"I have kind of an insatiable appetite for art -- for art and artists -- because really, the two can't be separated," Mead said. "The highest compliment that you can pay an artist is to come to their opening reception, and to see their work. An artist makes something not to be in a vacuum. They make it to be experienced and enjoyed and to be part of the public dialogue." Gerald Mead
The curtain falls, the house lights dim, it is time for my
Dressing Gown to Filter Our Bad Chi to come back to my home/studio. For the past few weeks she has been having a life of her own at the Northeast Regional Contemporary Fiber Exhibition at Rochester Contemporary Art Center (April 1 – May 9, 2011) Rochester, NY.
A call for entries went out in Fall 2010 and over 100 artists entered the juried exhibition, which is a joint effort of the Surface Design Association and RoCo.
"The submissions from 9 Northeastern States were juried by Gerald Mead, a Buffalo-based artist, independent curator and writer who was a long-time curator at the Burchfield- Penney Art Center; Mary Giehl, artist and adjunct faculty member in the Syracuse University Fiber & Textile Arts Program, and Marie Via, The Memorial Art Gallery’s Curator of Special Exhibitions. The jurors have also chosen three substantial cash prizes: First Place $500, Second Place $250, Juror’s Choice $250. "
" Rochester Contemporary Art Center Director Bleu Cease is excited about the works chosen. “Our jurors have strong backgrounds and expertise in fiber art and they selected works that will intrigue and challenge viewers. The pieces range in scale, concept, materials and process. The artworks in the exhibition also represent a range of artistic voices. The exhibition will generate a lot of discussion and debate, and that is the kind of dialogue and exchange that Rochester Contemporary Art Center exists to create.”
It did not take matter that Dressing Gown was not selected for a prize in this show. I was so elated to have her selected along with the 28 artworks and 22 artists on view in that promised some of the most challenging and engaging works made by artists using fiber materials or processes in the Northeastern US.
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| Here I am Opening Night April 1, 2011 getting used to seeing Dressing Gown to Filter Out Bad Chi take on a life of her own @ RoCo gallery. |
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| She looked so alone and confused when I first arrived at the RoCo.. |
While out for her maiden debut, Dressing Gown to Filter Out Bad Chi made quite a splash with the public. She gained mention in the RoCo Press Release.
"Massachusetts artist Jodi Collella’s three-inch round seed sculptures were created by repetitively hand punching colored wools with a needle and Vermont artist Michéle Rattè’s large scale assemblages incorporate cable, fiber, stones, shells and even applied gold. Buffalo-based artist Carol Ann Rice Rafferty’s
Dressing Gown to Filter Out Bad Chi, a muslin shift whose entire surface is covered with used coffee filters and beeswax."
http://www.rochestercontemporary.org/mediaroom_fiber11.html
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| Not wishing to influence the experience of the viewer with Dressing Gown in any way I stood back to enjoy patrons coming in for a closer look. |
" The exhibition is a departure for Rochester Contemporary, says director Bleu Cease, as this is a show built around a medium rather than the work of one or a group of specific artists. Works range from expressions of peaceful meditations to studies in form and color, to political concerns; from adornments, like Carol Ann Rice Rafferty's ruffle-y cocoon of muslin, used coffee-filters, and beeswax ("Dressing Gown to Filter Out Bad Chi"), to Marilyn Beal's glowing, crisscrossing threadwork in "Snowless Winter," to "Apothecary," an arrangement of shimmering fabric bottles by Saberah Malik. " Rebecca Rafferty ( no relations)
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" While we're on the subject of talismans, Carol Ann Rice Rafferty of Erie County likes to inject a little luck into her playful fashions. She uses coffee filters and beeswax to construct Dressing Gown to Filter Out Bad Chi." Stuart Low
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| Later in the evening when patrons discovered I was in the gallery we share the concept behind my work and how it related to them. |
No an artist does not create art is a vacuum. As Mr. Mead said, "The highest compliment that you can pay an artist is to come to their opening reception, and to see their work. An artist makes something not to be in a vacuum. They make it to be experienced and enjoyed and to be part of the public dialogue."
A gallery show does is not created in a vacuum either.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the sponsors of the Northeastern Regional Contemporary Fiber Exhibition; Rome Celli, Robert and Jeanne Beck, Surface Design Organization and Xpedex.
Thanks also to the jurors who selected this collection; Gerald Mead, Mary Gihl and Marie Via.
Rochester Contemporary Art Center Director Bleu Cease and his staff for hosting two First Friday evenings and making patrons feel welcome during gallery hours. Special thanks to all of you who came to see this show either to speak with the artist for a quiet peek on your own.
Kara and I will pick up Dressing Gown on Friday during our adventure across New York State to visit Barry and Meghan in West Chester this weekend.
Dressing Gown to Filter Out Bad Chi will take her place of prominence in my foyer until she is once again called to participate in a gallery show. She will be filled with good memories of all the attention and comments from the Fiber show. I am sure it will not be long before she is back out for viewing in a gallery near you.
