California Fibers at Soka University

California Fibers is excited to announce three upcoming shows in the next 30 days, the first of which is California Fibers at Soka University in Aliso Viejo, California. This exhibition features exemplary work by 22 Southern California fiber artists and will open on January 13, 2014, at Soka University’s Founders Hall Art Gallery in Aliso Viejo. The Opening Reception will be held on January 30, 2014, from 5:30-7:45 PM. 

Vortex by Susan Henry
 
This comprehensive exhibit features 66 different works by members of California Fibers, and was juried by Kevin Wallace, Director of the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts.  The bold new works in this exhibition speak both of tradition and of wide-ranging contemporary artistic exploration. “We are at times amazed by content in viewing these works – to have concept, narrative, statement and abstraction explored utilizing materials and processes that bring to mind our childhood homes and walks in nature. I couldn’t have dreamt up a more wonderful experience of contemporary fiber art than I was presented with as juror,” said Mr. Wallace. 

Lichen Cluster by Polly Jacobs Giacchina
 
California Fibers, founded in 1970, supports artistic growth and professional advancement for contemporary Southern California fiber artists. The imagination and superb craftsmanship of these artists place them in the highest echelon in their fields. The group has an extensive exhibition history in the USA and abroad. Many of its members are well-represented in museums and private collections and are recipients of prestigious awards from around the world. Their creative expression includes weaving, basketry, sculpture, quilting, embroidery, felting, surface design, knitting, crochet, wearables, and mixed media.  
 
Plastic in the Trees 1 by Julie Kornblum
 
Members whose work will be included in the exhibition are: Ashley Blalock, Charlotte Bird, Carrie Burckle, Marilyn McKenzie Chaffee, Doshi, Gail Fraser, Polly Jacobs Giacchina, Susan Hart Henegar, Susan Henry, Lynne Hodgman, Julie Kornblum, Brecia Kralovic-Logan, Carol E. Lang, Chari Myers, Kathy Nida, Ellen Phillips, Michael Rohde, Cameron Taylor-Brown, Lydia Tjioe Hall, VALYA, Peggy Wiedemann, and Lori Zimmerman.
 
Mending 1.3 by Lori Zimmerman
 
Soka University Founders Hall Art Gallery, located at 1 University Drive in Aliso Viejo, CA, is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM-5 PM. Admission is free. California Fibers will be on display from January 13-May 8, 2014.  Click here for a map and directions.

C Is for... at the Visions Art Museum

California Fibers' member Charlotte Bird currently has an exhibit with Cathy Denton at the Visions Art Museum in Liberty Station, San Diego, California. The show is running through January 19, so the holiday season is a good time to stop by and see their collaboration if you haven't already.

The basis of the exhibit began when the two artists wondered what would happen if two artists whose names begin with the letter C opened the dictionary to words that begin with C, closed their eyes and pointed to a word on the page, and then created a work of art from the definition? This long-distance collaboration became C is for…, combining the talents of these two multimedia artists who have interpreted their "C" word definitions in cloth.
  
Calliope by Charlotte Bird

When the two artists imagined the exhibition in 2011, their goal was for each to create one small art quilt per month for 15 months. Now there are 15 sets of quilts, each set interpreting a different word that begins with the letter "C." The artists set the rule for themselves that they couldn't throw any words back and they each had to use the same word for that month.

Charlotte Bird's art quilts, one seen above, incorporate her hand-dyed and silk-screened cotton fabrics, which are constructed with hand-cut and fused appliqué, machine-quilted, and hand-embroidered. Their dimensions range from 12x11 inches to 26x20 inches.
Calliope by Cathy Denton

Cathy Denton's art quilts are hand-painted, machine-quilted silk. Four quilts were drawn in Photoshop® and printed with a pigment printer on a variety of fabrics. Her diminutive quilts range in size from 6x8 inches to 10x13 inches.

Both artists infuse their work with much whimsy and humor. No two interpretations are alike. This exhibit is running concurrently with the Del Thomas Collection exhibit at VAM, both worth a first and second view.

In Remembrance of Artist Ruth Asawa

San Francisco Artist Ruth Asawa died at her home on August 6.  She was 87.

 http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-ruth-asawa-20130808,0,3036563.story

http://www.npr.org/ruth asawa

Ruth was a student at Black Mountain college from 1946 - 1949 and she studied under Josef Albers.
In the 1950's her use of wire combined with looping was considered very daring and a new form of experimentation with materials.
"I was interested in ... the economy of a line, making something in space, enclosing it without blocking it out.  It's still transparent.  I realized that if I was going to make these forms, which interlock and interweave, it can only be done with a line because a line an go anywhere." Ruth Asawa, The sculpture of Ruth Asawa, Contours in Air, University of California Press
    
1954 Life Magazine Feature, photograph by Nat Farbman


1967, bronze wire, 12 x 68 x 68 in.
1950's printed cork ends, ink on paper