23 Aug 2008
I'm halfway through three weeks in New York City, on fellowship at the Lower East Side Printshop. Can't say I was fully prepared for the weather (no raingear vs. severe thunderstorms), and feel like I flopped around for the greater part of the first week, but I've hit my stride and am pretty excited about the work I'm doing here. The main issue, as usual, is that now that I've figured out what to do, will I have enough time to finish it before I have to go home?
16 Jun 2008
We're in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this week installing a slightly smaller version of the Blanket Stories: Almanac exhibition shown in 2006 at the Nicolaysen in Casper. It's a smaller space, so the work has been thinned out a bit; Braid had to go back to the Eiteljorg, so we've included Threshold from last year's Tread Lightly show at PDX Contemporary Art. While I'm here, I'll also be doing a little bit of teaching – local students who haven't yet had the chance to get used to summer vacation – as well as conducting a sewing circle on Saturday. If you're in the area, stop by and hang out.
15 Jun 2008
Last night was the grand opening of the first Contemporary Northwest Art Awards. True to form, we were sewing more or less up until the caterers arrived. The first Schnitzer Prize was taken by the gentlemanly Whiting Tennis, who is so tall he makes my 6'3" husband look like a normal person. I'm very happy with the studio's contribution (Forget-me-not: Blossom and Forget-me-not: Mothers and Sons), but that aside, I have to say this is a very strong show; kudos to Jen Gately for her whip hand, and also to Mr. Tennis, Dan Attoe, Cat Clifford, and Jeffry Mitchell for kicking out some awesome work. Also, in spite of the usual anxiety of installation, I had a great time: there was enough overlap among our various personality types to make for some real Mickey-Rooney-Judy-Garland-hey-kids-let's-put-on-a-show camaraderie. Sure, there was a prize at stake, but for artists, making art is not a competitive sport. All week, Jeffry wore a button reading "Everyone is a winner", and these people certainly made me feel like it.
09 Jun 2008
It feels a little redundant announcing a new Web site on the new Web site itself, but: we have a new Web site, designed and implemented by the Portland brand development firm Pinch. We're still pushing content – which means Emily is rooting through our stacks of CDs and slide folders and trying to get a handle on what we have documented – but the current CV is up, we have a fairly complete collection of pieces folks have written about us, and maybe about 20% of documented work posted. We'll keep at it; and though we're switching over to a faster host next week, keep in mind that the only way to look at art online is by using largish pictures, which can take a while to load if you're on a slow connection.