Tag Archive "embroidery"

Shelley Spector Working at NextFab Studio and Sarah McEaneany at Tibor de Nagy

NextFab Studios is a high-tech shop in West Philadelphia that enables architects, industrial designers, and artists to create prototypes or small runs of products. Its staff of twenty includes engineers, designers, electronics specialists, photographers, and others who are available for training and technical help. I met Shelley Spector there last week to see what she’s been doing during the past six months that she’s had a residency at NextFab through Breadboard, an organization at the University City Science Center that promotes community outreach around technology and manages the Esther Klein Gallery, among other projects. Any artist who makes ‘things’ that ... More » »

All hurricane’d out? Here’s Shelley Spector’s storms of a different stripe

artblog friend and art impresario Shelley Spector sent along pictures of art she’s been working on during her Breadboard residency at NextFab Studio.  When Stella and I visited her there Aug 11, long before Irene, the artist was working on a series about storms — hurricane names, tornados, floods…  It’s water on the brain, taken to a more ethereal level.  Shelley’s been using the programmable sewing machine at NextFab, which she has named Gwen.  She’s also assayed the laser cutters to cut some wood.  Much of her earlier work was carved wood and wood assemblages.  The new work grows out of ... More » »

Spontaneous Repetition–rebellious sewn paintings at StrataSphere

Stitched paintings by three women are in the show Spontaneous Repetition at StrataSphere Gallery, and all three artists take remarkably different approaches to stage a quiet rebellion against the traditions of painting.

Kanthas at the PMA; women’s art of Bengal

Kanthas are delightful and appealing vernacular textiles, fashioned from of bits and pieces of worn clothing and embroidered with figurative designs by the women of Bengal (now divided between the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh).  Some of their charms are akin to childrens’ book illustrations, others to comic books and vernacular art of various origins: lines of dancing girls as tightly coordinated as the Rockettes; plants, birds, beasts and humans interlocked like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; elephants and horses carrying all sorts of riders and at least one horse sitting astride a man.