Curated by Karlyn Benson
February 4 – April 16, 2023
Homespun brings together nineteen artists in the Hudson Valley who work primarily with fabric and fiber. The exhibition features a wide variety of materials and techniques, including sewing, weaving, needlework, quilting, collaging, dyeing, and tufting. While each artist has a unique approach to their chosen medium, several distinct themes run through the exhibition, including the representation of women’s issues, the history of craft and fiber art, cultural heritage, and the environment.
Numerous works in the exhibition contain materials that reference an artist’s family background or cultural heritage, whether it be the inclusion of specific patterns and fabrics from their native country, the practice of sewing learned from a relative, or the use of textiles donated by loved ones.
Throughout Homespun there is an interest in recycling and reusing materials. Artists search for free or inexpensive textiles, improvising and experimenting with whatever they find in order to keep the castoffs of our consumer society from landfills. For some artists, the use of fabric given by a friend or family member carries with it a connection to that person and imparts a deeper meaning to the work.
Homespun highlights ways that artists in the Hudson Valley are working with textiles to push their work beyond traditional mediums and to challenge conventions surrounding gender, fine art, and craft.
Artists
Paolo Arao | Grace Bakst Wapner | Natalie Baxter | Samantha Bittman | Orly Cogan | Melissa Dadourian |Ana Maria Farina | Kathy Greenwood | Kat Howard | Laura Kaufman | Laleh Khorramian | Niki Lederer | Will McLeod | Rachel Mica Weiss | Courtney Puckett | Padma Rajendran | Hanna Washburn | Deborah Zlotsky | Ishraq Zraikat
Ishraq giving an artist’s talk.
