I was lucky enough to be able to see Sheila Hicks' work a couple of months ago at the Addison, where her "50 Years" retrospective opened before traveling to Philadelphia. At the time, I was exploring some mini weavings and her work somehow felt too close to home to be able to enjoy the exhibition. I think I was afraid it would stop me in my tracks... which it did! I stopped weaving.. Now the show is opening in Philly, a couple of articles came out, one in the New York Times on Monday and one in Art in America online so I got to look at her work again and got re-inspired...
I love how she seems to be constantly exploring new ways to work. One of the articles talks about how she always have this small homemade loom handy at her studio which sounds a bit like mine. Both articles touch the (obsolete?) subject of separation between art and craft which she seems to have avoided by blending the two in a very personal way.
My favorite part in the Art in America article is this:
" I asked the artist about the in-between character of her work—the straddling of binaries such as male/female, art/craft, monumental/intimate, Western/non-Western—which makes it so difficult to categorize. She was firm in her response: "Do you want me to de-mystify my own work? I don't know how."
Take that.. I never understand the need to categorize anyways. As for all work that inspires me, it leaves me with the recurring belief that I/we just need to keep working..
I love how she seems to be constantly exploring new ways to work. One of the articles talks about how she always have this small homemade loom handy at her studio which sounds a bit like mine. Both articles touch the (obsolete?) subject of separation between art and craft which she seems to have avoided by blending the two in a very personal way.
My favorite part in the Art in America article is this:
" I asked the artist about the in-between character of her work—the straddling of binaries such as male/female, art/craft, monumental/intimate, Western/non-Western—which makes it so difficult to categorize. She was firm in her response: "Do you want me to de-mystify my own work? I don't know how."
Take that.. I never understand the need to categorize anyways. As for all work that inspires me, it leaves me with the recurring belief that I/we just need to keep working..
How lucky you were to have seen her work, albeit at an inopportune time. She is truly one of the top two artists whose work I admire.
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