Greater Chicago Quilt Exposition
The Mancuso firm is premiering their:
Greater Chicago Quilt Exposition
11/9/2006 - 11/12/2006
Schaumburg, Illinois
If you scroll about a third of the way down that page you will see that The Left Turn Lane will be one of the special exhibitions.
I will be in Chicago from the 9th through the 11th. I will be in and out of the exposition and hard to catch. I must say I am greatly honored to have been asked to provide these works. This is seven years of my life and all twenty two works.
I thought you might like to see the artist's statement.
Artists rarely actively consider the impact of their daily art on the workings of their own psyche. We don’t publicly consider how art works on the maker. However as artist, Martha Marques, says “I make the work and the work makes me.” I cannot say it any more clearly.
What began as a fluke became a personal journey became a commentary on the ills and mores of society. I speak of disillusion, isolation, alienation, and loneliness; poverty, panhandling, and the working poor who are always with us. They cope with disinterest, aggression, avarice, and greed. They live in an environment that victimizes the victim. We try not to see them.
These works, however, convey the power of honor and dignity in the face of difficulties. They show us the powerful force of the human condition. Freedom and autonomy are basic, internalized values. There is a remarkable beauty in what we often consider un-lovely.
This is perhaps the most important passage from my earlier writings about this work:“Though the work is of my hands and wells up from speaking my mind and speaking my soul, with all the passion that encompasses, it is somehow something separate and apart from me. It is me and yet not me. For me, the maker’s hand is central to the power of the work. The fabric is the tangible intermediary that takes, holds, and carries that power outward in time. The unseen is made apparent, but not necessarily visible. The textile is imbued with the unseen energy of the maker’s hand.”
I had spoken to a friend several years ago, talking about how the cloth was the surrogate for the healing of my son who lives on the streets. It felt, emotionally, akin to the old fashioned “laying on of hands.” I understood imperfectly at the time. I understand more clearly now. I wish I could find the words that would convey that knowledge. For now, the works will have to speak for themselves and for me.
©2004, thelmasmith
I will be in Chicago from the 9th through the 11th. I will be in and out of the exposition and hard to catch. I must say I am greatly honored to have been asked to provide these works. This is seven years of my life and all twenty two works.
I thought you might like to see the artist's statement.
THE LEFT TURN LANE
Thoughts, Looking Back
Artists rarely actively consider the impact of their daily art on the workings of their own psyche. We don’t publicly consider how art works on the maker. However as artist, Martha Marques, says “I make the work and the work makes me.” I cannot say it any more clearly.
What began as a fluke became a personal journey became a commentary on the ills and mores of society. I speak of disillusion, isolation, alienation, and loneliness; poverty, panhandling, and the working poor who are always with us. They cope with disinterest, aggression, avarice, and greed. They live in an environment that victimizes the victim. We try not to see them.
These works, however, convey the power of honor and dignity in the face of difficulties. They show us the powerful force of the human condition. Freedom and autonomy are basic, internalized values. There is a remarkable beauty in what we often consider un-lovely.
This is perhaps the most important passage from my earlier writings about this work:“Though the work is of my hands and wells up from speaking my mind and speaking my soul, with all the passion that encompasses, it is somehow something separate and apart from me. It is me and yet not me. For me, the maker’s hand is central to the power of the work. The fabric is the tangible intermediary that takes, holds, and carries that power outward in time. The unseen is made apparent, but not necessarily visible. The textile is imbued with the unseen energy of the maker’s hand.”
I had spoken to a friend several years ago, talking about how the cloth was the surrogate for the healing of my son who lives on the streets. It felt, emotionally, akin to the old fashioned “laying on of hands.” I understood imperfectly at the time. I understand more clearly now. I wish I could find the words that would convey that knowledge. For now, the works will have to speak for themselves and for me.
©2004, thelmasmith
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