We had another good set of entries for this contest to win the Cult of Beauty exhibition Catalog, with some good photo entries. I’m planning on doing more of these in the coming months – so keep your eyes open for more opportunities. The Winner is….
Poppies, 1976 56" x 42" From the E. Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen Adams Trust
Melissa Leventon, former curator of Costume & Textiles at the De Young Museum of San Francisco, as well as a past president of the Costume Society of America, Western Region will be part of a Tapestry symposium on artist Mark Adams being held on Sunday, June 24, from 1-4:30pm. Hope to see you there!
In conjunction with the Mark Adams exhibition, a symposium, Mark Adams: His Tapestry and Collaborators brings together some of Adams’ key collaborators in the tapestry process, contemporary tapestry artists, as well as the leading essayist from the soon to be published catalogue raisonné on his work, Mark Adams.
The symposium will delve into Mark Adams’ deep connection with the tapestry medium and give unique insight into his design process and extensive body of work, directly from the people who knew and collaborated with him.
Presenters include:
Melissa Leventon – former curator of Costume & Textiles at the De Young Museum of San Francisco, Principal of Curatrix, (a museum consulting firm), and essayist for the Mark Adams catalog.
Haena Point (Hawaiian Sunset No. 1), 1979 63" x 67" From the Collection of the Stanford Library of Art and Architecture
Jean Pierre Larochette – tapestry weaver, instructor, director and co-founder of the San Francisco Tapestry Workshop
Phoebe McAfee – co-founder of the San Francisco Tapestry Workshop and principal weaver of Mark Adams tapestries.
Rudi Richardson – principal weaver of Mark Adams tapestries and currently a primary weaver for the tapestry project creating a new set of “The Hunt of the Unicorn” tapestries (seen at the Cloisters, MET, NYC) at Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland.
Constance Hunt – artist weaver, who studied at the SFTW, and will speak about her close mentor relationship with Mark Adams.
After years of plugging away at the academic study of dress and textiles, I am about to start a new position in my preferred field! My new job as the Marketing Director for the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles begins tomorrow, and I’m so thrilled to be working in a museum, with textiles, and in the bay area!
For those who aren’t familiar, the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles is a small museum with a big mission: to “promote the art, craft and history of quilts and textiles.” and they will celebrate their 35th Anniversary this year.
Haena Point (Hawaiian Sunset No. 1), By Mark Adams, Quilt, 1979 From the Collection of the Stanford Library of Art and Architecture
It all began in 1977, when the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association opened in a Los Altos storefront. Now in its permanent home in downtown San Jose, the collection houses “850 quilts, garments and ethnic textiles, and a research library of more than 500 books on the history and making of quilts and textiles.”
If you’ve never seen an art quilt on a museum wall, you are missing out – quilts are a flexible form, that can work as painting, sculpture or artifact. I’ve seen quilts as portraits, landscapes, using the same painterly techniques as pointillism or impressionism and the fashion techniques of bead and ribbon work to create evocative masterworks of art. The museum also frequently exhibits non-quilt textiles, including fashion, crochet and knitwear, and tech-textiles.
Sea jellies crocheted with metal by Arline fisch at SJMQT
I can’t tell you just how excited I am about this opportunity. As I grow familiar with my new role, I’ll be sure to share exciting exhibitions, events, objects and opportunities with you.
Check out the Facebook page, and the list of upcoming exhibitions for a preview of what I’ll be working on – and if you happen to be down in the South Bay, be sure to pop by!
On Thursday, May 10 at 12pm, The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco will play host to the Chavez Santiago family of the “famed weaving village of Teotitlan de Valle presents its story of this ancient art form, a family, a culture and preserving a way of life across generations.” The New York Times travel writer Freda Moon included them in her article “36 Hours: Oaxaca, Mexico” in January (they also have a wonderful slideshow that includes some great images of weaving).
Panelists for the Commonwealth Club talk include:
Caracol pattern rug dyed with pecan shells by Federico Chavez Sosa, Master Weaver, Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico (Via Facebook)
Federico Chavez Sosa, Master Weaver in the Zapotec tradition
The Chavez Santiago family uses a “combination of traditional patterns and weaving techniques with modern colors and sensibilities.” The family also works to support their local community and the traditional Zapotec culture. I’m particularly interested in their commitment to using only 100% natural dyes in their work, which seems both forward-thinking and historically accurate.
Doors open at 11:30am, with the program beginning at noon. Tickets are free for Commonwealth Club members and cost $20 for non-members and $7 for students (with valid ID). Tickets can be purchased online here. Hope to see you there!
For a quick taste of the talk, here is a short film featuring Federico Chavez Sosa:
From the Exhibition, Between East and West: Folk Art Treasures of Romania (Mengei International Museum in San Diego)
Joyce Corbett, curator at the Mengei International Museum in San Diego, sent me this notice of a tour she is leading to explore the folk art of Romania. For a quick preview of what you’ll see on the tour, check out my photos from last year’s exhibition Between East & West: Folk Art Treasures of Romania.
Below is the description and registration information for the tour that Joyce is planning:
THE FOLK TREASURES AND HERITAGE OF ROMANIA
May 29-June 10th, 2012
Join us for a journey back in time as we experience the history, folk culture and legendary sites of the Transylvanian Carpathians, Maramures and Bucovina. We’ll travel through the Romanian countryside to enjoy a close-up look at the several cultures of Romania: Hungarian, Romanian, Saxon, Jewish and Roma. We’ll visit UNESCO World Heritage sites, see the beautiful wooden architecture and gates of Transylvania and Maramures, experience the ancient painted monasteries of Bucovina, and stroll through Saxon German medieval towns, fairy-tale castles and quaint villages. We’ll see craftspeople practicing traditional folk arts. We’ll look at collections of regional embroidered textiles and costumes, enjoy performances by folk dancers and Roma musicians and sample wines from local vineyards. We’ll also stop at the largest regional fair in Transylvania, where village people sell local wares, and folk art. .Our tour includes: comfortable lodgings in pensions and hotels, hearty breakfasts and dinners featuring regional specialties, wine tastings in local cellars, all transportation in our private bus, plus all site entrance fees. We will have our own experienced English-speaking Transylvanian guide, a local expert on the history and culture of the region.
Land Only Price: $2999.
For detailed itinerary and information, contact Joyce Corbett joyce-dot-corbett-at-yahoo-dot-com or call 619-825-9590.
I try to keep my personal life out off of FashionHistoria as much as possible. Today, that is simply not possible and I need to use this space to honor a lost friend and fellow dreamer, Ethaan R.A. Boyer.
He was a friend who has become an inspiration, a dream, and a legend. Though not directly related to fashion history, his work often appeared on his screen-printed t-shirts and fabric. I shared his love for design, art, and craft. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and the Santa Fe art community at large.
Update: A Memorial Fund has just been established in Ethaan’s memory to help support both his wife, and to create a lasting memory of his character, spirit and talents. More information here.
Leonard Maltin’s blog highlights this exhibit honoring Cecil B. DeMille (one that has been on display at the USC School of Cinematic Arts since September). The building is open to the public, and the exhibit continues through March 16.
Maltin notes, of the above Rambova sketch:
“Natacha Rambova (née Winifred Shaughnessy) is best remembered as Rudolph Valentino’s wife, but she was also a talented artist who designed memorable sets and costumes for a handful of films including DeMille’s Forbidden Fruit (1921). Several of her original ink-and-watercolor originals are on display at USC.”
As many of you know, the focus of much of my research has been on Natacha Rambova’s design career (including her costumes for Broadway, Opera, film, as well as fashion ) I knew these sketches existed, but still I wish I had a trip planned to Los Angeles to see them in person.
I recently received a note from a reader, describing her trouble finding information on upcoming fashion and textile exhibitions on view in California. So, I thought I’d share what I know with readers. Quite a variety of exhibits are available across the western states: exhibitions of film costumes, exhibits using old techniques in new ways (embroidery and knitting), historical design aesthetics (including ‘California’ design and the Aesthetic movement), as well as contemporary body art (tattoos!). Quite the range to choose from. Please feel free to comment if you’ve been to any of these or others you think readers should know about:
The FIDM Museum is proud to present the twentieth anniversary Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition. Celebrating the art and industry of costume designers, this exhibition will present more than 100 costumes from twenty films released in 2011. The exhibition includes selected costumes from all five 2011 Academy Award® Nominees for Costume Design: W/E, Hugo, Jane Eyre, The Artist, and Anonymous. The exhibition also showcases classic film costumes from the FIDM Museum collection and the Department of Recreation and Parks, City of Los Angeles, Historic Hollywood Collection. Some of these same costumes were featured during the first Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition in 1993.
Common Places features three objects from LACMA’s permanent collection which transform printed works on paper into one-of-a-kind embroideries: a seventeenth-century valance, a cigarette silks quilt, and Alighiero Boetti’s Mappa. The resulting textiles articulate contemporary aspects of global phenomena and suggest that far from being a recent development, globalization has deep historical roots that extended into the home and everyday life.
This exhibition is the first major study of California midcentury modern design. With more than 300 objects—furniture, ceramics, metalwork, fashion and textiles, and industrial and graphic design—the exhibition examines the state’s role in shaping the material culture of the entire country. Organized into four thematic areas, the exhibition aims to elucidate the 1951 quote from émigré Greta Magnusson Grossman that is incorporated into the exhibition’s title: California design “is not a superimposed style, but an answer to present conditions…It has developed out of our own preferences for living in a modern way.”
A world-class collection of Anatolian kilims given to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco by H. McCoy Jones and his wife, Caroline, is showcased in a choice exhibition of two dozen of the finest examples. Presented in the textile arts gallery at the de Young, the Anatolian flat-woven kilims on view, dating from the 15th to the 19th century, include a variety of design types and regional styles, as well as superb examples of artistic and visual prowess. The kilims in the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s permanent collection are considered the most important group of Anatolian kilims outside Turkey.
Over the past 40 years, Mary Lee Hu has affirmed her distinctive voice in the world of jewelry with her elegant, voluptuous creations. Using wire the way hand weavers use thread, Hu has blazed a trail as both artist and innovator, exploring the nexus between metalsmithing and textile techniques. Keen to metal’s ability to bend and manipulate light within a textured surface, Hu’s work is a testament to her sophisticated eye for weightless and rhythmic lines, translated into body adornment. Featuring more than 90 exquisite earrings, rings, brooches and neckpieces drawn from public and private collections internationally, this retrospective traces Hu’s evolution from her experimental designs of the 1960s to today’s creations full of light and movement.
The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900 is the first major exhibition to explore the unconventional creativity of the British Aesthetic Movement, tracing the evolution of this movement from a small circle of progressive artists and poets, through the achievements of innovative painters and architects, to its broad impact on fashion and the middle-class home. The superb artworks on view encompass the manifold forms of Victorian material culture: the traditional high art of painting, fashionable trends in architecture and interior decoration, handmade and manufactured furnishings for the “artistic” home, art photography and the new modes of dress.
Order and Border
Through Oct. 21, 2012
Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, WA)
Stripes are a fundamental visual element, appearing naturally in vertical lines as trees and in manmade products of all kinds, from street dividers to ornate fabrics. The stripe is so basic it is rarely given isolated attention. This installation examines how stripes decorate and structure objects, bodies and spaces. It follows the many ways that stripes are formulated—swirling, rigid, ragged, skinny or bold—and shows how they appear in a wide range of media from a multitude of cultures. These objects help us recognize the range of meanings that a stripe holds, from a minor design feature to the sign of a significant mythic journey.
Featuring work by ten artists—five known for tattoo and five known for printmaking—Indelibly Yours explores the kinship between marking on skin and the practice of drawing on a printing plate.
Following up on my post last week from the Portlandia episode featuring the material culture of the 1890s, I thought I’d tell you about a little historic side-project I’ve been working on for the last month: Learning to spin wool into yarn.
What? Why would anyone want to do that when there are so many fabulous stores to buy yarn in already? Well – I’ll tell you – it’s not something I went out looking to do. By happenstance, I got a spinning wheel as a hand-me-down from a cousin (who found it in the garage of their newly purchased house), and for Christmas, my sister gave me a bag of fleece from a farmer friend of hers in Oregon. Suddenly, I had the materials I needed – so why not learn?
Of course, I had to do some research (yeah!) and started off with a few books from the library, some video’s on youtube, and trying to understand how the machine worked. These methods helped get me started, but I didn’t get very far. I clearly needed a class, and thankfully the Piedmont Yarn shop had one available. So, for the last month, I’ve been taking a once-a-week wool spinning class from Lou Grantham, of San Francisco Fiber.
I’ve learned about washing the wool (not too much soap, not too hot, don’t put the water down the drain); preparing the fiber (using paddle carders, flickers, dog-brushes and even a drum carder), drop spindles and spinning wheels, worsted and woolen, and the most fun (for me anyway) is the difference between long draw and short draw (long draw for short fibers, short draw for long fibers).
It’s like magic to watch this messy ball of fiber to into a nice sooth piece of yarn! The only thing I haven’t quite mastered is plying – but I think with some practice I’ll get there (and I do need to learn how to dye it). Thankfully, I still have three very full bags of fleece (yessir-yessir, three bags full) to practice with.
Opening today is FIDM’s annual Art of Motion Picture Design exhibition, produced in association with the Costume Designers Guild, which exhibits the Academy Award® nominated costume designs. This year’s nominees include:
To prepare for The Artist, Bridges watched Clara Bow in 1927's It and Joan Crawford in 1928's Our Dancing Daughters. The costume designer and director Michel Hazanavicius are also fans of the 1928 Marion Davies film Show People. "It's a slice of life at MGM from that period," says Bridges. (Click for source)
Lisy Christl for Anonymous
Mark Bridges for The Artist
Sandy Powell for Hugo
Michael O’Connor for Jane Eyre
Arianne Phillips for W.E
The exhibition not only includes the nominted designs, but also presents more than 100 costumes from twenty films released in 2011! Since this year marks the 20th anniversary of the annual exhibition, curators pulled out all the stops and include much more than just this year’s nominees. The exhibition also includes a showcase of classic film costume — including pieces worn by Fred Astaire, Ingrid Bergman, Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich and other Hollywood legends.
I’ve learned about washing the wool (not too much soap, not too hot, don’t put the water down the drain); preparing the fiber (using paddle carders, flickers, dog-brushes and even a drum carder), drop spindles and spinning wheels, worsted and woolen, and the most fun (for me anyway) is the difference between long draw and short draw (long draw for short fibers, short draw for long fibers).
