Show's artists gather for opening weekend workshops and symposium.
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Lois Frankenberger, publicist
978.470.0040
lfrankenberger@comcast.net
SPECIAL EXHIBITION:
Generations/Transformations: American Fiber Art
DATES: Saturday, April 12- Sunday, July 20, 2003
HOURS: Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Thursday to 8 p.m. until Memorial Day; Saturday, Sunday, most holidays
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
PLACE: American Textile History Museum, 491 Dutton St., Lowell, Mass.,
ADMISSION: Free with general Museum admission: $8 adults; $6 students and seniors;
free for Museum members and children under 6. Free parking.
CALL: 978-441-0400 for exhibit and related events information.
WEBSITE: www.athm.org
Lichtenstein Teapot/Oh, Jeff, 2001,
by Kate Anderson
Knotted waxed linen
8.5 x 10 x 1.75”
Collection of Ginger and Irvin Gomprecht
LOWELL, Mass. - Personal connections among three generations of fiber artists and 50 years of their art will be the focus of a powerful new exhibition opening to the public on April 12, 2003 at the American Textile History Museum.
Titled Generations/Transformations: American Fiber Art, the exhibit offers a first-time look at the direction of the fiber art movement in America from the perspective of the artists themselves. The works of 17 textile artists will be featured including six of today's foremost contemporary artists and their choices of mentors and emerging artists.
The exhibit's core group are Lia Cook (weaving), Ana Lisa Hedstrom (shibori dyeing), Helena Hernmarck (tapestry), Ferne Jacobs (sculptural constructions), Gyongy Laky (environmental sculpture), and Cynthia Schira (weaving). Their choice of first generation mentors includes Ed Rossbach, Japanese master dyers, Edna Martin, Lenore Tawney, and Joanne Segal Brandford. Among the gifted artists of the next generation, they have chosen Susan Lordi Marker, Pauline Verbeek-Cowart, Angelina DeAntonis, Mollie Fletcher, Kate Anderson, and Susan Taber Avila.
According to exhibition curator Catherine Weller, the installation itself encompasses a wide range of techniques and scale using natural and synthetic materials, and is arranged primarily in chronological order. "Statements from the artists and works from different stages of their careers enable viewers to trace the influence of the first generation of artists and the paths taken by their students to expand the possibilities of fiber as an expressive medium," she said.
A Fiber Art Weekend will kick off the exhibition with about 12 of the show's artists participating. Friday, April 11 workshops will feature techniques seen in the exhibit, including computerized and tapestry weaving, sculptural knotting, and surface design. A two-day symposium on Saturday and Sunday will offer panel discussions and lectures examining works featured in the exhibit, and subjects such as mentorship, commissioned work, marketing wearable art, building a collection and fiber in the context of the art world. Call 978-441-0400 ext. 244 or visit the Museum's website www.athm.org for more information.
Generations/Transformations continues through July 20, 2003. An exhibit catalog, supported by Friends of Fiber Art International, will be available. Special activities for families in the Museum's Textile Learning Center (TLC), and public programs relating to the exhibition will also take place. The exhibition has been organized by the American Textile History Museum with funding in part from annual contributors to the Museum.
The American Textile History Museum tells America's story through the art, science, and history of our textiles, and is the nation's largest and most comprehensive museum of its kind. It is located in the historic Kitson Manufacturing Company building in Lowell, MA, and houses nationally significant collections of books and documents, tools and textile machines, fabric samples, textiles, and costumes. The Museum features the ongoing Textiles in America core exhibit and children's Textile Learning Center, and an active program of changing exhibits supported by educational programming for schools and the general public. It also operates the Textile Conservation Center, which provides textile care and preservation services to museums, institutions, corporations, and private clients worldwide,and the Gazebo Café.
Museum hours are: Tuesday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday, to 8 p.m. (through Memorial Day); Saturday, Sunday and most holidays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults; $6 for students, seniors, and groups; free for children under 6 and Museum members. Museum parking is free, and the building is wheelchair accessible.
The Museum is located at 491 Dutton Street adjacent to Lowell's National Historical Park. Take Route I-495 North or South to the Lowell Connector (exit 35C). Take exit 5B to Thorndike Street. Go through four sets of traffic lights, and turn left into Museum parking lot. Phone (978) 440-0400. Website: www.athm.org.
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