Though we didn't go to Philly to see the Fabric Workshop and Museum (I didn't even know it existed), I have been thinking about it ever since we toured it last weekend. We'd gone to Philadelphia to visit the Barnes Foundation Art Museum which has been a bucket list item for me ever since I first heard about it in the Baltimore Sun, when I lived in Maryland and had a real house. Though I loved the Barnes Foundation artwork, and the whole story of Dr Barnes, I have found myself thinking more about Ann Hamilton and the Fabric Workshop and Museum. I'm glad I stumbled across it.
The Fabric Workshop and Museum is a non-profit that started out in 1977 primarily for functional fabric art but morphed beyond fabric and functional. It has an artist-in-residence program and as well as "museum" items you can see via tours, all free, starting every half hour. If you like fabric, or even if you are not particularly into fabric but like non-touristy, interesting experiences or get your batteries charged by communing with someone's creative thoughtfulness, you should like this.
If I was queen for a day, I'd add a large windowed hallway outside the artist-in-residence area so we could actually watch artists work. Also, I'd add a section where we could see and touch a variety of fabrics and other fiber-like materials, as their history was explained, though I know we couldn't touch the old materials. And speaking of old materials, it'd be nice to read about the science of decaying fabric. But as far as touch goes, I think that those of us who love fabrics, love the feel as well as the visual. I would also love for there to be much more to see, many more items on display. The old building is huge and could handle lots of items. Having said that, the displays were striking, unique, and particularly so because of the large open emptiness of the old warehouse floors. If there were more things crammed in, it would negate the effect. But still, another floor with just fabric clutter would be cool. Regardless, I highly recommend this experience as is.
http://www.fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/
Ann Hamilton's habitus was on display at the museum, and her huge white cloth cylindrical drapes filled Municipal Pier 9 this Fall, though I missed that. She is a visual artist, a conceptual artist, an immersive artist. She is known for large scale interdisciplinary sculptural works though she does lots more than that. Her art comes from writing and sewing. In fact, as she points out, the first four letters of textile is text. She weaves together objects, thoughts on humanity, and other works of art such as poetry and prose, creating in concert with space and time. Her work is very thought provoking, not something you want to hurry through. When you read her writing, you'll want to read it slow. Maybe re-read it. Chew on it. Come back to it.
I'd love to see some of her really large scale works. I'll have to google her from time to time as we travel, to see if her work is showing anywhere.
Below is a wool blanket, hand stitched with Susan Stewart's poem "Awaken". I love the lighting on it as it hangs on the wall, and the shadow below it, the sepia of it.
I love the loopy cursive, the connectedness, the subtly changing contrast.
Below is a toothpick suit, called suitably positioned. Ann made it in 1984 using a thrift shop men's suit and toothpicks. She modeled it for a show once and kept it on the entire time while interacting with patrons. I'd have liked to be there. In reading the flyers we have from the museum on Ann's work, as well as what I am finding on line, I like not only her art but how she thinks. In fact, how she thinks is part of her art but I guess you can say that for all artists, good and less so.
I like this piece too, below. It is books repurposed into sculpture. This is paperback book slices, wood and bookbinder's glue. It is called explanation lay somewhere in the breaking of the law. Once again, I love how it is displayed, the shadows.
Below is a shelf with a couple dozen or so pages of printed passages from published books and poems about fabric and clothing. These were solicited from the public via Tumblr. Each page was copied dozens of times and patrons were invited to take which ever ones appealed to them. I took several.
One of the pages I took is from Davelle Barnes' "Too Often" from Apiary, 8 July 2016. It says this (below) and was printed as such:
Too often
we soldiers
discover
we are breakable
for the first time
in Anesthesia,
we wake up
stitched together with
the fibers
of our past beliefs.
And below are some painted fabrics by some of the art students. Happy fabrics.
The Fabric Workshop and Museum is a non-profit that started out in 1977 primarily for functional fabric art but morphed beyond fabric and functional. It has an artist-in-residence program and as well as "museum" items you can see via tours, all free, starting every half hour. If you like fabric, or even if you are not particularly into fabric but like non-touristy, interesting experiences or get your batteries charged by communing with someone's creative thoughtfulness, you should like this.
If I was queen for a day, I'd add a large windowed hallway outside the artist-in-residence area so we could actually watch artists work. Also, I'd add a section where we could see and touch a variety of fabrics and other fiber-like materials, as their history was explained, though I know we couldn't touch the old materials. And speaking of old materials, it'd be nice to read about the science of decaying fabric. But as far as touch goes, I think that those of us who love fabrics, love the feel as well as the visual. I would also love for there to be much more to see, many more items on display. The old building is huge and could handle lots of items. Having said that, the displays were striking, unique, and particularly so because of the large open emptiness of the old warehouse floors. If there were more things crammed in, it would negate the effect. But still, another floor with just fabric clutter would be cool. Regardless, I highly recommend this experience as is.
http://www.fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/
Ann Hamilton's habitus was on display at the museum, and her huge white cloth cylindrical drapes filled Municipal Pier 9 this Fall, though I missed that. She is a visual artist, a conceptual artist, an immersive artist. She is known for large scale interdisciplinary sculptural works though she does lots more than that. Her art comes from writing and sewing. In fact, as she points out, the first four letters of textile is text. She weaves together objects, thoughts on humanity, and other works of art such as poetry and prose, creating in concert with space and time. Her work is very thought provoking, not something you want to hurry through. When you read her writing, you'll want to read it slow. Maybe re-read it. Chew on it. Come back to it.
I'd love to see some of her really large scale works. I'll have to google her from time to time as we travel, to see if her work is showing anywhere.
Below is a wool blanket, hand stitched with Susan Stewart's poem "Awaken". I love the lighting on it as it hangs on the wall, and the shadow below it, the sepia of it.
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| The porcupine suit. Love it. But also love that no where in Ann's discussion of this object of art does she mention a porcupine. At least, not that I've read. |
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| Of course, part of the shadow in the lower left is me with my camera. So this is an interactive display for this photo. Ha. |
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| A picture from the other side. I know I keep saying this but I absolutely am enthralled by the shadows. |
Too often
we soldiers
discover
we are breakable
for the first time
in Anesthesia,
we wake up
stitched together with
the fibers
of our past beliefs.
Below is a picture of the 7th floor where Ann Hamilton and Susan Stewart collaborated. It is Channel and Mirror. It is a poem printed on fabric and rolling from movie reel to another, projected onto the screen in the back of the room.
And below are some painted fabrics by some of the art students. Happy fabrics.
