Now that I have internet back in my life, at home, my new home I am playing catch-up on my blog. Two days after I got the keys to my new place I flew off to Minneapolis for the weekend. It was poor timing, but hey, that's been my life lately. I was just too excited when I got the email from HGA saying that "Climbing" was accepted into Small Expressions 2015.
The opening reception was lovely and I got to meet many of the artists, the juror, Nicole LaBouff and spend some time with the President of HGA, Sueanne and Executive Director, Sandra.
“Obi,” by Noriko Kage of San Diego, CA received the First Place award in HGA’s 2015 Small Expressions exhibit. The piece is woven of wool and cotton, using tapestry and double weave techniques, and measures 14 x 8.25 x 1.75 inches
My piece "Climbing" is the the oval piece along this wall.
The gallery space at the Textiles Center was beautiful and the show was presented very well. The way many of the pieces were grouped together made it feel as though they were pre-planned. I was particularly drawn to the two red pieces shown two photos above.
Everyone I had planned on trying to catch up with in Minneapolis was out of town (well, Amy came back early and we did catch up on the fly). So the next day I got to tag along with Sandra, Sueanne and Nicole at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Nicole is an assistant curator of textiles at the MIA, so it was really fun seeing the various exhibits from her perspective.
When we first walked in, there was construction going on. This is how you cover a Dale Chihuly as to keep from having to dust it later.
Helena Hernmarck Tapestries
Helena Hernmarck Tapestries (Sanrda shows just how large these Tapestries are!)
Helena Hernmarck Tapestries detail
Beading and Shells on a belt. Which I can only imagine weighs a ton.
This is a decorative casket.
Nicole had to show me this jewelry set, the faces are all very very tiny beads (much smaller than 15/0s) I wonder how one even acquires beads that small these days.
I love huge pencil/charcoal drawings. This piece was really inspiring to me.
It rolls up, so as I looked at it, I wondered if the artist drew it while it was laid out on the floor, or upright against a wall. A closer look showed that it must have been the floor, there were smudges around the edge of this piece and clearly there was a paw print in one of the areas. I know my cat wouldn't be able to keep off of something this large!
Tapestry with a metal sculpture juxtaposed really nicely in this room.
I'm in love with this woven piece. The bugs on the inside could almost be beaded.
More Helena Hernmarck Tapestries
I found the Japanese and Asian art wing.
(Definitely makes me miss Japan)
The following day I bummed around downtown Minneapolis, checked out Hell's Kitchen, I also decided that although it was out of the way I wanted to find the bead shop that Douglas Limon told me to go to while I was there. The place is called Northland Visions and wow, I did not expect the array of seed beads that they carried. They didn't see me coming either. I ended up asking if I could just walk behind the counter and pole up beads. I have the hardest time finding czech cut seed beads and they had tons of them. Another thing I seem to always be short on is off-white seed beads. It's a color that's nearly impossible to order online, so I stocked up. I also had the excuse that I'm working on a bridal piece right now that needs off-white in it.
Seed beads are heavy, and apparently when you have that much glass, TSA has to search through it. It was fun that the TSA agent knew exactly where I had gone to get beads and we got to chat about how cool my piles of beads were while she double checked them for sharp things.
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