The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) is pleased to present Close at Hand: Philadelphia Artists from the Permanent Collection, featuring a broad range of significant works produced in collaboration with FWM through its renowned Artists-in-Residence program. This vibrant exhibition represents artists based in Philadelphia at the time of their FWM projects and includes works created for this show. Curated by Marion Boulton Stroud, FWM Artistic Director; Ruth Fine, Special Projects in Modern Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Virgil Marti, Artist/Curator; and Mary Anne Friel, FWM Project Coordinator/Master Printer.
This exhibition demonstrates FWM contributions to contemporary art, particularly highlighting its collaborations with Philadelphia artists. The oldest work on view predates the founding of The Fabric Workshop in 1977 while some of the commissioned works were completed in May 2011. The new works debuting are created by Moe Brooker, Listen With Your Eyes ttgg, print on silk charmeuse scarf; Tristin Lowe, Alice, 1998—the 19.5-foot bright-blue girl, made of inflatable, vinyl-coated fabric, who will be wearing a new “Alice in Wonderland” inspired dress embroidered with images of psychotropic mushrooms; and Joshua Mosley, who recently began his residency at FWM, and is composing stop-motion animations based on translations of experimental drawings.
Other participants include Edna W. Andrade, Maze, 1983, optical print on textile; Jill Bonovitz, Dreams, 1987, tablecloth with ceramic bowls; Moe Brooker, Moché, 1985, quilt; Mark Campbell, What Was, 1992, architectural sculpture; Charles Fahlen, My Right Foot, 1969, wax impression on cotton gauze; John Ferris, Black Landscape, 1983, quilt; Carl Fudge, Images from Durer’s “The Last Supper”, 1991, tablecloth; Lonnie Graham, Visitation of the Ancestors, 1992, ghostly portraits on silk; Lydia Hunn, Finger Painted Puff Curtain, 1979, cotton organdy curtains; Patterns of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, produced with Steven Izenour and Michael Wommack, Untitled, 1996, window and wall designs; Martha Madigan, Tree Goddess Cape, 1987, richly patterned silk cape, employing images derived from photograms; Virgil Marti & Stuart Netsky, Shams, 1992, excessively decorated pillows embroidered with ironic quotes drawn from popular culture; Gabriel Martinez, Dominion Over Gentility, 1998, installation of garments created for a staged photograph; John Moore, City Day, 1981, print depicting breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with an industrial landscape view; Eileen Neff, Cézanne Dream, 1992, installation exploring Cézanne’s obsession with Mont Sainte-Victoire; Sue Patterson, Of Decoherence, 1998, text-based sculptures; Jody Pinto, Hair Shirt, 1978, pigment on pigskin, displayed with preparatory graphite drawings; Italo Scanga, Pollution, 1981, print on Indian cotton; Warren Seelig, Checkerboard Awning, 1981, and Pinstripe Awning, 1981, architectural fabric constructions; Will Stokes, Jr., Bright Jungle, 1978, landscape print; and Nami Yamamoto, Miniature Garden, 2007, digitally printed textiles.
Image: Moe Brooker, Listen With Your Eyes ttgg, 2011, digitally printed dyes on silk scarf, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum
Numbering at over 5,600 objects, the FWM collections trace major movements in the field since 1977, and include significant works by past FWM Artists-in-Residence. In addition to completed works of art, FWM collects and maintains an archive of documentation and process materials related to the Artists-in-Residence projects. Photographic, video, and process materials are available for research, and provide a valuable window into the conceptual and technical development of contemporary artworks. For this exhibition, such documentation will be highlighted in the museum’s Educational Video Lounge, along with recent interviews with the artists and curators.
The Fabric Workshop and Museum
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Philadelphia, PA 19107-0922
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