Human Experience & Surface Design
Context
Originally founded to stimulate experimentation among contemporary arts for experimentation with fabric, today The Fabric Workshop & Museum is an internationally acclaimed contemporary art and public education space. The SWARM exhibition was curated by Abbott Miller and Ellen Lupton.
Exhibition photos on this page by Aaron Igler
Opportunity
The apprenticeship program invites 4 recent artists internationally with a solid studio practice to create screen-printed works on fabric in the workshop along side the master printers, assist with the creation of works for the artist-in-residence program, and assist with the educational programming and exhibitions in the Museum.
Left: Julie Mehretu, Immanence, 2003 Ink and acrylic on canvas. 72 x 96 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Right: Julie Mehretu, System, 2003, Ink and acrylic on canvas. 36 x 48 inches. Courtesy of the artist
"The logic of the swarm is found in masses of objects or organisms that interact in simple ways to create a larger pattern... Such systems produce a global behavior that is dictated by no central authority, but arises from local interactions "
–Abbot Miller & Ellen Lupton with a special citation to Stephen Johnson's book, Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software.
Foreground: Fernando and Humberto, Campana Corallo, 2003/2004 Manufactured by Edra, Italy. Hand-bent steel wire with epoxy paint finish. 57 x 39 x 36 inches.
Background left: Mark Bradford, Clapback, 2004 Mixed media collage on canvas. 60 x 72 inches. Collection of Suzanne and Howard Feldman, New York
Background right: Mark Bradford, White Noise, 2004 Mixed media collage on canvas. 60 x 72 inches. Private collection, New York
The Results
Inspired by philosophy of the body, and ideas of geometry and anatomy, my monochromatic piece focused on bone, and my 3 color piece focused on skin. These included the design and creation of 2 pieces of repeat yardage screen-printed works on cotton. The apprenticeship included constructing works for artists-in-residence, working on exhibitions, assisting master printers on a series for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, and leading educational workshops to visitors in the studio.
Snapshot of the Internet, Bill Cheswick - Scanned image of Exhibition brochure - Image courtesy of The Fabric Workshop and Museum
