Saturday, July 2, 2011

Confluence
2011 International Surface Design Association (SDA) Conference

Organized By: SDA & Textile Center, Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota, USA


Preamble
The SDA Members Exhibition is held in conjunction with Confluence Conference, Minneapolis, USA. The exhibition was held at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Campus, Minneapolis, USA between 9th to 30th of June, 2011.

As part of the Surface Design Association’s International Conference Confluence, SDA members were invited to submit work measuring 12" x 28" (vertical or horizontal format) for an installation showcasing innovative use of textiles.

The exhibition featured work using any textile technique or material and so included surface design, weaving, quilting, knitting, stitching and the use of non-traditional materials.

For your convenience I have listed my contribution to the exhibition below.
Merge and Flow (Disperse Dye ArtCloth, SDA Members Exhibition)


Introduction
The 2011 International Surface Design Association’s “Confluence” Conference was held from 9th - 12th June and featured lectures, workshops, demonstrations as well as showcasing exhibitions, wearable art (e.g. fashion shows) and trade products that were at the cutting edge of surface design, craft and textile art practices.

This was the first time the international SDA conference was held outside of Kansas City, Missouri. It was co-hosted by the Textile Center and so the venue was in the twin cities, Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota.

The Textile Center is a national center in the USA for fiber art and its mission is to honor textile traditions and promote excellence and innovation in fiber art.

The theme of the conference - “Confluence” – encapsulated that when divergent cultures, technologies and art practices inform each other, a melding of experiences and outcomes may forge new worlds.

Four hundred and fifty people attended the conference and attendees from twelve different countries were represented. The Radisson University Hotel was the hub for most lecture sessions, silent auction, vendors’ fairs and member’s trunk show.

Opening addresses were by Margaret Miller, Executive Director (Textile Center) and by SDA organization members: Anne Brockette, Executive Director, Candace Edgerley, President, Bette Levy, Vice President, Development and Dot Moye, Conference Manager.

There were pre-conference workshops by instructors Jiyoung Chung, Jodi Colella, India Flint, Stephen Fraser, Elin Noble, Sharon Parker, Jennifer Reis and post-conference workshops by instructors Lanny Bergner, Anna Carlson, Natalie Chanin, Morgon Clifford, Jane Dunnewold, Catherine Ellis, Wen Redman, Marie-Therese Wisniowski. They varied from half a day to a full-five day workshops. Some of the instructors also gave 30-minute presentations on their art practices. There were also one and two-day pre- and post-conference fiber study tours.

During the conference invited lectures and demonstrations were given by a number of the participants (e.g. Jack Becker, Lanny Berger, Anna Carlson, Natalie Chanin, Jane Dunnewold, India Flint, Stephen Fraser, Chad Hagen, Wendy Huhn, Giovanna Imperia, Marliss Jensen, Chunghie Lee, Faythe Levine, Sharon Parker, Becka Rahn, Barbara Lee Smith, Jo Stealey, Bhakti Zeik). Pat Hickman gave the keynote address, and Candace Edgerley and Margaret Miller gave the closing remarks.

During the conference other events occurred such as gallery tours, vendor fairs, silent auction, DIY festival, members trunk show, movie night, fashion show, American Craft Council birthday bash, students meetings, special interest meetings, individual critiques – all packed into four days!

This blog can only give a vignette of the conference and in doing so many important events and people will be omitted. Podcasts of the conference will be available from the SDA by the northern hemisphere’s autumn (i.e. southern hemisphere’s spring). For more information, see SDA website.


The Place
Minnesota is where the Mississippi river begins – at Lake Itasca. Veritas caput is Latin for “true head” and so Schoolcraft (who found the source of the river) simply struck out the first and last syllables of that phrase to yield Itasca. The Algonoquin word – Mississippi – when applied to a river means “great water”.

View of the Mississippi River, Minnesota.

The two dominant Indian tribes that roamed Minnesota were the Dakota and Ojibwe. The former were also called the Minnesota Sioux, Sioux of Mississippi, Eastern Sioux and Santee Sioux. Minnesota comes from the Dakota word meaning “sky tinted water”. It is also known as the land of 10,000 lakes (although there are more than 11,000 of them!) It became the 32nd State of America on 11-5-1858. Part of it was ceded to Britain by the French in 1763 and then acquired by the US in 1783. The remainder formed part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

One of the beautiful 11.000 plus lakes in Minnesota.

When the Europeans expanded westward into Minnesota (via the Northwest passage) they displaced the indigenous population from their traditional lands through conflict as well as treaty and eventually resettled them on reservations. Early settlers were largely composed of Scandinavians, Germans and the Irish. Ethnic diversity has increased in recent decades.

View of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota Campus, Minneapolis.

St Paul was originally known as “Pigs Eye” named after Pierre “Pig’s Eye” Parrant but it was later renamed when a French catholic priest, Father Lucian Galtier, built a chapel, which he dedicated to St. Paul. It is the capital of Minnesota. On the other hand, Minneapolis was named from the Dakota word - “Minne” - meaning “of the waters” and the Greek word - “polis” - meaning “city”. Today the two cities border each other and the down-town districts are 14 km apart. Hence they are called the “twin” cities. Combined they total 60% of the state’s population. The “twins” is home to an internationally renowned arts community. Note: Bob Dylan was born in 1941 in Duluth Minnesota.

Lyrics for “Temporary Like Achilles” and “Absolutely Sweet Marie” from Bob Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde”, circa March 1966 on a section of the Wall of Discovery, Scholars Walk, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (section shown below).

Scholar's Walk.

The workshop venues, the conference venue (Raddison University Hotel) and some galleries were located at the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses of the University of Minnesota. The University was founded as a preparatory school in 1851, seven years before the territory of Minnesota became a state. Financial problems forced the school to close during the Civil War, but with the help of Minneapolis entrepreneur John Sargent Pillsbury, it reopened in 1867. Pillsbury used his influence to establish the school as the official recipient of public support from the Morrill Land-Grant Act, designating it as Minnesota's land-grant university. William Watts Folwell was inaugurated as the first president of the University on December 22, 1869. In 1873, two students received the first bachelor-of-arts degrees. In 1888, the first doctor of philosophy degree was awarded. The University of Minnesota is in the ten “big university” grouping, due to its undergraduate size. Note: Raddison was a Minnesota explorer.

McNamara Alumni Centre Building, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, where Pat Hickman gave the keynote address and featured speakers Stephen Fraser and Faythe Levine gave their talks.


The People

Getting to know each other at the introductory “Meet and Greet” at the Radisson University Hotel’s Ballroom.

Marie-Therese and Jane Dunnewold at the Member’s Trunk Show. Jane has recently authored “ArtCloth: A Guide to Surface Design for Fabric” amongst many other publications, she also teaches and exhibits internationally and maintains ArtCloth Studios in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Marie-Therese and Jean Ross at the Members Trunk Show with Jean’s dyed and devore scarves and screen printed fabrics in the background.

Jeanne Raffer Beck, Marie-Therese and Regina Benson. Jeanne and Regina’s ArtCloth works were featured in the ‘ArtCloth Engaging New Visions’ exhibition (which I curated) and which toured Australia (see earlier blogs).

Mary Edna Fraser (center, holding folder) with a group of conference participants viewing and discussing her work at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery.

Cater Smith (internationally renowned shibori textile artist) holding up one of his beautiful shibori silk georgette coats (now in my private collection) at the Vendors Fair.

Lauren Pearlman (Paper Connection International) with her beautiful Japanese and specialty papers and paper products at the Vendors Fair.


The Galleries and Exhibitions
More than thirty exhibitions at venues throughout the Twin Cities supported the conference by featuring local, national and international artists whose work focused on fiber art media. Here is a small sampling of some of the outstanding works that were featured.

Joan Mondale Gallery at The Textile Center
The Textile Center featured exhibitions by Clare Verstegen, Jane Kenyon and Watershed at the Joan Mondale Gallery from June 8th - July 16th 2011.

The Textile Center.


Atmospheric Measures Exhibition by Clare Verstegen

Clare Verstegen. Atmospheric Patterns. Wool felt, pigments, clay, wood, heat transfer.

Clare Verstegen. Safety Measures. Wool felt, pigments, wood, heat transfers.


Transformation Exhibition by Jane Kenyon

Jane Kenyon. Fracture. Thread painting in rayon and cotton thread.

Jane Kenyon. Crevice. Thread painting in rayon and cotton thread.


Watershed Exhibition
A juried exhibition of work by members of the Textile Center and SDA. Inspired by a watershed moment.

Kristi Kuder. Golden Keys (top), Wheels Rock My World (bottom).
Photographic images manipulated on computer, digitally printed on fabric, hand stitched on cotton.

Joan Kloiber. Devolution III.
Cotton, threads, flourpaste, textile paint.  Monoprint, embroidered.


The Christensen Center Art Gallery, Ausburg College
The Christensen Center Art Gallery featured Jason Pollen’s “Sentinels” exhibition from May 20th - July 29th 2011.

Jason Pollen. Kali.
Cotton canvas, dye pigment, graphite, paint, stitching.

Jason Pollen. Shiva.
Cotton canvas, dye pigment, graphite, paint, stitching.


The Gage Family Art Gallery, Ausburg College
The Gage Family Art Gallery featured Teresa Paschke’s “New Tools and Ancient Techniques” exhibition from May 20th - July 29th 2011.

Teresa Paschke. Monograms and Tags.
Digital photography, wide-format ink-jet printing on cotton canvas with hand painting and embroidery.

Teresa Paschke. CEAH 2.
Digital photography, wide-format ink-jet printing on cotton canvas with hand painting and embroidery.


Minnesota Center for Book Arts
The Minnesota Center for Book Arts featured Jiyoung Chung’s “Whisper: Jiyoung Chung’s Joomchi” exhibition from May 6th - June 24rd 2011.

Jiyoung Chung. Whisper-Romance III-II.
Unique Joomchi paper painting with paper yarn.

Jiyoung Chung. Whisper-Romance III-VI.


Katherine E. Nash Gallery, Regis Center for Art, University of Minnesota
The Katherine E. Nash Gallery featured exhibitions by India Flint, Tim Harding, Barbara Lee Smith, Mary Edna Fraser, Linda Gass and the SDA Members Show from June 9th - June 30th 2011.

The WindFallMaps Exhibition by India Flint

India Flint. Plant-dyed garments employing her signature eco print techniques.

India Flint. Cloudland II. Plant-dyed textile.


Apparitions Exhibition By Tim Harding

Tim Harding. Visage #1.
Polyester with spandex on board. Dye sublimation digital print and reverse appliqué.

Tim Harding. Visage #1. Detail View.
Polyester with spandex on board. Dye sublimation digital print and reverse appliqué.

Tim Harding. Falling Man, Shroud #1. Silk, reverse applique.


Reflections On Water Exhibition - Recent Works By Mary Edna Fraser

Mary Edna Fraser. Charleston Red (SC). Batik on silk.

Mary Edna Fraser. Ashepoo (SC). Batik on silk.


Reflections On Water Exhibition - Recent Works By Linda Gass

Linda Gass. Puzzle of Salt. Stitched painting on silk.

Linda Gass. Sanitary? Stitched painting on silk.


Reflections On Water Exhibition - Recent Works By Barbara Lee Smith

Barbara Lee Smith. Marshland/Twilight.
Painted, printed, fused and stitched nonwoven synthetic.

Barbara Lee Smith. The Cove.
Painted, printed, fused and stitched nonwoven synthetic.


Merge and Flow SDA Members Exhibition
The exhibition showcased the creativity of nearly 200 members, each of whom interpreted the Confluence theme.

Award of Excellence. Dominie Nash. Folliated Calligraphy 2.

First Place Award. Erin Endicott. Healing Sutra #19.
Hand embroidered antique cotton. Fabric stained with Walnut ink.

Third Place Award. Kimber Olson. Mid-Winter Thaw.
Disperse dye, polyester, Peltex, thread, bronze wool, stitching, burning.

Honorable Mention Award. Andrea Limmer. Gray Matter.
Cotton duck, cheesecloth, paper, silk, thread, gesso, Summinagashi, photo transfer, machine stitched.

Yan Zhang. Hope. Digital print on cotton.

Morgan Clifford. Untitled. Handwoven linen, silk, hemp, paper, aloo.

Julie Kornblum. What Can I Say. Crocheted wire.

Kristin Hoelscher-Schacker. Untitled.
Transfer dye process on silk, hand stitched.

Constance Crenshaw. The Garden and the Hare.
Cotton paper, pigment, acrylic paint, screen printing, collage, painting.

Kathryn Eastman. Offset.
Natural pigments, fiber reactive dye, silk, Katazome, hand stitching.

Regina Benson. Wildfire II.
Rayon, polyester, thread, amber LED’s, discharged, pieced, layered, burned, stitched.

Shin-Hee Chin. Three Generations.
Cotton, polyester thread, random stitch.

Gail Strout. Melting Into Water.
Hand-dyed and commercial cloth, beads.

Kevin Kissell. Flowerbombs.
Cotton, fiber-reactive dyes, textile paint, silk embroidery floss, handwoven cloth, warp and weft Ikat, hand embroidered.

Marty Jonas. Encircle.
Hand-dyed silk thread, dyed silk fabric using soy wax resist, crocheted circles, hand embroidery.

Diane Rutherford. Postmark Bluewater.
Beeswax, dye, cloth, batik, printing, stitching.


The Demonstrations
Demonstrations were held at the Textile Center’s Auditoriums I and II. Here is the “Color with Soy Wax” demonstration by Jane Dunnewold followed by an image of various soy wax printed samples.

Jane Dunnewold.

Jane Dunnewold.


The Fashion Show
The “Bodies of Water” fashion show displayed contemporary wearable art by members of the SDA. Carter Smith was the Featured Artist and was honored for his 40 years as a Shibori Artist.

One of Carter Smith’s exquisite cut satin silk/rayon shibori dresses.

Dress by Candy Kuehn constructed using polyesters, nylons and LED branch.

First prize (center garment) was awarded by judges Leesa Hubbell (second from right) and Lynn Pollard (right).

I hope that you enjoyed this overview of the SDA Confluence conference.

5 comments:

Toni Valentine said...

Marie Therese
Thanks for sharing. It must have been absolutely mind blowing being there.
Toni

Judy said...

WOW! Wonderful!
Thanks for sharing. I had to miss the conference this year, and am so glad to see so much of it from your blog post.

Wen said...

Wasn't it SO much fiber fun! BTW it's REDMOND!!

Lisa K said...

Thanks so much for this post, Marie-Therese. I can see that I missed a great conference!

Art Quill Studio said...

Thank you everyone for your kind comments.
Hope to see you at the next SDA conference is San Antonio !