33rd Annual Friends of Art SIUE Auction-the fiber connection

Pardon me for not posting lately--I tend to have a one track mind and my mind has been on some volunteer work I do for the Friends of Art, a non profit organization connected with my alma mater.  We are planning an art auction, the proceeds of which benefit the visiting artist program in the Department of Art and Design at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Anyhoo, since last fall I've been photographing all the work, posting on facebook and supplying images to our webmaster so that visitors can see the catalog of items.  If you are on facebook, be sure to stop by Friends of Art SIUE to see the catalog. The above item is my contribution to this year's 33rd annual auction.  You've seen the fabric before in previous posts here and here.  My friend Lillian Bates who owns By Design boutique in Alton agreed to partner with me.  She will make a custom garment with my silk for the lucky bid winner.  Lillian's been sewing for years and dreamed of creating her own fashion line.  Her shop is a little slice of heaven and now she is also offering classes in sewing for beginners to advanced techniques.  Here's a sampling of her work.  If you click on the picture above you can read the details of the donation.

Samples of Lillian's work above.  The fabulous fabric on the left is embroidered with bumblebees!  The 2nd dress is fabric of Lillian's own creation using thread and wash away stabilizer.  The 4th dress is a custom wedding gown.

Confluence Over Ogallala Reservoir c2009 Laura Strand

Friend, colleague, collaboration partner and Head of Textiles at SIUE, Laura Strand has donated this gorgeous jacquard weaving for the auction.  Confluence Over Ogallala Reservoir was woven for Laura's solo show at Jacoby Arts Center for the 2009 Innovations in Textiles event.  It is around 50 inches wide.  Laura is always generous for the auction.  She has donated weavings the last several years, but wow is this one a doozy!

Three scarves by Erin Vigneau Dimick, using tie-dyed t-shirts L and R.  Center is recycled wool, cashmere, and angora

Another collaboration partner, Erin Vigneau Dimick, who also teaches at SIUE, has donated three scarves.  Erin has been making scarves and other fashion using upcycled used clothing.  Erin was recently interviewed for one of the local papers in anticipation of the auction.  She is also launching a blog but it is in very early stages yet.  I'm sure she'll get some posts up when her bookarts class winds down this semester.  She does incredible work with embroidered text on vintage textiles and clothing in her other artistic life.  I'll be writing about her soon regarding our work together last year.

Another highlight of the auction is the work of Deborah Waldman-Pontious who has been whipping up dazzling coats for several years.  A former student of Laura Strand's she recently was invited to audition for Project Runway and we are all rooting for her success.  The wrap coat on the left is brown and turquoise rayon acetate outer with a pumpkin silk lining.  The jacket on the right is black print cotton velvet.  

More fiber work was donated from current and past students of Laura's.  And there is much much more to see of every medium of art-paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, glass, photography, graphics and mixed media-donated by students, alumni, faculty and friends in the community.  With 195 items in the live auction and 75 items in the silent auction, this is one of the biggest events we've ever hosted!

Consider yourself invited!  If you live in southern Illinois or the St. Louis area this is a great opportunity to get in on the action and add to your art collection.
WHEN:  Thursday, April 12    6 pm preview, 7 pm live auction begins
WHERE:  satellite campus of Lewis and Clark Community College, 600 Troy Road, Edwardsville, IL
ADMISSION:  $5 (free to current SIUE students, donors, FOA members and volunteers)
Cash bar, free snacks and tons of fun await you.  

LIKE us on Facebook at Friends of Art SIUE
Or visit the website at www.siuefriendsofart.com

Feature on Jo Stealey

Title: Incan Mantles (2009) by Jo Stealey
Size: 42”Hx26”Wx4”D
Materials: processed leaves, silk organdy, gold leaf, Buckrum, Acrylic

I have been wanting to share information about the people with whom I am collaborating for the upcoming show at Jacoby Arts Center.  I just discovered this fabulous article on Jo Stealey who heads the fiber department at the University of Missouri Columbia and is internationally known.  Read here.

I am awed by her talent and honored that she accepted my invitation for this show.

Jo Stealey's standing book detail in progress for collaboration show

Jo wears many hats as an artist.  She works both two and three dimensionally.  Part of her repertoire includes wall art, installations, architectural pieces and books such as the 14 foot scroll that will be part of our upcoming show and also very small things.  This piece is a work in progress that incorporates some burn manipulated organza from Erin Vigneau Dimick's studio, another of the collaborators.  It's about 12 inches high. 

Jo's work is inspired by nature on many levels.  Visit her website to be dazzled!

Collaboration: Reaping and Sewing

My collaboration with five other artists for Innovations 2011 mentioned several posts ago is progressing.  Time flies when you are having fun.  As curator of the exhibition, I am honored that they all accepted my invitations with enthusiasm and embraced the possibilities that come from such a teaming.  Our common link is that of teacher/student/mentor.
 
Nina Ganci was my art student (in the mid 80s) at the high school in St. Louis where I used to teach.  Nina marched to a different drummer then and now.  She founded SKIF International in 1994.  Laura Strand was my professor and is head of textiles at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where I earned my MFA in 2003.  Laura introduced me to her grad student Erin Cork in 2006.  Erin spent two summers with me learning composting and solar dyeing techniques before getting her MFA so I claim her as my student too.  Erin also studied book arts with Erin Vigneau Dimick, an adjunct professor at SIUE who works closely with Laura and considers her a mentor.  Rounding out the circle is Jo Stealey, head of the fibers program at University of Missouri Columbia, and Erin Cork's undergrad professor. 

Below are some of the snaps I’ve taken at various monthly meetings since the collaboration began back in December.  Part of the fun is that we are meeting at SKIF headquarters in St. Louis which is a riot of color.

Jo Stealey (L) and Erin Vigneau Dimick are discussing Jo's scroll book

while Laura Strand looks on.  Erin Cork, who lives in  Virginia now,

looks on from Skype on the laptop perched on the stool.  Jo has used some

of my shibori rusted silk to construct the book.

 





Above:  Can't meet without feasting!  L-R:  Erin Vigneau Dimick, Erin Cork, and Jo Stealey.  Erin Cork is getting married this summer and has made a couple wedding related trips back home.  We try to schedule our meetings around that and when she can't be in St. Louis we catch her on Skype which has been very interesting.  Above left--Nina Ganci (R) listens to Jo as she comments on Nina's quilt in progress.  Nina is using some of Jo's paper shifu to embellish her quilt.



Nina dangles a piece of plastic that has been used for stencil painting on her clothing and sweater designs for SKIF International, her fashion company which is headquartered on "The Hill" in St. Louis.  This plastic and many other stencils will probably find its way into the quilt.



I realized after looking through all the pictures that I wouldn't be in any of them--so while I was trying on my new SKIF sweater, a gift from Nina, I snapped myself in her "still life" of mirrors.

None of us can walk into SKIF without trying on some of Nina's latest creations.  I've got some fabulous shots of the store, and I sat down recently with Nina to talk about her life and business which I'll share with you soon.  BTW, I hope to give you some background on all of the artists in the next few posts. 

Erin Vigneau Dimick, Laura Strand, and Nina Ganci are listening to Erin Cork on Skype as she comments on Vigneau Dimick's work in progress.

In January each of us brought a collection of things from our personal studios and then took turns selecting items that we wanted to work with.  The swap meet was great fun.  I came home with at least one thing from each artist, although not everyone did that.    Two big pieces are well underway.  I have plans for at least three more.  So I better get off this blog and get to work! 

Collaboration: Reaping and Sewing opens August 26, 2011 at the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton, IL and runs through October 2.  The reception is 5-8 PM on August 26.  A talk by the artists is being scheduled sometime during the exhibition.
  
Jacoby Arts Center is on the October 1 bus tour of Innovations galleries.

This is a prototype for our showcard.