Where have I been?!

I graduated! No more college, bring on the KGC!

When do we want to have our meeting this upcoming week? Comment below and we can work something out for us all. Now that the weather is more amiable, we can meet almost anywhere.

On Saturday, June 19th, Real Art Ways is sponsoring a night-time bike ride. The facebook event page can be found here. Participants are urged to "art-up" their bikes.... so let's show them what we're made of!

Photo courtesy of Hartford Party Starter's own Dirty D.

Now for some of that good ol' inspiration to grease those needles. As you may know, textile art isn't just for us ladies! Derick Melander's very impressive sculptures can be found on his website, his most recent work is posted below. Here's his artist statement.

"I create large geometric configurations from carefully folded and stacked second-hand clothing.  These structures take the form of wedges, columns, walls and enclosures, typically weighing between five hundred pounds and two tons.  Smaller pieces directly interact with the surrounding architecture.  Larger works create discrete environments.
As clothing wears, fades, stains and stretches it becomes an intimate record of our physical presence.  It traces the edge of the body, defining the boundary between the individual and the outside world. 
The clothing used for these works is folded to exact dimensions and attention is paid to the ordering of the garments.  For example, the sequence can relate to the way we layer the clothing we wear or the clothing can be sorted by color, gender or by the order that it was received.  Individual components are often connected together with shirt sleeves, pant legs and belts forming bridge-like appendages.
For me, the process of folding and stacking the individual garments adds a layer of meaning to the finished piece.  When I come across a dress with a hand-sewn repair, or a coat with a name written inside the collar, the work starts to feel like a collective portrait.  As the layers of clothing accumulate, the individual garments are compressed into a single mass, a symbolic gesture that explores the conflicted space between society and the individual, between the self and the outside world."

 

Don't forget to post your ideas for meeting time/place this week!!

<3

CK