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browngrotta arts’ 2025 Year in Review

January 14, 2026 0 Comment

We’ve had another busy 12 months. Below are the highlights. You can learn more about most of these events in previous arttextstyle posts or by using the search feature on our website. Thanks for being a part of another successful year celebrating art textiles, the artists that make them, and the fans that enjoy them.

Month by Month
January 2025:

Japandí Revisited: shared aesthetics and influences, in Wayne Art Center, Pennsylvania
Japandi Revisted at the Wayne Art Center. Photo by Tom Grotta

• Japandí Revisited: shared aesthetics and influences, continued at the Wayne Art Center, Pennsylvania 

Japandí Revisited: shared aesthetics and influences walk-thru
Tom Grotta artist walkthrough, Japandi Revisted at the Wayne Art Center. Photo by Rhonda Brown

• A Japandí Revisited walkthrough with Tom Grotta took place at the Wayne Art Center, Pennsylvania

February 2025:

• American Craft magazine published: “A World of Fiber, browngrotta arts,” Deborah Bishop

browngrotta arts featured in American Craft Magazine
American Craft Magazine feature on browngrotta arts

March 2025:

Olga de Amaral,  at the Cartier Foundation and Simone Pheulpin
Olga de Amaral Cartier Foundation exhibition and Simone Pheulpin in her studio in Paris. Photos by Tom Grotta

• Tom and Carter Grotta and Rhonda Brown visited Paris to photograph exceptional artist Simone Pheulpin and view the extraordinary exhibition, Olga de Amaral,  at the Cartier Foundation

Shoko Fukuda featured in Centurion Magazine

• Centurion magazine published, “Shaping Heritage,” by Kaoru Kijima, which featured work by Shoko Fukuda

May 2025:

Three Silvermine exhibitions curated by browngrotta arts, Including Norma Minkowitz in front of her work in Masters of the Medium: CT. Photos by Tom Grotta

• The Silvermine Art Galleries in New Canaan, CT invited browngrotta arts to jury its FIBER 2025 invitational. We also installed two exhibitions in their galleries, Masters of the Medium: CT: Helena Hernmarck and Norma Minkowitz and Mastery and Materiality: International

• A FIBER 2025 walkthrough with Tom Grotta and Rhonda Brown took place at the Silvermine Art Galleries, New Canaan, CT

WEFAN opening reception at the Hughes Memorial Library, in West Cornwall, CT. Photo by Tom Grotta

• browngrotta arts loaned work to WEFAN, a group exhibition curated by Dina Lov Wright of Lov Art. Housed in the Hughes Memorial Library, in West Cornwall, CT, WEFAN featured works by 12 artists — including Dorothy Gill Barnes and Ed Rossbach — who work with fiber techniques and materials 

Field Notes: an art survey exhibition at browngrotta arts.
Field Notes: an art survey exhibition at browngrotta arts. Photo by Tom Grotta

• Field Notes: an art survey, browngrotta arts’ Spring Art in the Barn exhibition, opened

Shoko Fukuda and Włodzimierz Cygan
Shoko Fukuda and Włodzimierz Cygan at the opening of Field Notes: an art survey. Photos by Tom Grotta

• Out-of-the-area Artist Visits: Christine Joy (Montana), Wlodzimierz Cygan and granddaughter, Wiktoria (Poland), and Shoko Fukuda (Japan), visited the gallery, attending the opening of Field Notes and the artists’ dinner after.

Field Notes: an art survey exhibition catalog
Field Notes: an art survey, the exhibition catalog

• Field Notes: an art survey, the catalog, is published (our 60th)

June 2025:

Rhonda hosts art on the rocks at studio 67 podcast studio
Rhonda hosts art on the rocks at studio 67 podcast studio. Photo by Tom Grotta

• Art on Rocks: an art walkthrough with spirits, Field Notes edition — is presented on Zoom

• Fiberworks then and now: Ruth Asawa and Kay Sekimachi and their remarkable innovations. a panel discussion with Melissa Leventon, Jill D’Alessandro, Yoshiko Wada, and Tom Grotta — was presented on Zoom

September 2025: 

Kay Sekimachi: a personal archive, a collaboration between browngrotta arts and the Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York City
Kay Sekimachi: a personal archive, a collaboration between browngrotta arts and the Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York City. Photo by Tom Grotta

• Kay Sekimachi: a personal archive, a collaboration between browngrotta arts and the Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York City opened — Sekimachi’s first solo exhibition in NYC since 1970

Yong Joo Kim in front of her work, Weight of Commitment: 4 Years Old
Yong Joo Kim in front of her work, Weight of Commitment: 4 Years Old. Photo by Tom Grotta

• Out-of-the-area Artist Visit: Yong Joo Kim, who splits her time between Chicago and Korea, visited the gallery in CT

Weaves of Meaning: the Art of Anneke Klein Between Minimalism and Social Awareness, T-X txtilezine

• T-X, txtilezine  published,”Weaves of Meaning: the Art of Anneke Klein Between Minimalism and Social Awareness,” by Barbara Pavel

The Gently Monumental,” by Anneke Enquist about Helena Hernmarck in Form magazine
The Gently Monumental,” by Anneke Enquist about Helena Hernmarck in Form magazine

•  FORM magazine published “The Gently Monumental,” by Anneke Enquist, an article about artist Helena Hernmarck

It All Starts With Materials: the Art of Aby Mackie
Fiber Art Now magazine Fall 2025 issue, It All Starts With Materials: the Art of Aby Mackie

October 2025: 

•  Beauty is Resistance: art as antidote, browngrotta arts’ Fall Art in the Barn exhibition, opened

Beauty is Resistance, subversive textile art at browngrotta arts
Beauty is Resistance, subversive textile art at browngrotta arts. Photo by Tom Grotta

• Cover magazine published Beauty is Resistance, subversive textile art at browngrotta arts

Cover Magazine covers browngrotta arts Beauty is Resistance: art as antidote exhibition

• Out-of-the-area Artist Visit: Jin-Sook So joined us at browngrotta arts for the opening of Beauty is Resistance and the artists dinner after.

Jin-Sook So besides her Soul of a Bowl series of wire mesh baskets
Jin-Sook So besides her Soul of a Bowl series of wire mesh baskets. Photo by Tom Grotta

• The New York Times, publishes “There’s a Hornet’s Nest in the Living Room. On Purpose.” by Misty White Sidell, which featured Wendy Wahl and Kay Sekimachi• Beauty is Resistance: art as antidote, the catalog, is published (our 61st)

The New York Times, publishes “There’s a Hornet’s Nest in the Living Room. On Purpose

• Centurion magazine article, “A Stitch in Time,” by Jemima Sissons, is published, mentioning Kay Sekimachi, Mariette Rousseau-Vermette, Dominic DiMare, and John McQueen.

Centurion magazine article, “A Stitch in Time,” by Jemima Sisson’s

November 2025: 

art on the rocks Beauty is Resistance edition
art on the rocks Beauty is Resistance edition, now on Zoom


• Art on Rocks: an art walkthrough with spirits, Beauty is Resistance edition — is presented on Zoom

December 2025:

Adela Akers, Drape, 2017 and Lia Cook, Material Pleasures: Artemisia, 1993. photo courtesy of Hollis Taggart Gallery in New York City
Adela Akers, Drape, 2017 and Lia Cook, Material Pleasures: Artemisia, 1993. Photo courtesy of Hollis Taggart Gallery in New York City

• browngrotta arts loaned work by Adela Akers and Lia Cook to Drop, Cloth at Hollis Taggart Gallery in New York City. Curated by Glenn Adamson and Severin Deifs and spanning two Chelsea galleries, Drop, Cloth presented a 50-year lineage of draping in contemporary art.

Other News:
Acquisitions

Transition by Neha Puri Dhir, 2015. Photo by Tom Grotta
Transition by Neha Puri Dhir, 2015. Photo by Tom Grotta

• Transition by Neha Puri Dhir was acquired by the John and Mable Ringling Musuem in Sarasota, Florida

Four 1980s works of wearable art by Norma Minkowitz --  Outer Crater, Long Dress, Blue Jewel and Dusk — were acquired by the LACMA in Los Angeles, CA
Norma Minkowitz, Blue Jewel, Outer Crater, Dusk, Long Dress. 1980’s, photos courtesy of Norma Minkowitz

• Four 1980s works of wearable art by Norma Minkowitz —  Blue Jewel, Outer Crater, Long Dress, and Dusk — were acquired by the LACMA in Los Angeles, CA.

YouTube:
• browngrotta arts created 17 videos of artworks for its weekly artlive feature

• browngrotta arts created preview videos for Field Notes; Kay Sekimachi: a personal archive; and Beauty is Resistance

Social Media Outreach: 
• 31,911 emails from browngrotta arts were opened
• 41,822 people liked our Instagram content (a 14% increase over 2024)
• We gained 3,046 new followers to our Instagram account (a 90% jump over 2024)
• 24,819 people engaged with our Facebook posts (that’s a 96% increase over last year)
• We posted 52 times on arttextstyle.

Last Call: We Visit Autumn Exhibits in NY and CT

November 5, 2025 0 Comment

Between exhibitions and catalog production we — Tom and Rhonda at browngrotta arts — try to get out and take in some art and entertainment. This October and November are no exception. We’ve been able to visit five exhibitions over the last few weeks. Three of them close shortly — on Sunday, the fourth in December.  A sixth that we recommend is open until next May. We urge you to get out to see them while you can.

John McQueen, Caught Out
John McQueen, Caught Out, 2009/2020. Photo by Tom Grotta

John McQueen Memorial Exhibition 
The Tang Museum
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY
Through November 9th

In honor of John McQueen (1943-2025), the Tang presents the John McQueen Memorial Exhibition from November 2–9. McQueen was a conceptual fiber artist whose work was featured in the Tang exhibitions Affinity Atlas (2015) and The World According to the Newest and Most Exact Observations: Mapping Art and Science (2001). The works selected for the Memorial exhibition include McQueen’s first basket from 1975, Caught Out, a self portrait completed 35 years later, and, A Tree and its Skin. a reflective diptych sculpture that was among the artist’s favorites.

works by Margo Mensing
Works by Margo Mensing including you had better do this, canvas with machine embroidered text, 60″ x 84″, 2000. Photo by J. Shermeta

Crux of the Matter: Work by Margo Mensing and Sayward Schoonmaker
The Schick Art Gallery
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY
Through November 9th

Crux of the Matter presents work by Margo Mensing, (1941 – 2024), Skidmore College Fiber Arts professor, interdisciplinary artist and poet and Sayward Schoonmaker, Skidmore ’06, interdisciplinary artist, writer, and former student of Mensing. “Both artists play with language,” the Art Gallery notes, “using subtle humor as underpinning, and both approach their work through a conceptual lens, starting with an idea and then finding the physical form to best serve it.” Mensing’s works range from weavings and quilts to her sculptural response to Ghiberti’s 15th Century Gates of Paradise, monumental bronze doors that feature ten Old Testament scenes in square panels. Mensing’s wooden doors, also monumental, feature ten household tips (such as, “Tenderize tough meat in 1 Tbsp vinegar and 1 pint water”) each incised in a square linoleum panel.

As Mensing’s son, J. Shermeta notes, her magnum opus was her “Dead at” series. Each year beginning on her birthday, October 4th, Mensing created a presentation, or a performance centered on the life and accomplishments of a famous person who died at her current age. Starting with J Robert Oppenheimer at age 63 in 2004, Margo created artwork, poetry, and organized group performances about the lives and work of Joan Mitchell, Elizabeth Bishop, Denise Levertov, Walt Disney, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Donald Judd ,and Louis Armstrong. To celebrate the life and magic of Louis Armstrong, for example, Mensing choreographed STOPTIME: Louis Armstrong Festival, bringing together musicians, artists, and performers to create over a dozen events from 4 to midnight on July 6, 2011. The Horns of Hudson band played, art teachers hosted a “Rhythm! Color! Collage!” workshop for kids, tap dancers performed and joy–inspired by the music of Louis Armstrong–was shared by all.

The Schick exhibition includes a wide range of thought-provoking works, early abstract weavings, the lovely lyrical machine-embroidered poem, you had better do this, items from the Dead at series and from other of Mensing’s projects including a group of glass pipes created as part of A Very Liquid Heaven, a multimedia installation and performance event that examined science and the universe.  Also included in Crux of the Matter, are intriguing works by Sayward Schoonmaker. As the Art Center describes the collection, “from poems written in letters formed by pencil shavings, to Slice, a table with a glittering black surface interrupted by slivers of white substructure, she employs exquisite craftsmanship throughout. Her works feel like unadorned truths, simultaneously urgent and familiar, plainly-stated and enigmatic.”

Vietnam: Tradition Upended
Vietnam: Tradition Upended, Flinn Gallery, Greenwich, Connecticut. Photo by Tom Grotta.

Vietnam: Tradition Upended
Flinn Gallery
Greenwich, CT
Through November 9th

In collaboration with the Art Vietnam Gallery in Hanoi, the Flinn Gallery has organized Vietnam: Tradition Upended. The exhibition was curated by Debra Fram and Barbara Richards, who have worked with browngrotta arts on previous exhibitions at the Flinn, and Suzanne Lecht from Art Vietnam Gallery. The exhibition’s origins are several years old.  Fram and Richards had travelled to Vietnam in 2019 and in Hanoi met Lecht, who it turned out, had lived in Greenwich on the 80s. The three remained in contact and over the next four years, Vietnam: Tradition Upended  took shape. The exhibition features nine interdisciplinary artists who work in a variety of mediums and styles. We were excited by the diversity on display and particularly taken by the mixed media works of Nguyen Cam (b.1944, Haiphong, Vietnam) and the calligraphic statements of Pham Van Tuan (b.1979, Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam), 35 years his junior.

As The Flinn notes, the artists in Vietnam: Tradition Upended all take time-honored traditions and materials and rework them in a modern context, acknowledging the past while simultaneously breaking away. With 2025 marking exactly half a century since the end of the Vietnam War, and 30 years since the normalization of relations between Vietnam and the U.S., this is an opportune time to acquaint ourselves with the art and culture of a country that has undergone extraordinary change; a country with one of the most interesting and vibrant art scenes in Southeast Asia.

Making Tracks, 2016 quilt
Kenya Baleech Alkebu (quilt design), Maureen Kelleher (quilting), Harriet Tubman, Making Tracks, 2016 at Stitching Time. Photo by Tom Grotta

Stitching Time: The Social Justice Collaboration Quilts Project
Fairfield Gallery Art Museum/Walsh Gallery
Fairfield, CT
Through December 13, 2025

Stitching Time features 12 quilts created by men who are incarcerated in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison. We listed the exhibition here a few weeks ago, but having the chance to see the creativity and careful creation of these works in person was a treat. These works of art, and accompanying recorded interviews, tell the story of a unique inside-outside quilt collaboration. The exhibition focuses our attention on the quilt creators, people often forgotten by society when discussing the history of the U.S. criminal justice system. Also on view in the gallery is Give Me Life, a curated selection of strong works from women artists presently or formerly incarcerated at York Correctional Institution, a maximum security state prison in Niantic, Conn., courtesy of Community Partners in Action (CPA). The CPA’s Prison Arts Program was initiated in 1978 and, operating since 1875, it is one of the longest-running projects of its kind in the United States. The quilts and CPA artworks are poignant, hopeful, and often aesthetically impressive. If you can’t visit by December, check out the exhibition’s website where you’ll find images, videos, and a flip-through catalog.

Jeremy Frey baskets
Jeremy Frey baskets at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut. Photo by Tom Grotta

Jeremy Frey: Woven
The Bruce Museum
Greenwich, CT
Closed

We visited Jermey Frey: Woven at the Bruce Museum just before it closed at the end of October. Frey’s virtuosity as a seventh-generation basketmaker, steeped in the Passamaquoddy tradition, was clearly evident in this remarkable retrospective. However, we were also excited and surprised to see Frey’s prints, which were striking. The exhibition had traveled from the Portland Museum of Art and if you missed it in Maine or Greenwich, there are many resources you can access to see the works that were included and learn about Frey’s meticulous process. There are images of 18 works and links to several articles from ArtDaily to The New York Times on the PAM website. There are also links to videos about the artist.

Uman: After all the things…(installation view, I’m staying inside, 2025), The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, October 19, 2025, to May 10, 2026. Courtesy of the artist, Nicola Vassell Gallery, and Hauser & Wirth. ©Uman. Photo: Olympia Shannon

Uman: After all the things
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Ridgefield, CT
Through May 10, 2026

We have not had a chance to visit Uman: After all the things at the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut but we will. As the Museum observes, “Uman’s practice, which spans painting, works on paper, murals, sculpture, and glass, is about color that is felt and content that is experienced. Under the influence of memories, dreams, and change, her visual language is intuitive, multilayered, adaptable, and free; neither exclusively abstract nor metaphorical, it proliferates in the indeterminate and transcendent.” Uman says that her work “offers an escape …. [m]y work is its own activism.” She wants her work to “feel good for the audience.” This is an approach also taken by some of the artists in browngrotta arts’ recent exhibition, Beauty is Resistance: art as antidote.  We look forward to being engaged, uplifted, and inspired.

Hope you’ll get a chance to view one or more of the exhibitions, in-person or online.

Art Assembled: September Highlights

October 1, 2025 0 Comment
John McQueen spanish moss basket
77jm Untitled #152, John McQueen, Spanish moss, black ash, 5.5″ x 16.5″ x 16″, 1978. Photo by Tom Grotta

September had five Mondays, so we provided a full complement of artworks for New This Week. First up was John McQueen‘s 1970s basket, Untitled #152, made of black ash and Spanish moss. In his lifetime, McQueen created more than 500 sculptural baskets from willow, bark, moss, cardboard, and recycled plastic — nearly all of materials that he gathered from his yard or his trash. His influence on other artists and participants in his workshops was immeasurable (See rembrances by Hisako Sekijima and Hideko Numata on arttextstyle.)

Semiotic by Rebecca Medel
12rme.1 Semiotic, Rebecca Medel, knotted & braided resist linen, plexiglas, 35.75″ x 7.25″ x 3.25″, 1992-1994. Photo by Tom Grotta

Our next New This Week artwork was Rebecca Medel’s Semiotic. Semiotics is the study of how meaning is created and communicated. Its origins lie in the academic study of how signs and symbols (visual and linguistic) create meaning. It’s a parallel for Medel’s work in which she explores ideas involving time and space metaphysics, and symbolism. During her graduate education, Medel developed a personal off-loom technique to knot large structural multi-planed square grid nets with ikat and braid resist threads. These resist processes separated color and created ambiguous or floating values of color. Medel singled out the use of linen and cotton thread because they are intrinsically structural and can be both bleached and dyed. The elemental characteristic of the work was an exploration of light through the grid structure, without mass and weight, on the edge of being physically supportable, and creating transparent weightlessness. Structure was achieved through the use of lines that became planes, at times parallel and layered, at other times connecting and intersecting perpendiculars; against the wall or coming out in relief.

Prayer Field by Lewis Knauss
29lk Prayer Field, Lewis Knauss woven, knotted, linen, hemp, raffia 23” x 23” x 5” each, 2011. Photo by Tom Grotta

After receiving his BFA in Art Education at Kutztown University, Lewis Knauss completed an MFA at Tyler School of Art. He taught for 30 years at Moore College of Art, in Pennsylvania. Knauss’s art is inspired by landcape — Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Colorado, New Mexico, Israel, and, Egypt. Another influence in works like Prayer Field, is meditation. “When my mother died,” he has said, “I decided to look into mindfulness-based stress reduction. My art is a form of mediation because you have given yourself a focus. I do a lot of knotting in my work. When a friend was diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t know what to say, so I made a long piece with knots and said each knot is a prayer.”

Red Pleated Mia Olsson
14mo Pleated, Red, Mia Olsson, sisal fibers, 30.625”” x 27.125” x 2.55”, 2025. Photo by Tom Grotta

Pleated by Mia Olsson is made of sisal fibers, dyed and formed in a technique unique to the artist. The sisal fibers used by the Swedish artist are shiny and reflect the light, even more when formed in relief. The colors are richly saturated — engaging the viewer on each viewing. Olsson manipulates the prickly sisal into airy, semi-transparent wall sculptures, dyed in richly saturated warm tones. “I am interested in exploring textile fibers, how they are, their properties and characteristics, and what I can do with them,” says Olsson. Olsson describes sisal as “so interesting to work with, especially when forming three-dimensional pieces. My work is experimental and I never know on which journeys the fibers will take me.”

Landscape Transformed by Adela Akers
Adela Akers, 50aa Landscape Transformed, linen, horsehair, paint & metal foil, 73″ x 32″ x 2″, 2011. Photo by Tom Grotta

Adela Akers was born in Spain, educated at the University of Havana in Cuba and inspired by her extensive travels, Akers grounded her practice in a diverse and geographically disparate range of influences. Landscape Interrupted, our last New This Week entry for September,reflects her visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she observed the painting process of the Mbuti women of the Ituri Forest. Akers’ work was also informed by the abstract expressionism movement in the 1950’s. A work by Adela Akers that resulted from Akers’s study of the marks made by Mbuti women will be features in Beauty is Resistance: art as antidote at browngrotta arts this month (October 11 – 19).

Gone Fishing!

July 23, 2025 0 Comment
John McQueen willow billfish
John McQueen, Just Under the Record, willow sticks and waxed string, 30″ x 72″ x 12″, 1998. Photo by Tom Grotta

We are off to spend some of August in Maine. 

Judy Mulford Fish gord
Judy Mulford, A Day at the Beach, mixed media, 6″ x 9.5″ x 9.5″, 1997. Photo by Tom Grotta

We are using this week’s arttextstyle to share some images of art that reflects some of our favorite things about the place.

Ed Rossbachs Fish Trap basket
Ed Rossbach, Fish Trap, 14″ x 11″ x 11″, 1988. Photo by Tom Grotta

Fish would be one. Watching, catching, and eating them.

Chris Drury Kayaks
Chris Drury, Kayak Bundles, willow bark and cloth sea charts from Greenland and Outer Hebrides, 79″ x 55″ x 12″, 1994. Photo by Tom Grotta

Water travel is another. We love to watch boats and kayak.

Carol Shaw-Sutton willow Canoe
Carol Shaw-Sutton, Spirit Canoe, willow construction with waxed linen, 56″ x 60″ x 28″, 1999. Photo by Tom Grotta

We love to watch boats and kayak.

Bamboo boat by Dona Anderson
Dona Anderson, Crossing Over, bamboo kendo (martial art sticks), patterened paper, thread, 15″ x 94″ x 30″, 2008. Photo by tom grotta

We’ll be back next week with Art Assembled.

Annette Bellamy floating boats
Annette Bellamy Floating Installation, Fuller Craft Museum Installation. Photo by Tom Grotta

Happy Summer!!

Art Assembled – New This Week in November

November 27, 2024 0 Comment

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude for the continued support from all of you. November has been a wonderful month at browngrotta arts, and we are thrilled to share the exciting developments we’ve been working on. Our highly anticipated winter exhibition Japandi Revisited: Shared Aesthetics and Influences opens on December 7, 2024, at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne, Pennsylvania. This exhibition revisits a theme we explored three years ago—how Japanese and Scandinavian artists, from Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark, draw inspiration from shared cultural and aesthetic influences. We uncovered so many fascinating stories and references that we are excited to revisit this dialogue again this winter. We hope to see you there!

In the meantime, November has been a month full of incredible features. Our New This Week series introduced the work of four incredibly talented artists: Paul Furneaux, Sue Lawty, Polly Sutton, and John McQueen. Here’s a look back at these remarkable individuals and their contributions to the world of art.

Paul Furneaux
8pf Soft Sea Lewis II, Paul Furneaux, Mokuhan Ga, Japanese woodcut print, sealed birch, UV. Photo by Tom Grotta.

Kicking off the month, we featured the talented Scottish artist, Paul Furneaux. For over a decade, Furneaux has been exploring traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques, particularly mokuhanga. His journey with this medium began when he received a scholarship to Tama Art University in Tokyo, where he was first introduced to the intricate art of watercolor woodblock printing. Furneaux’s work took a significant turn during a residency in Norway, which inspired a conceptual shift — moving from traditional, flat printed works to creating prints as “skins” that clothe three-dimensional sculptures. This innovative approach bridges the gap between two-dimensional and three-dimensional art, transforming the print into a more dynamic, sculptural form.

He combines his technical skill in mokuhanga with elements of texture, abstraction, and narrative, resulting in pieces that are not only visually striking but also rich in meaning. His work continues to evolve, drawing from both cultural traditions and modern interpretations, creating a unique fusion of art and craftsmanship.

Sue Lawty
Sue Lawty, 35sl Coast, East Riding of Yorkshire 1-3, sea eroded stone on gesso, 12.5” x 10.5” x 1.5” each, 2024. Photo by Tom Grotta.

Next, we turned our spotlight to Sue Lawty, a highly experienced artist, designer, and educator whose work has been celebrated worldwide. Known for her deep emotional and physical connection to the land, Lawty’s practice explores the subtleties of material and construction to create unique textual languages through meticulous weaving. Her works often reflect a profound connection to nature, with her thoughtful use of wool and other fibers highlighting her commitment to the tactile, slow process of creation.

Throughout her career, Lawty has built a distinguished body of work exhibited internationally, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where she held a year-long residency. Her art also resides in prestigious collections, including those of the Smithsonian Museums and the University of Leeds. Lawty’s work has appeared in numerous exhibitions in the UK and beyond, including the International Triennial of Tapestry in Lodz, Poland, and the Victorian Tapestry Workshop in Melbourne, Australia. Her use of natural materials and her emotionally charged process have made her an influential figure in contemporary textile art.

Polly Sutton
17ps Ebb Tide, Polly Sutton, cedar bark, binder cane, magnet wire, 14″ x 16.9″ x 12″, 2023. Photo courtesy of Polly Barton.

Mid-month, we highlighted the work of Polly Sutton, a talented artist known for her exceptional use of natural materials sourced from the Pacific Northwest. Sutton’s basketry work is often created from fibers of native Washington species, including cedar bark gathered from freshly logged forests and sweet grass collected from the tide flats of the Pacific Ocean. These materials are not just functional, but also deeply rooted in the natural world, often reflecting her personal connection to the land.

Polly Sutton is especially known for her sculptural, free-form baskets, which are created using the inner bark of Western Red Cedar trees. There are no preconceived notions about the final form; instead, Sutton’s process is one of discovery. “The work begins when I have located a logging source where, with permission, I can harvest inner bark,” she says. “The outer bark is split off in the woods, and I bring home several coils of fresh cedar bark.” Her work emphasizes pleasing, curvilinear forms, which are often asymmetrical and free-flowing, echoing the natural world that inspires her.

John McQueen
83jm Grapple, John McQueen, strip willow, white pine figures, 19.5″ x 22″ x 16″, 2023. Photo by Tom Grotta

Finally, we spotlighted John McQueen, a renowned sculptor and artist whose work often explores the relationships between natural materials and their structural possibilities. McQueen’s piece Grapple, created in 2023, features a combination of strip willow and white pine figures. His intricate arrangements challenge the boundaries of sculpture, creating forms that feel both organic and deliberate. His approach to weaving natural materials into sculptural pieces has made McQueen a beloved figure in contemporary art, inspiring countless viewers to reconsider the role of natural elements in art.

As we wrap up November, we are incredibly grateful for your continued interest and support. Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we gear up for Japandi Revisited in December. We can’t wait to share these unique works with you and look forward to seeing you at the exhibition soon!

Art Assembled – New This Week in September

October 3, 2024 0 Comment

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.

Woven Histories Highlights – National Gallery, Washington, DC

July 10, 2024 0 Comment
Woven Histories Entrance
Entrance to Woven Histories, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Photo by Tom Grotta.

During our recent trip to Washington, DC we visited Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction, through July 28, 2024 at the National Gallery. We are not going to pout about the fact that it has taken a few decades for contemporary fiber art to make it into the hallowed halls of the National Gallery. We are just going to revel in this expansive textile coming out party — an exhibition that challenges, however belatedly, the hierarchies that often separate textiles from fine arts.

Woven Histories Installation
Installation view: Work by Ruth Asawa, Kay Sekimachi and Martin Puryear. Photo by Tom Grotta.

The 150 objects in Woven Histories highlight a diverse range of transnational and intergenerational artists who have shaped the field including: Ruth Asawa, Anni Albers, Lenore Tawney, Kay Sekimachi, Sheila Hicks, Rosemarie Trockel, and Diedrick Brackens. There are also painters and sculptors like Agnes Martin and Eva Hesse whose work also played a role in modern abstraction. 

Ed Rossbach
Ed Rossbach, Constructed Color Wall Hanging, 1965. Photo by Tom Grotta.

Curated by Lynne Cooke, the exhibition offers “a fresh and authoritative look at textiles — particularly weaving — as a major force in the evolution of abstraction.” Basketry is given prominence. Cook notes in the book that accompanies the exhibition, Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction, that basketry was a moribund artform in the mid-60s, when Ed Rossbach began his “[s]triving for expressive content, signification and meaning” within basketry’s time-tested techniques. The exhibition highlights others creating basket referents, including John McQueen, Dorothy, Gill Barnes, Martin Puryear, and Yvonne Koolmatrie.

Shan Goshorn
Shan Goshorn Baskets. Photo by Tom Grotta.

There are more than 50 artists whose work is included. The timeline is expansive — beginning with work created during World War I by Sophie Taeuber-Arp of the Zurich Dada circle, and continuing through to 21st century efforts to create community and celebrate the politics of identity by such artists as Ann Hamilton, Liz Collins, and Jeffrey Gibson. The exhibition will travel next to the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, from November 8, 2024–March 2, 2025 and then the Museum of Modern Art, New York, April 20–September 13, 2025. 

Agnes Martin
Agnes Martin, Untitled, oil on canvas, 1960. Photo by Tom Grotta.

Discourse — the book, out now

June 19, 2024 0 Comment
Discourse: across generations catalog

Our 59th catalog, Discourse: art across generations and continents, is now available from the browngrotta.com website. As you may know, we produce our catalogs in house. If you’ve purchased a copy, you should have gotten a Handle With Care insert that reads: ”Each browngrotta arts catalog is individually printed and hand bound. Once you have a copy in hand, please treat it gently. If you crack the spine to see if the pages will flutter out, they just might. So, please don’t. Thanks.” Our catalogs “have never been anything but labors of love,” Glenn Adamson observed on the occasion of our 50th catalog, “quite literally products of a family concern, a cottage industry.” (“Beyond Measure,” Glenn Adamson, Volume 50: Chronicling FIber Art for Three Decades, browngrotta arts, Wilton, CT, 2020.)

New Press

This Spring we had a brief delay in producing while we acquired a new printing press — smaller, faster, and with more bells and whistles. Our previous press, which we bought second-hand, had given up the ghost in May. But it did not give up until browngrotta arts had published more than a million pages, mostly on fiber art and artists. Our new printer has expanded features: it can handle heavier and larger sheets and spot varnish.

Mika Watanabe spread
Mika Watanabe spread

In Discourse: art across generations and continents, you’ll find work by 61 artists from 20 countries. There are 176 pages and hundreds of color photographs, including details. There are also short compilations of collections, exhibitions, and awards for each artist included.

Federica Luzzi spread
Federica Luzzi spread

Also included in the Discourse catalog is an insightful essay by Erika Diamond, an artist and curator and the Associate Director of CVA Galleries at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. In “Consonance of Strings,” Diamond identifies several themes that influence the artists in Discourse. These include textiles like Federica Luzzi’s and Mika Watanabe’s that mirror the human body, works like Stéphanie Jacques’ exploration of the void, that express a yearning for connection, and those  finding order in chaos and harmony in disorder like the subversively “crushed” baskets by Polly Barton. Diamond makes broader observations about textiles’ ability to provide interconnections and common ground for viewers. She compares textiles to quantum physics’ theory of vibrating strings of energy making up the world. Textiles, she sees as “… lines in space — stitches, braids, weavings — moving and bending in search of unity and reconciliation between even the most vastly different materials and ideas.”

installation spread
installation spread: works by Adela Akers, Thomas Hucker, Norma Minkowitz, Neha Puri Dhir, John McQueen on the left and Lia Cook, Ed Rossbach , Sue Lawty on the right

Get your copy of the Discourse catalog from our website: https://store.browngrotta.com/c53-discourse-art-across-generations-and-continents/. It’s a good read!

More Pop-Ups Please!

June 5, 2024 0 Comment
Space 67 - bogarts Pop-Up installation
From left to right: Repos + Paix-side by Mariette Rousseau-Vermette, Embarrilado Azul by Carolina Yrarrázaval, Fire Fright and Range Fire by Lewis Knauss, CMA-CGM by Laura Foster Nicholson, Arm & Hammer by John McQueen and Peninsula by Mary Merkel-Hess. Photo by Tom Grotta

We had a chance to do an expanded Pop-Up at Space67 in Norwalk, CT last month. We were first asked to curate an exhibition that would be enjoyed by individuals who attended The Supper Club. Then, with the exhibition in place, we decided to create a public Pop Up for one day and invite our fans, people in Norwalk, and those just walking by. 

Haiti inspired Chicken Tender
Haiti-inspired, Braised chicken tender in creole sauce – yuka – plantain crisp – cilantro avocado salsa verde was one of extraordinary seven courses served at The Supper Club. Photo by Tom Grotta

The Supper Club dinner was a project of the Kitchen Incubator at the Village Community Foundation in Stamford, CT. The Incubator Program at The Village is a nonprofit program that supports local, diverse entrepreneurs and startups in the food and beverage industry. 

Supper Club Chefs
Chefs Xavier Santiago, Marta Garcia, and Ivan Romero, their crew, and Village Community Foundation President, Jon Winkel, addressing diners. Photo by Tom Grotta

The Supper Club at Space67 involved three exceptional chefs — Chef Xavier Santiago, Chef Marta Garcia, and Chef Ivan Romero — who, with a talented crew, prepared a 7-course meal with offerings from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, and the Dominican Republican. 

Supper Club at Space 67
Between courses at Space 67. Photo by Tom Grotta

Sixty people were served, music was provided by The Briefly Educated & Friends and a great time was had by all!

browngrotta Pop-up Space 67 art exhibition
Falling Fruit by John McQueen, Cimbreante by Eduardo and María Eugenia Dávila Portillo and Pre-Columbian Meets Mid-Century Modern by James Bassler. Photo by Carter Grotta

In support of the South American food and drinks (Cuba Libre, Clarified Piña Colada, and Hibiscus Lemonade) that were served, we chose a Pan-American theme for the works we exhibited: Continental Divide: Fiber Art from North and South America included artists from Chile, Venezuela, Canada, and the US. Falling Fruit by John McQueen, Carolina Yrråzaval’s Embarrilado Azul, Cimbreante by Eduardo Portillo and María Davila and CMA-CGM by Laura Foster Nicholson were among the most-commented-upon works in the exhibition.

John McQueen and MAry Merkel-Hess
Arm & Hammer by John McQueen and Peninsula by Mary Merkel-Hess. Photo by Tom Grotta

For the public Pop-Up we added work by Mary Merkel-Hess and a large sculpture by John McQueen.

Claude Vermette by the vaults
Coq-de-Bruyere by Claude Vermette by the Vaults. Photo by Tom Grotta

Pop-Ups serve an important objective of ours at browngrotta arts — to bring fine fiber art to more and varied audiences. Watch for more!

Five Days Remain to See Discourse at browngrotta arts in Wilton, CT

May 8, 2024 0 Comment
from left to right: works by Hiroko Sato-Pijanowski, Aby Mackie, Tim Johnson, Jane Balsgaard, Gyöngy Laky, Gizella Warburton, Margareta Ahlstedt-Willandt photographed through a basket by John McQueen. Photo by Tom Grotta

Join us this week, through Sunday May 12, at 6 pm to see our Spring Art in the Barn exhibition, Discourse: art across generations and continents. Traffic has been steady, including a guided tour for 15 people on Tuesday, but we still have slots available for gallery appointments and drop ins.

Viewers will enjoy 150+ works by more than 60 artists from 20 countries. Many people take two trips through the space to ensure they have not missed anything.

While here they learn more about works in the show including Irina Kolesnikova’s Spectator, a filmstrip- like group of woven portraits of her alter ego. She places him in discomfiting situations.  “Sometimes the events happening around him are frightening,” Kolesnikova says, “he wants to go away, to run far away. But curiosity makes him come back again, secretly observing, trying to memorize all impressions.”

Irina Kolesnikova Spectator weaving
28ik Spectator, Irina Kolesnikova, handwoven flax, silk, wood, 58.5″ x 43.25″ x 1″, 2013. Photo by Tom Grotta

James Bassler’s This Old House, is another work that encourages viewers to take a closer work and consider its inspiration and origins. “Over a year ago, a friend gave me a book, Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson,” Bassler writes. “It  caused me to begin yet another weaving of a flag, which includes references to the textile traditions of Africa.  In my early days of learning how to weave, the late 60s and early 70s, I wove many samples, and after weaving, experimented with batik and dyeing.  After all these years, those woven samples — maybe eight or ten of them —  were sewn together to become the surface on which the flag would eventually, after about a year, emerge.”

James Bassler Flag weaving
20jbas This Old House, James Bassler, multiple cotton and silk warps, patched together, multiple sisal, silk, linen, agave, ramie wefts, synthetic and natural dyes. batik plain and wedge-weave construction
27” x 42”, 2024. Photo by Tom Grotta

Same Difference by John McQueen draws appreciative comments (“That’s clever!” “I get it.”) when people learn its backstory. It’s comprised of three items on pedestals made of sticks tied with waxed linen — a wooden sump pump, the skeleton of a bonsai tree, and a representation of the elephant god Ganesh made of tied twigs. The items seem to have been chosen randomly, but they are not. Each draws water from the ground and uses it to slake thirsty crops and people, trees and animals.

John McQueen Same Difference three willow sculptures
21jm Same Difference, John McQueen, wood, sticks, bonsai, 54” x 60” x 24”, 2013, photo by Tom Grotta

Wendy Wahl’s work in Discourse explores inversion — a reversal of position, order, form, or relationship — and requires people to take a closer look. Wahl writes that she reassembles encyclopedia pages because of their symbolism, conceptual reference, and unique paper quality.  “My interactions with these materials,” she writes, “are meditative. These pieces are created by deconstructing the books, rolling and pinching the individual parts, and, like a puzzle, fitting them to the panel. The interconnected spiral elements become the picture plane that explores dimension, direction, texture, color, and reflection.” 

44ww Inversion, 2023/24, Wendy Wahl, encyclopedia britannica pages, wood panel, 40″ x 30″, 2024. Photo by Tom Grotta

The evocative forms of Rachel Max’s work draw viewers in for inspection and introspection. Over the last few years, Max has been making forms that explore notions of infinity and time. The title for her piece in this exhibition, Caesura, came to her while she was making it. “I was thinking about the composition, working out where the weave should become less dense and where one section would end and another begin. I wanted to create a visual interruption, my equivalent to a break in music or a pause. In poetry, I discovered,  this is called Caesura.”

Sculptural blue basket form by Rachel Max
13rm Caesura, Rachel Max, woven cane sculpture, plaited and twined, dyed, 11” x 16.5” x 8”, 2023-24. Photo by Tom Grotta

There are dozens of works to discover at Discourse: art across generations and continents and five days remaining to join us. Hope we’ll see you!

Schedule a visit
Times to visit Discourse: art across generations and continents can be scheduled on POSH. 

Exhibition Details:
Discourse: art across generations and continents
Through May 12, 2024
browngrotta arts
276 Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT 06897

Gallery Dates/Hours:
Wednesday May 8th through Saturday, May 11th: 10am to 5pm (40 visitors/ hour)
Sunday, May 12th: 11am to 6pm [Final Day] (40 visitors/ hour)
Schedule your visit at POSH.

Safety protocols: 
POSH reservations strongly encouraged • No narrow heels please 

Catalog:
A full-color catalog, browngrotta arts’ 59th, Discourse: art across generations and continents, with an essay by Erika Diamond, Artist | Curator | Associate Director of CVA Galleries | Chautauqua Institution, will be published by the browngrotta arts in May 2024 in conjunction with the exhibition.

Upcoming:
browngrotta arts will present a talkthrough of slides from Discourse on Zoom, Art on the Rocks: art art talkthrough with a twist, on Friday, June 11th at 7 pm EST.