Category: Uncategorized

It’s a FiberFest this Spring: Woven Histories; Field Notes; Fiber 2025 plus Masters of the Medium, CT/Mastery and Materiality: International; WEFAN; Field Notes; Jeremy Frey: Woven and Liz Collins: Motherlode — exhibition across the country

East Coast fans of fiber art have much to celebrate this Spring and Summer. Exhibitions abound — New York, Rhode Island, and five in Connecticut.

The Museum of Modern Art in  New York City will host Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction beginning this month. The exhibition puts into dialogue some 160 works by more than 50 creators from across generations and continents, exploring the contributions of weaving and related techniques to abstraction, modernism’s preeminent art form. Woven Histories opens on April 20th and runs through September 13, 2025.

Sheila Hicks installation
Works by Sheila Hicks from the Woven Histories installation at the National Gallery in Washington DC. Photo by Tom Grotta.

In Field Notes: an art survey, which opens runs from May 3rd to May 11th, browngrotta arts has gone “into the field” to learn what artists in 15 countries are thinking about and creating at this point in fiber art’s popularity. The exhibition will also feature important works by significant works by artists integral to the origins of contemporary fiber art, including Kay Sekimachi and Sheila Hicks.

Misako Nakahira and Gizella Warburton installation
Works by Misako Nakahira and Gizella Warburton from Field Notes at browngrotta arts. Photo by Tom Grotta

Fiber 2025 will open on May 10th at the Silvermine Art Galleries in New Canaan, Connecticut. Fiber 2025 is a juried exhibition. The jurors are Tom Grotta and Rhonda Brown of browngrotta arts. This international exhibition seeks to showcase the best of contemporary fiber art, reflecting the breadth of functional or non-functional works that use fiber and/or fiber art techniques in traditional or innovative ways. Artwork in this exhibition may be made from natural or high tech materials that reference fiber and that blur the lines between art, architecture and craft. Fiber 2025 will run through June 19, 2025.

Silvermine Gallery
Roger Mudre, Executive Director, Silvermine Galleries, and Rhonda Brown of browngrotta arts at the Galleries in February. On exhibit then: New Members 2025. On exhibit in May: Fiber 2025, Masters of the Medium: CT and Mastery and Materiality: International. Photo by Tom Grotta.

In conjunction with Fiber 2025, browngrotta arts will curate two small exhibitions in the Silvermine Galleries. The first, Masters of the Medium, CTwill highlight the work of Helena Hernmarck and Norma Minkowitz.A recipient of the Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award, Helena Hernmarck is a Swedish-born artist and hand weaver recognized for revolutionizing tapestry as a medium suited to modern architectural environments. Norma Minkowitz explores the possibilities of crocheted, interlaced sculptures stiffened into hard mesh-like structures. Her works are abstract, figurative, often self-referential, and found in numerous museum collections. Both Hernmarck and Minkowitz are Fellows of the American Craft Council. The second exhibition, Mastery and Materiality: Internationalwill feature work by 17 artists from nine countries, including renowned Jacquard weavers Grethe Sørensen and Lia Cook, from Denmark and the US, accomplished embroiderers Åse Ljones and Heidrun Schimmel, from Norway and Germany, and fiber sculptors from the US, UK, and Japan who work in seaweed, bark, wire, paper straws, lead, and fish scales.

Helena Hernmarck, Norma Minkowitz
Works by Helena Hernmarck and Norma Minkowitz from Masters of the Medium: CT at the Silvermine Galleries, New Canaan, CT. Photos by Tom Grotta

In West Cornwall, Connecticut, WEFAN, a group exhibition curated by Dina Wright of Lov Art, will be on view at the historic Hughes Memorial Library from May 24 to June 28, 2025. Featuring works by Dorothy Gill Barnes, Dee Clements, Dominic Di MareMarion Hildebrandt, Kat Howard, Sue Lawty, Ed RossbachNorma MinkowitzJudy Mulford, Nettie Sumner, and Masako Yoshida, the exhibition explores themes of coalescence and intertwinement. WEFAN is derived from the Old English word which translates “to weave.” This show celebrates the artists’ shared engagement with fiber while challenging the conventional boundaries of textile and sculptural traditions.

Dorothy Gill BArnes, Sue LAwty, Ed Rossbach
Works by Dorothy Gill Barnes, Sue Lawty, Ed Rossbach from WEFAN, in West Cornwall, CT. Photos by Tom Grotta

Summer offers more delights. On June 5th, the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, will present the first major retrospective of Jeremy Frey’s work. From the museum’s description of Jeremy Frey: Woven: “A seventh-generation Passamaquoddy basket maker and one of the most celebrated Indigenous weavers in the country, Frey learned traditional Wabanaki weaving techniques from his mother and through apprenticeships at the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance. While Frey builds on these cultural foundations in his work, he also pushes the creative limits of his medium…” The exhibition features over 50 baskets made of raw materials such as sweetgrass, cedar, spruce root, and porcupine quills. It will run through September 7, 2025.

In July, the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence will host Liz Collins, MotherlodeThe exhibition will celebrate the richly varied career and work of the New York-based Queer feminist artist known for her bold abstract patterns, inventive use of materials, and radical experiments with fiber. Over the past three decades, Collins (b. 1968) has excavated deep below the surface of established ways of making, bringing to light eye-dazzling creations that disrupt the boundaries between art, design, and craft.

Liz Collins
Liz Collins, American (b. 1968, Alexandria, Virginia), Rainbow Mountain Weather, 2024. Liz Collins Studio. RISD Museum, Providence, RI. Photograph by Patty van den Elshout. Image courtesy of the Artist and CANDICE MADEY, New York. © Liz Collins. 

Midwesterners and West Coasters have their own opportunities to view exceptional fiber art this year. Ruth Asawa: retrospective opens at the San Francisco Museum of Art opens this week. From vibrant drawings and paintings to clay masks and cast bronze sculptures, more than 300 works give insight into Asawa’s relentlessly experimental vision. In San Jose, the Museum of Quilts and Textiles will feature Kay Sekimachi: Ingenuity and Imagination opening in June. Sekimachi learned origami, painting and drawing while in an incarceration camp for Japanese Americans during World War II.  By 1949, she was weaving large, complex wall hangings. In the late 1970s, Sekimachi began to create small pots and bowls that combined Japanese paper with materials left over from her weaving. She also created bowls of dried leaves and hornet’s nest paper.and card weavings, influenced by Paul Klee. (Rarely seen works from Sekimachi’s early days as a weaver in the 1950s will be exhibited in Field Notes at browngrotta arts in May.) At the Denver Art Museum, you’ll find Confluence in Nature: Nancy Hemenway Barton, which features 17 works by Hemenway (1920–2008), a multidisciplinary artist, found her voice as she traveled the world, experiencing rich colorful cultural traditions from the Andean weavers in Bolivia to appliquéd textiles by the Fon in Benin.

Ruth Asawa, Kay Sekimachi
Works by Ruth Asawa and Kay Sekimachi at the National Gallery in Washington, DC. Photo by Tom Grotta

So much to enjoy!!

Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction
April 20 – September 13, 2025
Museum of Modern Art
New York, NY
https://press.moma.org/exhibition/woven-histories

Field Notes: an art survey
May 3 – 11, 2025
browngrotta arts
Wilton, CT
https://browngrotta.com/exhibitions/field-notes

Fiber 2025/Masters of the Medium: CT/Mastery and Materiality: International
May 10 – June 19, 2025
Silvermine Galleries
New Canaan, CT
https://www.silvermineart.org/online-exhibition/fiber-2025

WEFAN
May 24 – June 28, 2025
Hughes Memorial Library
West Cornwall, CT
@_lov_art

Jeremy Frey: Woven
June 5 – September 7, 2025
The Bruce Museum
Greenwich, CT
https://brucemuseum.org/whats-on/jeremy-frey-woven

Liz Collins, Motherlode
July 19, 2025 – January 11, 2026
RISD Museum
Providence, RI
https://risdmuseum.org/exhibitions-events/events/liz-collins

Ruth Asawa: retrospective
April 5 – September 2, 2025
San Francisco Museum of Art
San Francisco, CA
https://www.sfmoma.org/exhibition/ruth-asawa-retrospective

Kay Sekimachi: Ingenuity and Imagination
June 5 – September 7, 2025
San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
San Jose, CA
https://sj-mqt.org/upcoming-exhibitions

Confluence in Nature: Nancy Hemenway Barton
Through October 19, 2025
Denver Art Museum
Denver, CO
https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/exhibitions/nancy-hemenway-barton


Books Make Great Gifts 2024

It’s that time of year again, when we share artists’, and our, recommendations for a good read. For those of us who have sworn off televised news, magazines, and blogs, an inspirational, aspirational, transporting title for a good curl-up may be just what the season needs!

Timeless Forms Dawn MacNutt
Dawn MacNutt signing a copy of her new book Timeless Forms. photo by Laura MacNutt

Dawn MacNutt, in Canada, gets first place with Timeless Forms, the art book and autobiography that she has been working on for a few years. Timeless Forms intersperses over 100 images of MacNutt’s sculptures and textiles, with stories of her life: from growing up in rural Nova Scotia during the Second World War; through her studies at Mount Allison University under the guidance of Alex Colville; to marriages, motherhood and finding, in her 40s, the courage to throw herself into art full time. “Writing about her unique artistic journey with humor and empathy,” the publisher writes, “MacNutt finds joy in the face of loss and resilience in the face of adversity.” The book is officially published by Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery where MacNutt will have a retrospective show in January 2025. Timeless Forms (MSVU Art Gallery and Owens Art Gallery, Halifax, Canada, 2025) is available for preorder on our website

The Slip and The Vanishing Man

The lives of other artists were of interest for Polly Barton in New Mexico. She had two favorite books this year: The Slip: The New York Street the Changed Art Forever by Prudence Peiffer (Harper, New York, 2023) was one.  “I wanted more about Lenore Tawney,” she writes, “but I loved the descriptions of the artists, their connections, the slip and the whole sense of period in NYC artistically and politically when I was born (1956) and living there.” The Vanishing Man: In Pursuit of Velazquez by Laura Cumming (Chatto & Windus, London, 2016) was the second. “It is beautifully written and a deep dive into the life of Velazquez, a painter I really did not know. Just reading good writing about art was a treat.”

Parade and Foreigners Everywhere

In Germany, Heidrun Schimmel read Parade by Rachel Cusk (Farrar,Straus and Giroux, New York, 2024). Chosen a “Best Book of the Year” by The New Yorker and Vulture, Schimmel says,it’s a novel for artists!” She also recommends the two-volume catalog for the 60th Biennial of Arts, Venice, Italy, Biennale Arte 2024: Foreigners Everywhere. The editor, Adriano Pedrosa, says it’s “a celebration of the foreign, the distant, the outsider, the queer as well as the Indigenous” that focuses “on artists who are themselves foreigners, immigrants, expatriates, diasporic, emigres, exiled and refugees―especially those who have moved between the Global South and the Global North.”

The Three-Body Problem and The Road to Unfreesom


“Quite amazing – wonderful escape!” Blair Tate in New York, said of Hugo Award Winner, The Three Body Problem trilogy by Cixin Liu (Tor Books, New York, 2019). Tate is now reading Timothy Snyder’s The Road to Unfreedom, Russia, Europe, America, (Crown Reprint, New York, 2019),”checking back in to this insane world we’re about to experience…..”

All The Frequent Troubles of our Days and Where the Language Lives

Polly Sutton in Washington also had a timely suggestion. She had just finished National Book Critics Circle Award Winner, All the Frequent Trouble of Our Days, by Rebecca Donner (Back Bay Books, 2022), a “disturbing” book, “so close to what we are going through.” It’s the true story of the American Woman at the heart of the German resistance to Hitler. One of her favorites books of the year was Where the Language Lives: Vi Hilbert and the Gift of Lushootseed by Janet Yoder (Girl Friday Books, 2022). Vi Hilbert revitalized her Salish language in the Pacific Northwest, where Sutton lives, written by one of her students at the University of Washington. 

James and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

In April, Jim Bassler, who lives in California, went to visit friends in Oaxaca, Mexico.  At the airport he bought, James, the US National Book Award Winner, by Percival Everett. “Loved it,” he writes, “and now want to get Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  by Mark Twain.” (Dover Revd. ed. 1998).

Thinking through Craft and Living Reed
What a Plant Knows and Alexandre Hardin

In Korea, Young-ok Shin had a full complement of books this year to recommend: Thinking through Craft, by Glenn Adamson (Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2007). which dispenses with clichéd arguments that craft is art, and persuasively makes a case for defining craft in a more nuanced fashion; The Living Reed: A novel of Korea (The John Day Company, Inc. New York, 1963) by Pearl S. Buck (who is the most translated American author);  What a Plant Knows: Field Guide to the Senses, Expanded Edition by Daniel Chamovitz (Darun, 2012); Le Zubial Alexandre Jardin, (Alexandre Jardin et Editions Gallimard, Paris, 1997about Jardin’s father who was a lover of women and life.

The Golden Thread

Marianne Kemp in the Netherlands is reading The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed the World by Kasia St. Clair (John Murray, 2020). In 13 episodes, the book tells a story of human ingenuity — from 30,000-year-old threads found in a Georgian cave to the Indian calicoes that sparked the Industrial Revolution. 

The Secret Lives of Color

On browngrotta arts’ list was The Secret Lives of Color (Penguin Books, 2017also by Kasia St. Clair, which tells the story of 75 shades — from a brown that changed the way battles were fought to Picasso’s blue. And always, we recommend our catalogs for 2024, Discourse: art across generations and continents, 176 pages of art by 50 artists from 20 countries, with an essay by Erika Diamond, and Ways of Seeing: Exploring ways individuals envision and curate art collections, 150 works of art in 188 pages.

Discourse: Art across generations and continents and Ways of Seeing: exploring ways individuals envision and curate art collections

Enjoy!!


Our 60th Catalog — Ways of Seeing — Now Available

Ways of Seeing Cover
Ways of Seeing Cover. Works from left to right: Lia Cook, Carolina Yrarrázaval, Lilla Kulka, Mariette-Rousseau-Vermette, Dawn MacNutt

We had a lot of ground to cover in our last, and 60th, catalog. We curated three exhibitions under the title, Ways of Seeing, our broad-based umbrella look at how people collect art. 

Ways of Seeing title page
works by Carolina Yrarrázaval, Ulla Maija Vikman

The Ways of Seeing catalog contains an intro about collecting and sections on our theme-based grouping, The Art Aquatic, our artist-based collection,  Impact: 20 Women Artists to Collect, and our size-based assemblage, Right-Sized.  The result is a 188-page volume that features work by 74 international artists.

In the intro, we share a bit about our research into collectors, their passion and proclivities. People like Herb and Dorothy Vogel, who created a vast collection of Minimalist art, Komal Shah and Gaurav Garg who’ve created the Shah Garg collection of women artists and artists of color and Lloyd Cotsen who collected broadly and in depth, including bamboo baskets and contemporary textiles.

Octopus by Karl Sisson
Flight by Karyl Sisson

In The Art Aquatic section there is work by more than two dozen artists. There are works that are made from water-related materials, ones that evoke oceanic themes, and ones that feature maritime motifs. Included are Marian Bijlenga’s motif of fish scales, Jeannet Leenderste’s foamy sculpture of silk, and Merja Winqvist’s boat sculpture of paper.

works by Helena Hernmarck, Chiyoko Tanaka, Norma Minkowitz

The catalog offers extra content in the section on Impact: 20 Women Artists to Collect. There are short portraits of the women included, highlighting their innovative approaches and evolving art practices. And there are additional examples of their work, beyond those that were displayed in the in-person exhibit. Included in this section are works from a 55-year period, from a 1959 woven work by fiber pioneer, Kay Sekimachi to an ikat created by Polly Barton in 2024.

Salon Wall
From upper left, works by: Gali Cnaani, Jennifer Falck Linssen, Mia Olsson, Lewis Knauss, Paul Furneaux, Mary Merkel-Hess, Sue Lawty

The Right-Sized section of the exhibition includes 68 works, organized into a few subgroupings. Among the mini-collections are works on paper — including newspaper and sandpaper, spheres and boxes of various materials, and taller baskets of natural materials, each at least 12 inches tall. Also included are ceramics, works of thread and acrylic, and of silk.

You can order a copy of Ways of Seeing from the store on our website.


Art Assembled – New This Week in September

September has been a remarkable month at browngrotta arts, highlighted by the success of our exhibition, Ways of Seeing. We are immensely grateful to everyone who came out to join us for our Fall Art in the Barn exhibition. Your support means the world to us, and we are grateful for every opportunity we get to connect with each of you.

As we reflect on this past month, we’re excited to recap the talented artists featured in our New This Week series throughout September. Read on to see what talented artists we’ve put a spotlight on!

Mary Merkel-Hess
212mm Another Autumn, Mary Merkel Hess, paper cord, paper, 28″ x 18″ x 12″, 2023.

Kicking off the month, we had the pleasure of highlighting the work of Mary Merkel-Hess. Known for her intricate sculptures that evoke the natural world, Merkel-Hess draws inspiration from the beauty found in her surroundings. Using reed, paper, and paper cord, she creates what she refers to as “landscape reports,” sculptural forms that reflect her deep connection to nature.

Merkel-Hess’s work often incorporates broken borders and insets, allowing the viewer to engage with the layers and textures she so thoughtfully constructs.

Merkel-Hess was also one of the 20 women artists who were featured in, Impact: 20 Women Artists to Collect, in September. It’s no wonder to us why her work comes so acclaimed!

John McQueen
81jm The Weight of Empty, John McQueen, willow, 50″ x 26″ x 26″, 2020

We then turned our spotlight to the remarkable John McQueen and his intricate work. A sculptor, McQueen arranges natural materials to create vessels, sculptural figures, and representational images that challenge our perception of the natural order.

His bark-covered sculptures and drawings made from sticks lead viewers to reconsider their relationship to nature. McQueen’s work has been acquired by numerous prestigious museums, including the Museum of Arts and Design and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and he is recognized with several accolades, such as the Gold Medal of the American Craft Council for his impactful contributions to the field of sculpture.

Nancy Koenigsberg
58nak Pocket Scroll, Nancy Koenigsberg, twisted copper, 73.5″ x 17.5″ x 6″, 2007

Following McQueen, we featured the captivating work of Nancy Koenigsberg. As a celebrated artist and educator, Koenigsberg’s pieces are a testament to her exploration of materiality and technique. Utilizing her expertise in weaving and embroidery, she creates intricate textile artworks that often reflect personal narratives.

Koenigsberg’s practice challenges the boundaries of traditional textile art, as she incorporates various techniques and materials to create layered, textural compositions that resonate with emotion and meaning.

She is one of our favorite artists to date, and we hope you all enjoy her work as much as we do!

Anneke Klein
7akl Black Monologue, Anneke Klein, hemp, cotton, linen, acrylic paint, 28.5″ x 28.5″ x .5″, 2020.

We then turned our attention to Anneke Klein, a talented artist from the Netherlands originally educated as a goldsmith. Her passion for weaving emerged from a desire to move away from hard, cold materials toward the warmth and softness of textiles. After designing and manufacturing clothing, she created commissioned works for renowned artists such as Richard Tuttle and Alexis Gautier, showcasing her ability to blend her goldsmithing precision with textile art.

Klein has developed her own style for wall objects, often employing the rhythmic and repetitive expressions learned during her time as a goldsmith. Her work reflects a unique exploration of materials, inviting viewers to engage with both tactile and visual elements.

Jin-Sook So
71jss Soul of Bowl II, Jin-Sook So, steel mesh, electroplated silver, pure gold leaf, acrylic, steel thread
6” x 12.75” x 9.75”, 2023.

Finally, we highlighted the work of Jin-Sook So, an artist renowned for her innovative approach to fiber art. So’s creations are characterized by their intricate layering and attention to detail, reflecting her deep understanding of traditional techniques while embracing contemporary aesthetics. Her work often incorporates elements of nature and cultural heritage, inviting viewers to consider the connections between art and identity. Jin-Sook So’s dedication to her craft and her ability to weave together diverse influences make her work truly exceptional.

As we step into October, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all who engaged with our September New This Week features and our Ways of Seeing exhibition. Your support means the world to us! Stay tuned for more artistic explorations and updates as we continue this creative journey together.


Ways of Seeing: Make a Day of it

If you are heading to Wilton to join us at Ways of Seeing sometime between September 21st and the 29th, there are some other art stops you might make on the way. 

Year of the Dragon
through November 10, 2024
Yale University Art Gallery
1111 Chapel Street (at York Street)
New Haven, CT
https://artgallery.yale.edu/exhibitions/exhibition/year-dragon

Kohyama Yasuhisa, Kaihō Yūshō screens
Attributed to Kaihō Yūshō, One of a Pair of Screens with Dragons and Waves, Japan, Momoyama period (1573–1615). Superimposed Ceramic: Kaze (Wind), Yasuhisa Kohyama. Photos by Janet Sullivan, courtesy of the Yale Art Gallery.

This exhibition celebrates the Year of the Dragon, with a presentation of nearly 30 artworks spanning from the 17th century to the present day. In the West, the dragon has historically been characterized as an evil creature, flying through the air while breathing fire from its mouth, but in the East, the dragon is believed to possess power in the celestial realm and to pour out blessings in the form of rainwater over swirling wind. The dragon also has a place in the Eastern zodiac calendar—alongside 11 other animals. The objects on view, feature dragons on folding screens, other paintings, textiles, ivory, woodblock prints and a ceramic by Yasuhisa Kohyama. Taking inspiration from East Asian history, folklore, and myth, these works demonstrate a long, complex, and continuing artistic tradition around this fantastical creature. 

Jonathan Becker: Lost Time
through January 26, 2025
Katonah Museum of Art
134 Jay Street
Katonah, NY 10536
https://www.katonahmuseum.org/exhibitions/exhibition/jonathan-becker-lost-time

Patricia Herrera at home, New York, 18 July 2001. Photo by Jonathan Becker, courtesy of The Katonah Museum of Art

Jonathan Becker: Lost Time features more than fifty of the artist’s photographs of influential figures from the worlds of politics, fashion, arts, and culture. Captured through the lens of his Rolleiflex camera, the striking, square-format images reveal intimate, closely observed scenes that serve as both timely and timeless portraits. Becker’s mastery of light, shadow, and saturation is evident across his work in both black and white and color mediums, evinced by the lush, velvety charcoal tones and dazzling chromatic range of his prints.

Tara Donovan: Aggregations
through March 9, 2025
Bruce Museum of Art
1 Museum Drive
Greenwich, CT 06830
https://brucemuseum.org/whats-on/tara-donovan-aggregations

Tara Donovan (American, b. 1969), Untitled, 2014 , acrylic and adhesive , Courtesy of the Artist and Pace Gallery , Photo: Kerry Ryan McFate, courtesy Pace Gallery

Brooklyn-based artist Tara Donovan reimagines and elevates everyday, mass-manufactured materials into the realm of fine art. In her sculptures and large-scale installations, she employs a range of objects—disposable Styrofoam cups, index cards, paper plates, pencils, pins, rubber bands, straws, tar paper, and even toothpicks—transforming their physical properties and functions. While some of her works are inspired by abstraction and the pure geometry of the grid, others conjure up the sublime, evoking geological phenomena, biomorphic shapes, and organic, cellular forms.

Ways of Seeing
September 21 – 29, 2024
browngrotta arts
276 Ridgefield Road
Wilton, CT 06897
https://browngrotta.com/exhibitions

Ways of Seeing installation
pictured works by Lia Cook, Carolina Yrarrázaval, Lilla Kulka, Lawrence LaBianca, Mariette Rousseau-Vermette. Photo by Tom Grotta

Ways of Seeing explores how individuals envision and curate their art collections. 

Gallery Dates/Hours:
Saturday, September 21st: 11am to 6pm [Opening & Artist Reception]
Sunday, September 22nd: 11am to 6pm (40 visitors/ hour)
Monday, September 23rd through Saturday,September 28th: 10am to 5pm (40 visitors/ hour)
Sunday, September 29th: 11am to 6pm [Final Day] (40 visitors/ hour)
Schedule your visit at POSH. 

Safety protocols: Reservations strongly encouraged; No narrow heels please (barn floors)

See you soon!


Ways of Seeing Part II: Impact: 20 Women Artists to Collect

62hh Tabula Rasa 2, Helena Hernmarck, wool, 53″ x 44″, 2010
1cy Azul Y Negr, Carolina Yrarrázaval, rayon, cotton, 116″ x 40.5″, 2003 Photo by Tom Grotta

Twenty international women artists of substance and significance are heralded in Impact: 20 Women Artists to Collect one of the groupings in Ways of Seeing at browngrotta arts this Fall. Ways of Seeing explores the varied ways in which people curate their art collections. Collecting by artist, including by race, sexual identity, country of origin, or as in Impact, by gender, is one of the ways in which collections are assembled.

Kay Sekimachi early works
Kay Sekimachi 113k Pale Moon, linen, cotton, rayon, plain weave, inlay, 14” x 18” x 1.25”, 1959
131k Monofilament, nylon monofilament, 4-layered weave, tubular weave, 32” x 7” x 6”. Photo by Tom Grotta

In 2019, Artsy, an online platform we collaborate with, hosted 3,999 galleries. Only 8% of these galleries represented more women artists than men. browngrotta arts is among that 8%, promoting a diverse array of exceptional women artists beyond the group featured in Impact: 20 Women Artists to Collect. The selection in Impact, though a small sample of the women artists we work with, is a group, both intriguing and influential. The artists span various nationalities—including North America, Europe, Asia, and South America—and generations, with birth years ranging from 1917 to 1960. Each artist has mastered both traditional and experimental techniques, while expanding the boundaries of textiles as fine art. 

Caroline Bartlett
Caroline Bartlett
24cb Curve, painted linen, cotton thread, perspex, 85” x 17.25”, 2021
25cb Fatehpur Sikri, painted linen, cotton thread, perspex, 66” x 8.25” (each), 1990. Photo by Tom Grotta

Impact will feature a multifaceted group of sculptures and weavings made from 1976 to 2024. The artists in Impact have demonstrated a knowledge of traditional and experimental techniques, while redefining the perception of textiles as fine art. “Each of these artists have enlarged the expectations and possibilities of fiber art through their singular, iconic practices,” says browngrotta arts co-curator, Tom Grotta. 

Katherine Westphal quilt, Grethe Sørensen weavings
Katherine Westphal, 47w The-puzzle-of-Floating-World-#2, transfer print and quilting on cotton, 85” x 68”, 1976
Grethe Sørensen, 24gs Interferens; 25gs Blue Color Gradation, linen, 57” x 55” each, 2005. Photo by Tom Grotta

Ethel Stein (1917), for example, who would be 107 if she were still alive, studied under Josef Albers. Intensive study of historical textiles led her to reinterpret historical textile structures using contemporary looms, blending modernist Bauhaus ideals of simplicity, order, functionality, and modesty. In contrast, Katherine Westphal (1919), an eclectic artist from the same era, worked across ceramics, quilting, basketmaking, and wearable art. 

Jin-Sook  Red and Blue
Jin-Sook so, 64jss Red Untitled 2021, 65jss Blue/Gold Untitled 2021
steel mesh, painted, electroplated silver and gold leaf, 31.5” x 31.5” x 4.5” (each), 2021. Photo by Tom Grotta

Born 30 years later in Korea, Jin-Sook So (1950) and Yeonsoon Chang (1950), began as traditional textile makers, then moved to exploring sculptural forms. So creates light-reflecting, three-dimensional works using electroplated and painted stainless steel mesh that evoke silk organza. Chang molds abaca fibers and Teflon mesh into structures that investigate the universe, coated with an eco-friendly resin she developed. 

Detail: 42sp Carter-Eclipse series, Simone Pheulpin, cotton, 13.75″ x 12.25″ x 3.5″ , 2024. Photo by tom Grotta

In between those decades, textile sculptors are Simone Pheulpin and Hisako Sekijima, born 1940 and 1944, respectively, renowned innovators. Pheulpin transforms unbleached cotton strips into organic forms reminiscent of bark, ceramics, fossilized rock, coral, or shell, using stainless steel pins instead of stitching or glue — a technique entirely of her own design. For decades, Sekijima has been on what the Victoria & Albert Museum has described as “a journey of radical experimentation,” expanding upon traditional Japanese basketmaking techniques to create inventive non-utilitarian objects, noted for their exploration of volume, mass, and space.

Ways of Seeing Catalog

Discover more about these 20 exceptional artists in person at Ways of Seeing or in our catalog. https://store.browngrotta.com/c-54-ways-of-seeing/

Exhibition Details:
Ways of Seeing
exploring ways individuals envision and curate art collections
browngrotta arts
276 Ridgefield Road
Wilton, CT 06897

Gallery Dates/Hours:
Saturday, September 21st: 11am to 6pm [Opening & Artist Reception]
Sunday, September 22nd: 11am to 6pm (40 visitors/ hour)
Monday, September 23rd through Saturday,September 28th: 10am to 5pm (40 visitors/ hour)
Sunday, September 29th: 11am to 6pm [Final Day] (40 visitors/ hour)

browngrotta.com

Schedule your visit at POSH. 
Safety protocols: Reservations strongly encouraged; No narrow heels please (barn floors)


Art Assembled – New This Week in August

August has been an exciting month at browngrotta arts as we edge closer to the launch of our highly anticipated Fall 2024 Art in the Barn exhibition, Ways of Seeing – exploring ways individuals envision and curate art collections. Our upcoming showcase, delves into the diverse ways individuals curate and experience art collections. Within this exhibition, we’ll present unique groupings, including The Art Aquatic, featuring works inspired by water; Impact: 20 Women Artists to Collect, spotlighting influential artists from both the US and abroad; and Right-Sized, which focuses on art created with specific constraints in mind. Mark your calendars for September 21-29 to join us for this compelling event!

Over the past month, our New This Week series has introduced an array of talented artists, including Gudrun Pagter, James Bassler, Noriko Takamiya, and Zofia Butrymowicz. We’re thrilled to showcase their remarkable contributions and offer you a glimpse into their extraordinary work.

Catch up on all our recent features and stay tuned for more exciting updates as we count down to our big exhibition!

Gudrun Pagter
18gp Red, Gudrun Pagter, sisal and flax , 67” x 94.5”, 2015. Photo by Tom Grotta

Kicking off the month, we had the pleasure of featuring the work of Gudrun Pagter. A distinguished Danish artist, Pagter is celebrated for her bold and graphic tapestries that engage deeply with themes of architecture and geometry.

Pagter’s artwork is characterized by narrow lines and shifts in color fields, demonstrating her commitment to exploring and refining artistic idioms. She describes her approach as a rigorous investigation into the picture plane, employing a disciplined structuring of geometric forms and a restricted color palette. Her work not only captures the essence of architectural forms but also invites viewers into a meticulously crafted world of design.

We’re thrilled to showcase Pagter’s captivating pieces and hope you found her feature as inspiring as we did!

James Bassler
19bas Tracking Nasca Patterns, James Bassler, indigo dyed ikat tapestry, 63″ x 32″, 2006; linen, both the warp and parts of the weft, natural dark brown cotton from Guatemala, lighter brown cotton from Oaxaca, Coyuchi, a white handspun silk from Oaxaca , the silk worms feed off of native oak trees, and perhaps the most special of the yarns is the purple-dyed, handspun cotton, Caracol. The Caracol dye comes from a sea snail that lives off the Pacific coast, on rocks, in Oaxaca. Photo by Tom Grotta

Next, we turned our spotlight to the remarkable James Bassler and his tapestry Tracking Nasca Patterns. Since 1980, Bassler has delved into various weaving traditions, including the wedge-weave structure of the Navajo, Japanese shibori, and pre-Columbian scaffold weave techniques. His work is a testament to his dedication to exploring and preserving these ancient textile practices.

This specific piece was crafted with linen for both the warp and parts of the weft, this tapestry incorporates natural dark brown cotton from Guatemala, lighter brown cotton from Oaxaca, and Coyuchi, a handspun silk from Oaxaca. The unique silk used in this work is produced by worms that feed on native oak trees, adding a special touch of nature’s elegance. The highlight of the tapestry is the striking purple-dyed handspun cotton called Caracol, derived from a traditional dyeing process involving sea snails found along the Pacific coast of Oaxaca. Local artisans collect the snails to extract the dye before returning them to their habitat, demonstrating a sustainable practice deeply rooted in tradition.

We’re honored to showcase Bassler’s intricate and culturally rich tapestry, and we hope you enjoy exploring the craftsmanship and historical significance embedded in this piece.

Noriko Takamiya
33nt Vision and Perception, Noriko Takamiya, bamboo stalks
5.5” x 7” x 7”, 2023. Photo by Tom Grotta

We then turned our spotlight to the innovative Noriko Takamiya, celebrated for her contemporary take on traditional Japanese basketmaking techniques. Takamiya’s practice is a captivating blend of experimentation and refinement, as she explores various weaving methods using an array of materials such as wood splint, ramie, rice straw, and paper.

Her work often features non-vessel forms that highlight the unique interplay between structure and material. Takamiya’s approach involves wrapping, tying, and plaiting techniques, resulting in intricate, sculptural pieces that showcase her mastery over both form and texture.

Takamiya is part of a distinguished group of basketmakers, inspired by Hisako Sekijima’s pioneering basket technology, which has evolved into a new method of three-dimensional modeling. Since 1986, this influential group has continued to push the boundaries of basketry, contributing significantly to the field.

Zofia Butrymowicz
8zb Słońce Szafirowe, (Sapphire Sun), Zofia Butrymowicz, linen, wool, 84″ x 78″, 1.5″, 1968. Photo by Tom Grotta

Last, but certainly not least, we honored the late artist Zofia Butrymowicz, a pioneering figure in East European textile art. Butrymowicz is remembered for her innovative approach to weaving, which she referred to as “loom thinking.” This technique involved working directly on the loom without a prepared cartoon, allowing for spontaneous and dynamic creations.

Butrymowicz excelled in the wool gobelin technique, utilizing handspun wools that were often rough and irregular to create striking and textured pieces. Her work frequently emphasized color, reflecting her deep interest in experimentation and new artistic expressions. Throughout her career, Butrymowicz’s contributions to the art world were celebrated globally, and her legacy continues to inspire.

Her unique approach and dedication to pushing the boundaries of textile art have left an indelible mark. We’re privileged to feature her remarkable work, celebrating her innovative spirit and enduring influence.

Thank you for following along with our latest features and updates. We’re excited to share more as we approach the launch of Ways of Seeing. Don’t forget to reserve your spot for the exhibition and stay tuned for further details!


Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women: In Washington DC.

Lia Cook
Lia Cook in front of her piece Crazy Too Quilt. Photo by Tom Grotta

We were very excited to visit Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women last month, just after it opened at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Besides thoroughly enjoying the engaging exhibition, we were pleased to catch up with senior curator of the exhibition, Mary Savig, friend of the gallery, Kathleen Mangan of the Lenore Tawney Foundation, and artist, Lia Cook (and see her exquisite work, Crazy Too Quilt).

Claire Zeisler  and Emma Amos
Claire Zeisler Coil series three–a celebration and Emma Amos Winning. Photo by Tom Grotta

As the Gallery notes explain, the 33 selected artworks in Subversive, Skilled Sublime piece together an alternative history of American art. Accessible and familiar, fiber handicrafts have long provided a source of inspiration for women. The artists in this exhibition took up fiber arts, dismissed by many art critics as menial labor, to complicate this historic marginalization and also revolutionize its import to contemporary art. They drew on personal experiences, particularly their vantage points as women, and intergenerational skills, to transform humble threads into resonant and intricate artworks.

Monofilament by Kay Sekimachi
Nagare VII, monofilament by Kay Sekimachi. Photo by Tom Grotta

The works in the exhibition are artfully displayed. From the dramatic Claire Zeisler at the entrance to the exhibition, to the Lenore Tawney Cloud in the room just behind, to the narrow circular alcove where an ethereal Kay Sekimachi monofilament hangs in space, there are many vignettes that delight. We had a few (maybe more than a few) favorites. Lenore Tawney’s In the Dark Woods from 1959 is a revelation. It represents the artist’s open warp technique in which she pulled fiber through the vertical threads (the warp) by hand to create painterly, gestural forms. Unveiling of the Statue of Liberty is an exceptional Katherine Westphal quilt. We also loved Faith Ringgold’s The Bitter Nest, Part II: The Harlem Renaissance Party and its fascinating backstory.

Maria Emilia-Faedo's
Maria Emilia-Faedo’s, A Matter of Trust, quilt of metal mesh (1994). Photo by Tom Grotta

New to us was A Matter of Trust, Maria Emilia-Faedo’s quilt of metal mesh. “I collected secrets from friends and strangers, sealed them in ordinary envelopes, and sewed them into the quilt’s pockets,” the artist told Paradise News magazine. The envelopes containing the secrets are known only to their authors and were never read by Emilia-Faedo. We also loved Red and Blue, the 1969 work by Else Regensteiner.

Adela Akers
Sketches of By the Sea, by Adela Akers. Photo by Tom Grotta

We were also impressed by the dedicated gallery space of archival materials, and spent a good amount of time there. It provides a window into the artists’ studios, deepening insight into their creative processes with sketches, mail art, and photographs. There are many resources on line, including portraits of a few of the artists. All of the artworks are drawn from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s permanent collection; archival materials and interviews are selected from collections of the Archives of American Art. 

Katherine Westphal and Sheila Hicks
Unveiling of the Statue of Liberty, quilt by Katherine Westphal, The Principal Wife Goes On by Sheila Hicks. Untitled Bedspread by Marguerite Zurich. Photo by Tom Grotta

You have until January 5, 2025 to see Subversive, Skilled, Sublime. In the meantime, you can see work by four of the artists in Sublime, Katherine Westphal, Adela Akers, Lia Cook, and Kay Sekimachi at browngrotta arts’ in Impact: 20 Women Artists to Collect, part of our fall exhibition, Ways of Seeing.


Art into Words into Food into Art

For our Spring exhibition, our accomplished chef and close friend Max Fanwick worked up some foods that embodied themes from Discourse: Art Across Generations and Continents. Max’s cuisine is thoughtful and inventive. For Discourse, he looked at themes that emerged as we curated the exhibition and translated them into exciting canapés and desserts. For us it was a treat, to eat and to see our words and thoughts transformed into edible art. Here are some of the highlights — bites paired with the artworks that inspired them. They embody Discourse’s overarching aim to celebrate connections and contrasts.

Tomato Soup
photo by Carter Grotta

Generational and Geographical Correlations: Tomato Soup Spheres with a Grilled Cheese Crouton
Max’s Musings: Few flavors better resonate across the generations than grilled cheese and tomato soup. This modern take captures all the flavor in  modernized bite.

Margareta Ahlstedt-Willandt weaving
1awm Nåky Vision II, Margareta Ahlstedt-Willandt, fabric, 20″ x 19″ x 2″, 1950’s. Photo by Tom Grotta

Art Inspiration: Discourse paired work like Nåky Vision II from the 1950s by Margareta Ahlstedt-Willandt of Finland and On Balance by Blair Tate from the US made 70 years later for generational resemblance The exhibition also paired Słońce Szafirowe, (Sapphire Sun) by Zofia Butrymowicz of Poland and Tracking Nasca Patterns by James Bassler of the US for cross-continental comparison.

Unstructured Gyoza
photo by Carter Grotta

Structural Explorations: Unstructured Gyoza
Max’s Musings: What makes a dumpling? The shape? The wrapper? The flavor? If you remove the structure, we have all come to recognize what does it become?

Complex Plaiting sculpture by Norie Hatekayama
10nh.1 Complex Plaiting Series, Norie Hatakeyama, plaited paper fiber strips, 9.5″ x 18″ x 16″, 2001. Photo by Tom Grotta

Art Inspiration: Perhaps no work in Discourse presented more of a structural mystery than the complex plaiting works by Norie HatakeyamaNaoko Serino’s ethereal works of jute raised many eyebrows, too. 

Salmon Tartare on Lotus Crisps
photo by Tom Grotta

Reading Between the Lines: Salmon Tartare on Lotus Crisps
Max’s Musings: In Japan lotus root represents good things to come. If you read between these lotus root lines, you will find the good thing to come is salmon tartare.

Who? in twigs by Gyöngy Laky
204L Anticipation, Gyöngy Laky, apple, trim screws 18.5” x 50” x 2”, 2023. Photo by Tom Grotta

Art Inspiration: There were many messages between the lines in the works in Discourse. In Anticipation, Gyöngy Laky asked “Who?” a question, she says, “that underlies the search for a way forward to a better day.” Laura Foster Nicholson reflects on man’s role in the environment, in Rural Road, Freight Train which depicts a train slicing through the Midwestern landscape.

baklava cheesecake
photo by Carter Grotta

Weaving Emotion into Art: Filo Threads Woven into Cheesecake Bites
Max’s Musings: This take on baklava cheesecake creates a nostalgic flavor profile known to make people so emotional they will make a special journey  just for a bite. 

Gold wall hanging by Aby Mackie
4am We Can All Be Saved, Aby Mackie, mixed media, cotton, 76.25″ x 60″ x .2″, 2023. photo by Tom Grotta

Art Inspiration:  Works in Discourse often provoked viewers on an emotional level. Our engagement with fiber art is deeply personal. Our first memories are of cloth — fuzzy blankets, soft towels — and they remain strong ones. Aby Mackie sources and recycles used clothing and linens from flea markets in Spain, fabrics laden with memory. She gilds this repurposed material in works like We Can All Be Saved 13, asking viewers to consider what creates value.

Floating Ice Cream
photo by Tom Grotta

Technical Departures: Flaming Ice Cream
Max’s Musings: Ice cream in a chocolate crust is lit on fire which is as big a technical departure as we could fit into one bite.

paper knot sculpture by Shoko Fukuda
7sf Knothole III, Shoko Fukuda, knotted paper, 4″ x 8″ x 4″, 2023. Photo by Tom Grotta

Art Inspiration: Discourse also highlights the wide range of technical innovations and experiments that fiber art has featured since its inception, including work by several artists who make vastly different uses of paper. Scrolling of encyclopedia pages by Wendy Wahl from the US, knotted paper objects  by Shoko Fukuda of Japan, sculptural works of rice paper by Pat Campbell and paper cord by Mary Merkel-Hess from the US, and woven paper patchworks by Eva Vargö of Sweden were all included.

The diversity of the works in Discourse made for an engaging exhibition. Max’s Musings were an inspired interpretation. 

You can find the works in Discourse  exhibition on Artsy and you can purchase a full-color catalog at browngrotta.com.


Come to Discourse and Make a Day of It

Our Spring exhibition, Discourse: art across generations and continents, opens on May 4th and runs until May 12th. It’s worth a trip to Wilton just to see our work by 60+ artists from 20 countries, but if you want to make a day of it, here are suggestions for a few additional venues worth visiting.

Yale University Art Installation
Yale University Art Gallery. Photo By John Stuart Gordon, Ph.d.

Yale University Art Gallery
Modern and Contemporary Art and Design
3rd Floor
1111 Chapel Street (at York Street)
New Haven, CT
https://artgallery.yale.edu/visit

Selected items from permanent collection are on display through the end of this year. You’ll see work some browngrotta favorites there: Mary Giles, Nancy Koenigsberg, and a recent acquisition by Christine Joy.

Neuberger Museum of Art
Then and Now: Selections from the Collection
Ongoing
Purchase, NY
https://www.purchase.edu/neuberger-museum-of-art/visit

it’s the Neuberger Museum’s 50th anniversary. The Museum has assembled a selection from its permanent collection. It includes a wide range of artists and media from mid-century American to African art, Constructivist art, contemporary Latin American art, Dada and Surrealist objects, and more. You’ll find works by Milton Avery, Romare Bearden, Alexander Calder, Stuart Davis, Helen Frankenthaler, Marsden Hartley, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Louise Nevelson, Jackson Pollock, Hedda Sterne, Rufino Tamayo, Max Weber, and Zao Wou-Ki alongside objects by living artists including Chakia Booker, the Guerrilla Girls, and Judy Pfaff. 

glass house
The Glass House, New Canaan, CT. Photo by Tom Grotta

The Glass House
Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House
through December 15, 2024
New Canaan, CT
https://theglasshouse.org/visit/

Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House at The Glass House marks the first time in six years that the innovative house is on display in North America. In collaboration with The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union, 36 architecture students gained hands-on experience assembling the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban’s Paper Log House, a 14 by 14-foot enclosure made of paper tubes, wood and milk crates deployed to provide temporary housing for victims of disaster across five continents over the last 30 years. The students fabricate dthe components at The Cooper Union then assembled the paper Log House on the grounds of The Glass House.

Gabriel Dawe
Gabriel Dawe, Plexus No. 43 thread installation photo by Tom Grotta.

Bruce Museum
1 Museum Drive
Greenwich, CT 06830-7157
https://brucemuseum.org/whats-on/gabriel-dawe-plexus-no-43

Stop by and see Gabriel Dawe’s highly intricate Plexus No. 43 thread installation and the new and enormous King Nyani gorilla sculpture by Gillie and Marc Schattner.

Then join us at Discourse: art across generations and continents at browngrotta arts, 276 Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT 06897. 203 • 834 • 0623.