California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum is pleased to exhibit work by California Fibers in Surface, Substance and Structure: Selections from California Fibers from January 15 through March 6, 2022. This exhibition explores the relationship between the artists and their medium - how concept drives artistic creation and the interplay between concept, material, and process. Utilizing textile processes ranging from quilting, sewing, weaving. and embroidery to crocheting with thin wires and metal, the artworks on view transform strands of fiber into works that are at once recognizable and extraordinarily contemporary.
California Fibers is a supremely gifted group of artists. Their work is resourceful, thought-provoking, and forward-looking. Visitors will be drawn to the surprising nature of their work – for example, a roller-skate – but one woven from pine needles. – Beth Marino, Director of Museum and Visual Arts, California Center for the Arts
Tickets are available for purchase at artcenter.org, by calling (800) 988-4253 or in person at the Museum.
Surface, Substance and Structure: Selections from California Fibers features the work of 21 members of California Fibers: Linda Anderson, Olivia Batchelder, Charlotte Bird, Ashley V. Blalock, Carrie Burckle, Ben Cuevas, Gail Fraser, Polly Jacobs Giacchina, Lydia Tjioe Hall, Susan Henry, Brecia Kralovic-Logan, Chari Myers, Kathy Nida, Carol Nilsen, Liz Oliver, Michael F. Rohde, Aneesa Shami, Rebecca Smith, Cameron Taylor-Brown, Debby Weiss, and Peggy Wiedemann.
All works in the exhibit address the theme of “Surface, Substance, and Structure” as interpreted by each artist.
For example, Linda Anderson states about her work Dance Break Oaxaca that “textiles of Oaxaca, Mexico are vibrant and intricately woven and stitched…and it seemed only natural to tell this story (of a dance celebration) with fabrics…”.
Lydia Tjioe Hall explains that Wire Study “explores wire techniques, forms, shapes, and structures.”
Michael Rohde says that all his work “has conceptual substance arising out of specific concepts, situations, or a pathway in how the work evolved from idea to object” and that his tapestry Toward Paramita began as a challenge in dyeing a wide range of shades of indigo.
Peggy Wiedemann says of her piece, Styling, “combining materials continually stimulates the creative process and leads my work in new directions.”
Polly Jacobs Giacchina describes her work Reuniting as a weaving that “meanders and flows within its shape…the theme of reuniting is shown as fibers come back together in one surface.”
Rebecca Smith states that her choice of materials is integral to her work and that “each element brings its own strength.” Her piece Awakening “portrays that moment when our eyes open to the light…that moment is portrayed…by…brilliantly colored transparent beads.”
Surface, Substance and Structure: Selections from California Fibers
will run from January 15 - March 6, 2022, at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, at 340 North Escondido Blvd, Escondido, CA 92925. Many of the artists will be present at the opening tentatively planned for January 20. Details on the opening reception and events related to the exhibit will be available at artcenter.org closer to the opening dates. Funding for the exhibit has been provided by California Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.