stories and thoughts in the book.

The framework of the book is that MIB (Michael Ian Black) is a 40 something, married, liberal, atheist, east-coast, comedian and Megan is a 20 something, whiskey-drinking, Republican, Christian, raised-on-an-Arizona-ranch, political commentator. They decide to take a road trip across the US, visit some of our cultural touchstones, meet all kinds of people and discuss why they believe what they believe. And then write a book about it. The book bounces back and forth between the authors, each describing events, people and places on the trip.

Interesting, right? I had high hopes. Let's look at this book from two angles.

First, as a book of witty essays mixed with travelogue and politics...

It's not great. It's fine and I enjoyed it, but it's choppy and rather self-serving. I expected a collection of ideas about specific issues with related experiences and thoughts gathered from the road trip. Instead, it's just a bunch of blathering around the edges of the real meaning of the major questions that face our country. Mixed in with lots of alcohol, whining and descriptions of what people were wearing -- or not wearing.

I have to say MIB is a great writer. I love his voice -- both his actual voice as heard on the audio book and his style as a writer. He is wicked funny. He finds a way to say things that are very personal and insightful with a unique bent of eccentric observation. (He's recent memoir, You're Not Doing It Right, is one of the best books I've read/listened to all year.)

On the other hand, I find Megan very predictable. Her writing is full of cliches -- political buzz phrases that lack depth and general stale language that shows lack of creativity. I really wanted to like her. I love that she tries to represent a different voice in the republican party. I even wanted to chalk it up to immaturity, but she's 27. That's not that young. Plus, she's a professional -- she works for MSNBC, The Daily Beast and is a regular "talking head" throughout the media. She could (and should) be better at what she does.

At one point in the book, Megan makes fun of Michael for carrying a notebook everywhere they went. If you went on a road trip with the specific intent to write about the experience, wouldn't you carry a notebook and keep track of things you wanted to write about?

Second, as a book that can generate discussion and encourage new ways to think about various ideas and issues...

It's pretty awesome. In fact, I'd love to sit around with a handful of folks and really talk about it. Mandy posted several very-thoughtful questions directly related to the book and lots of bloggers have posted their reviews. (A collection of blog posts about a book doesn't really feel like a "book club," but it's still interesting.)


They touch on guns, drugs, gay rights, religion, Hurricane Katrina, marriage, strippers and military service.

Here is one of Mandy's questions:

How do you feel about the disagreement Meghan and Michael have in the bar on the fourth of July? “Freedom Doesn’t Come Free” – Trite or Right?

Toward the end of the book, Megan expresses what it's like to send a loved one off to war. She says, "... no one gets to lecture me, or my family, about war unless they've experienced it as well."

This is the topic that continues to bounce around in my heart and mind. Megan was completely dismissive of Micheal's views about the military because she felt he didn't have the personal experience required to make judgement. I sent my husband off to military service many times in his 16 and a half years in the Navy. So, I've got experience. It's a very complicated topic that I'm not interested in including in this "review," but maybe some day in another blog post. Or maybe not. Or maybe if you and I are ever on a road trip together, we can have a real conversation.

Speaking of conversation, the book is successful there. It really is a conversation and that is sorely lacking in our current political landscape. Thanks for letting us eavesdrop, Michael and Megan.

If you got through this very wordy post and you're still interested in the book, I'd be happy to send you my copy. Mandy was so generous and gathered together so many interesting ideas and readers, I'm happy to keep it going.

Chewing on the idea of drawing

I gave a presentation at the Quilters Guild of Dallas last week. My program was titled "Twelve by Twelve: Inspirations and Adventures from the Art Quilt Challenge." I showed each of my 24 quilts for the themes in our 12x12 challenge. I also showed quilts from each of the other artists in the project. There were a few great questions after my program. I am still lingering over one question and my answer to it. A woman said something like, "I noticed that none of your quilts include realistic images. They are all rather abstract. Why?"

I took a second to think about my answer and then I said, "Because I can't draw."

Ug. I wish I hadn't said that. I did go on to explain that I am really enamored with the shape of things and the way lines play with each other. And I left it at that.

I wish I had extrapolated a little. So, I'm blogging my thoughts instead. I'll include this post in my continuing collection of "ideas to chew on."

I really do love playing with shapes. I love the shape of a house.

I also love rectangles and their many variations.
I like to play with the relationship of one shape with another. They look different depending on whether they are next to each other or overlapping each other. I'm interested in the edge of the shape -- is it cut, torn, sewn or frayed? If I cut it out, did I use a pattern? A wavy rotary cutter or a dull pair of scissors? Each detail in the process has an effect on the final design of an art quilt.

If I were trying to create an art quilt that looked like something realistic, I couldn't play with those details in the same way. Every decision would be serving the image rather than the fabric or the relationship between the elements in the composition. That's the stuff that's interesting to me.

I also like the idea that each shape can be an individual frame for other details. It can be even more interesting when details spill out of their frame.

Beyond shapes and their edges, I love playing with the colors and textures of fabrics. I'm interested in how a stitched line enhances a composition. Hand stitches say something different than machine stitches.

That said, there are occasions when I want to include something that is a bit more realistic. Then I do some research and lots of sketching. It's not so much that I can't draw, or that I couldn't become better at drawing if I worked at it. It's just that my interest lies in other areas. I think some artists, myself included, feel like we have to apologize for our lack of skills in a particular area. But, we shouldn't. I'm reminding myself of that today.

My personal style and the techniques, shapes and symbols I use regularly are things I've discovered over several years of cutting, stitching, fusing, layering, painting and just exploring! I think I'll keep at it.

Ideas to chew on...

I've been thinking that my blog needs more meaty thoughts about creating. I think it would be good for me to write a bit more about my process, my struggles and my moments of delight or success. And maybe good for you too? So, what I've been "chewing" on lately...

Last night I spent some time in the studio working on two pieces: my 12x12 gray piece and another piece that I've been slowly puttering with for over a year. I spent a bunch of time just standing and staring at them. There was a line in the most recent SAQA journal about the actual process of creating art being the very hardest part of the job of being an artist. The marketing, administrative stuff and documentation tasks of an artist are all comparatively easy. I hadn't really thought of it that way. But, it is so true. Creating an art quilt that meets the vision I have in my mind, says what I want it to say, feels how I want it to feel, and is created with appropriate and successfully mastered techniques is hard. That doesn't mean the work is unpleasant, obviously. I actually enjoy it... usually. So, I'm embracing the fact that it is a challenge and walking into that willingly.Last night, I spent a lot of time pondering ways to incorporate free motion stitching into my compositions. More and more, I think of my work as a collage.

Collage:

a technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface various materials not normally associated with one another, as newspaper clippings, parts of photographs, theater tickets, and fragments of an envelope.

an assemblage or occurrence of diverse elements or fragments in unlikely or unexpected juxtaposition

(I think that's a rather inspiring definition!)

I have a regular selection of images, techniques and materials that I include in my fiber collages: hand stitching, sheer fabrics, recycled fabrics, surface design, embellishments and free motion stitching. But, I haven't used much free motion stitching lately and I really want it to re-emerge in my work because it is so integral to the idea that I am creating an art quilt and not just a collage of stuff glued on a single surface.

Yes, I've been using the stitched arch at the top of several of my pieces lately. But, it's not even free motion stitched -- I'm using a regular foot for those lines.I don't want to use all over free motion quilting, rather I want to create a block of stitching that is part of the composition creating an additional shape and layer that relate to the other elements in the collage. I've done this effectively with simple stacks of straight lines, as in the purple lines in my 12x12 Passion piece.

But, I'm tired of the blocks of parallel lines. I want to find new collections of lines and motifs that can say something a little different.

Obviously, I need to pull out the sketch book and just doodle. Standing around staring at the needle and thread is not going to open up any options or ideas. I have to do the work. The hard work.