Last autumn, I had the very special honor of exhibiting my work as an Emerging/Wearable Fiber Artist at the esteemed Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. It was an unforgettable experience, a milestone, a marvel. Around the time of the show, I wrote a little essay about the show, its artists, and this world I adore so much -- that of fine craft. I didn't get a chance to share it earlier, but, now, here it is. I hope you enjoy the words and the sights.
THE THREE GRACES OF CONTEMPORARY FINE CRAFT
Those who gathered for the 38th
Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show at the Pennsylvania
Convention Center November 6-9, 2014, were in for a sumptuous feast of
an experience. There were extraordinary vessels of clay, wood,
metal, and fiber; beguiling jewelry that undulates and caresses the
body; uncommon furniture that does not merely occupy space but
commands it; and, clothing exquisitely fashioned out of the finest
fibers. Each of the 195 exhibiting artists came from unique
backgrounds, having mastered a distinctive set of skills, and works in
a different aesthetic framework than their PMA Craft Show neighbor.
Yet, as they work year-round in their studios in Maine, Illinois,
California, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, each piece they
chisel, forge, wheel throw, and weave is a sign of worshiping the
three graces of contemporary fine craft – form, surface, and
storytelling.
Form Transformed
PMA Craft Show artists across different
media celebrate three-dimensional expression and the exuberance of
form and line. Taking their cue from the classical and traditional,
these artists trans-form shapes and objects that defy conventions,
question the equilibrium, and devise their own rules of proportion.
The objects of desire they create, whether they fit in the palm of
your hand or are larger than life, are wondrous, exciting, enticing.
Surface Exposed
PMA Craft Show artists mine the depths
and expand the boundaries of their materials to reveal surfaces that
invite touch and expand the tactile vocabulary. From creating complex
patinas to concocting textile-like patterns in porcelain or wood, the
spectrum of surface design possibilities was on abundant display at
the Show. Crevices, layers, and the juxtapositions between hard and
soft, ruled the day in virtually every booth at the Show. The “right”
and “wrong” sides, recto and verso are often equally important,
each carrying its own textural delight and meaning.
Stories in Conversation
One of the primary reasons audiences
flock to an experience like the PMA Craft Show is to see, hear, and
read stories told by objects, as augmented by conversations held
between visitors and exhibiting artists. Whether firmly
representational or strictly figurative, the individual necklaces,
teapots, cabinets, hats, and baskets audiences encountered at the Show
held the artists' narratives. Their bodies of work as well as
individual brushstrokes, carving marks, and stitches are fragments of
their makers' stories. These are tales “to be continued” – both
when you as a visitor interact with the artists, and when you acquire
their work to make it part of your own story, in your home, your
collection, your wardrobe.
Written by Elena
Rosenberg, an Emerging Artist at the 2014 PMACraft Show. Elena is a New York based wearable fiber artist, knit
fashion designer, and an advocate for fine craft and art. She serves on the Boards of Directors at the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen and Surface Design Association. She is an artist member of American Craft Council, TAFA, and ArtsWestchester. From 2012 through 2014, she was on staff at Fiber Art Now magazine. Elena works on strategy, marketing, content development, and curatorial projects with artists, organizations, and small businesses.
Elena Rosenberg Wearable Fiber Art online POP-UP SHOP is now open.
