Thread of Life: Mariko Kusumoto: - Museum of Fine Arts - Florida ...

Right: Miriam Schapiro,Grandma Bolero, 1980, fabricand mixed media collage,16 x 20”, courtesy of FlomenhaftGallery, New YorkA leader in two art movements:the “Feminist Art Movement” and“Pattern and Decoration,”Miriam Schapiro transformssuch commonplaceelements as lace, fabric scraps,buttons, rickrack, sequins,and tea towels into sophisticatedcompositions she calls“Femmages,” that speak to women’sexperiences.44 O n V i e w M a g a z i n e . c o m • F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 1 2

Thread of LifeIN THE LATTER HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY,a powerful movement revolved around the pioneer artists of the’60s and ’70s who re-claimed media that had been historicallysidelined. Artists such as Judy Chicago, Miriam Schapiro andFaith Ringgold, among others, brought everything that textilearts signified into the political consciousness of the contemporaryart world. Their efforts are the inspiration behind theMuseum of Fine Arts’ 2012 Spring exhibition, Thread of Life.“I once worked with an art historian who believed an ideacould rise or fall on its title,” said A. Palladino-Craig, Directorof the Museum of Fine Arts. “That has always seemed like truthto me, and so Thread of Life, which implies a linear universalas well as the medium of the exhibition, went through a numberof revisions before our basic premise was distilled down to thebelief that a familiar, unassuming medium can be a triumph ofindividual expression, and that the variation in expression can beas endlessly variable as the artists themselves.”Weavers, painters, sculptors and needleworkers have createdexciting narratives and statements, ecological landscapesand installations addressing such subjects as civil rights andimprisonment, the sweatshop, natural and man-made disasters,and the human narrative from birth to poetic elegy. Throughtheir work, we can draw threads of metaphor and allusion, connection,historical precedent and future potential in any directionwe choose.The sampling of works presented on the following pagesillustrates the boundless and diverse range of talent and inspirationamong the artists represented.Above: Faith Ringgold,Tar Beach #2 (detail), 1990-92,silkscreen on silk/24, 66 x 65”,courtesy of ACA Galleries, New York“Faith Ringgold’sunforgettable Tar Beachspeaks to children’srite of passage throughlife’s challenges.It celebrates the freedomto soar.”—Viki D. Thompson Wylder,Co-Curator, “Thread of Life”O n V i e w M a g a z i n e . c o m • F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 1 2 45

Thread of Life“Historical narrative associated withto listeners in a way that sAudiences like stories and there is more46 O n V i e w M a g a z i n e . c o m • F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 1 2

Pictured:Stephanie Liner,Momentos of aDoomed Construct,2009, upholstery,fabric, foam,plywood,live models,dimensions varyStephanie Liner’sworks are volumesand spacesenergized by patternand tint to makereference to thehuman form,sometimes clothinga mannequinshape, sometimesincorporatinglive models.an artifact brings home significanceimple text can never do.than one story told in this exhibition.”—A. Palladino-Craig, Director, Museum of Fine Arts

Thread of LifeAbove (top to bottom):Susan Etcoff Fraerman,Bound For Glory I, 1998,9 x 6.5 x 3”;medium: fiber; technique:off loom bead weaving,right angle weave,applied beadsBound For Glory II, 1999,9.5 x 5 x 3”;medium: fiber; technique:off loom bead weaving,right angle weave,applied beads48 O n V i e w M a g a z i n e . c o m • F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 1 2

The Blues (paired withform altered for deformity),2001, 9 x 14 x 4”;medium: fiber; technique:off loom bead weaving,right angle weave, applied beadsPhotography by Tom Van EyndeSusan Etcoff Fraerman createsdelicately beaded shoes, a metaphorfor the life of the wearers.In some of her sculptures, the shoesrepresent lotos-blossom slippers,those intricately decorated small artifactsthat hid such unbelievable torment(from the late 10th century until 1911,when foot-binding was outlawedin China) in the service of an ideal offeminine beauty. This oppression,for Fraerman, is ironicallyechoed in the haute couture heels ofcontemporary dress.O n V i e w M a g a z i n e . c o m • F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 1 2 49

Thread of LifeLinda Pigman Fifield,Kentucky Wild Flower, 2006,glass beads on armature,3 x 3.25”Working with micro-components,Linda Pigman Fifieldinvokes the beaded objectsof Native Americanneedlework on vessel-shapedarmatures to depicta clear vibrant imagery.O n V i e w M a g a z i n e . c o m • F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 1 2 51

Thread of Life52 O n V i e w M a g a z i n e . c o m • F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 1 2

Lanny Bergner,Forest Hollow, 2011, and detail,stainless steel mesh,glass frit, wire, 33 x 15 x 10”Unique statement demandsunique imagery:Lanny Bergner’s “thread”is the fiber of screen meshre-invented in shapesof nature (cocoons, seacreatures, conifers), precise andorganic at the same time.

Thread of LifeLaura Breitman,Autumn Burst, 2011, and detail,fabric collage, 42 x 39”Laura Breitman’s astoundingcollages are brilliant land- andcityscapes that use fabricin the same way that the computerscreen uses pixels. At adistance they replicate the scenerythe artist has selected,but up close they are fitted likemosaics to build the huesand values of recognizable shape.On ViewO n V i e w M a g a z i n e . c o m • F e b r u a r y / M a r c h 2 0 1 2 55