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Common threads bind contemporary art at Focus: Fiber 2008  |
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 The Textile Art Alliance (TAA) of the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) presents Focus: Fiber 2008, a bi-annual juried show of contemporary fiber art May 16 - June 21, 2008 at the Art Gallery at Cleveland State University (2307 Chester Avenue). This regional exhibition includes entries from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
“The Textile Art Alliance (TAA) is very excited about expanding the Focus: Fiber show by accepting digital images of art,” Susan McNamara, co-chair of Focus: Fiber 2008 and member of TAA, said. “Moving the show from the Artist Archives of the Western Reserve, which housed Focus: Fiber 2006, to the Art Gallery at Cleveland State University has meant the ability to accept larger works and 3-dimensional pieces of art. TAA is always looking for new and unique ideas to expand the understanding of Fiber Arts to the general public and to highlight remarkable talents of artists working in fiber.”
Focus: Fiber 2008 will be juried by Sarah Quinton, senior curator at the Textile Art Museum in Toronto. Quinton’s curatorial projects focus on studio art practices that explore contemporary and traditional hand made textiles as they inform and intersect with sculpture, photography, design, painting, new media and site-specific installations. Quinton will give a lecture on May 14, 2008 in the CMA Recital Hall drawing on her curatorial experience and discussing studio practices that explore textiles and their relation to other art media. She will also hold a workshop on May 15, 2008 where artists may receive direct feedback on their work: general public $120; TAA members, $90.
Focus: Fiber 2008 is free and open to the public. The Art Gallery at Cleveland State University has limited hours, due to the university’s summer vacation, including Wednesday from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., or by appointment with 24-hour notice by calling (216) 687-2103.
When it closes in Cleveland on June 21, Focus: Fiber 2008 will move to its next venue, the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York, where it will be on view from August – November 2008.
Focus: Fiber, established in 1936 by The Textile Art Alliance (TAA), began with an exhibition of TAA members’ works and was changed to a juried show in 1967. In 1970, the show was restricted to only fiber arts and “Focus: Fiber” became a significant annual event in contemporary fiber art. TAA members coordinated and curated “FIBERWORKS” in 1977, which marked the first contemporary fiber art exhibition at a major American art museum. The show expanded to a regional juried show in 1997. Focus: Fiber 2006 set records with attendance and the number of artworks submitted – 218 pieces from 92 artists from seven states.
About The Textile Art Alliance
The Textile Art Alliance (TAA) is an affiliate group of the Cleveland Museum of Art formed in 1934. TAA’s mission is to promote interest in the textile arts, further understanding and appreciation of textiles by offering lectures, workshops, and exhibitions, and add to the museum's textile collection. To date, approximately 50 pieces have been purchased for the museum’s textile collections, including Peruvian weavings dated 200 BC and works by contemporary artists Lenore Tawney and Glen Kaufman. All lectures are free, open to the public and will be held throughout the Greater Cleveland Community during the 2007-2008 season. Additional information can be found at www.clevelandart.org/taa.
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