Saturday, January 5, 2019

Woven Within

At Vermont Studio Center, March 2018.  Photo by Viet Van Tran
With every ending comes a new beginning and it is never too late to begin again.
A great thought for the start of a new year. It's been quite some time since I have written a blog post and today is the day for an update.

A little less than a year ago, March 2018, the flannel tapestry series began while in residence at The Vermont Studio Center (see blog post http://staceypiwinskifineart.blogspot.com/2018/04/vermont-studio-center-march-2018.html ). Since then I have created two more large tapestries and I am currently working on the another.

Refuge was the first of the flannel tapestries made solely by my own hands, where the first three tapestries were made working with many volunteers.  The other pieces were formed by my responses to people's participation. Conversations and energies shared guided the works. Refuge was a conversation with myself that slowly accumulated over five months. To me this piece feels connected, unrushed, and strong, landing right where it is meant to be.

Upon completion, the tapestry was shown in the exhibition, Shelter, at MCLA's Gallery 51 and curated by Arthur De Bow.

“The word refuge means a place of shelter….but I am not talking about the basic physical shelter that every human being needs and deserves. I’m talking about the kind of shelter that lets you get in touch with your deepest self. Refuge should help calm, should help you feel safe and protected, can even restore your soul. A true space of refuge can also function as a kind of cocoon, where you retreat to do the sort of self-examination that leads to inner change. It can give you both rest and the wherewithal to act from strength.” Sally Kempton

Refuge on display at Gallery 51 in North Adams, MA
I was curious how my process would change from working with others and producing three large tapestries within a one month long residency to working alone in my studio. The process was slower, as to be expected, but the piece still resonated with energy of what lies beneath the surface. I was honestly not sure how this was going to work out...

So, I began another piece, working on my own off of my studio wall. Although I was not meditating, I was doing a repetitive process that was very meditative. I also found myself listening to podcasts on meditation most of the time while working on these pieces, specifically Dan Harris's 10% Happier podcasts. It became part of my studio routine to listen to this podcast while working on a flannel tapestry. In one sitting, I would work for one or two hours, which meant one or two podcasts. This next piece came about a little faster than the first. Within three months time I had completed Flannel Tapestry #5, Awareness of Awareness.



Finishing up the loose ends during Waltham Open Studios in November. 


I am currently working on the next tapestry in my studio right now. But, I do miss working with others. In just a few weeks on Saturday, January 26th, I will be teaching a workshop titled, Woven Within at Creative Spirit in Marblehead, MA. From 10am to 12:30, you can spend half of your day working warm, cozy and colorful yarns. Each participant will learn to weave their own circular weaving, starting at the center and radiating out to one another. A short guided meditation will allow us to go within. A relaxing work time will allow us to slow down, work with our hands and connect to one another. Space is limited, so please sign up at https://www.creativespiritma.com/wovenwithin
Thank you to my yoga buddies Nadine, Tracy and Amy for trying out the workshop in advance and making these lovely circular weavings with me. 





Monday, April 30, 2018

Artist in Residence at Francis Wyman Elementary School


I was the artist in residence at Francis Wyman Elementary School in Burlington, MA from Monday April 23rd through Friday April 27th. During this time the students in grades 2 through 5 created a community tapestry for their school. They were asked to bring in something of their own that could be added into the piece as a treasure. The rules were nothing mushy, gross, perishable or alive. Students brought in all kinds of items such as lost gloves and socks, hockey laces, plastic jewelry, ribbons, old t-shirts, and even tiny little pencils. 


Each student had a chance to sit down at one of the three loom in the art room and learn to weave. They chose a bobbin color and a treasure to weave into their section. Even after my first day with the students, we had created quite a bit of fabric.

Students weaving on Day One

Adding in a piece of blue lace as treasure

Students weaving on Day One
Our progress after the the first day

Ms. Kerr admiring our weavings
During each art class, one student from each table was invited to work on one of the three looms. Once their section was complete, they would choose someone else from their table to come over and work at the loom next. I was happy that we were able to give all the students that were in class an opportunity to work on a loom.

We also made connections to their art curriculum since many of students were working at their tables on art projects that related to weaving. For example;  some of the fifth graders were using backstrap looms, some of the fourth grades were weaving potholders, and some of the third graders were making small woven baskets.

Grade 5 backstrap weaving

Grade 4 potholers
Grade 3 basket weaving
A student weaving socks

A student weaving on Day 2
Our progress after Day 2
Day 3 of the residency and the looms were overflowing! I decided to prepare another warp just incase...
Overflowing looms!
Setting up the strings on the warping board. Thanks to the fifth graders who helped me with this part!
By the end of the day on Wednesday our first strip of fabric came off the loom.

Each piece we made was 150 threads wide. Each thread needs to be put through the reed and the heddles, a slow process. 

By Thursday morning we had a new set up ready to go and continued to weave.


Weaving with orange that matches his shoelaces!
Weaving with rainbow shoelaces!
Weaving in her sparkley t-shirt as treasure
A detail of the sparkley t-shirt woven into the tapestry
Day 5, my final day working on this project, we completed 33 yards of fabric and at lease 334 people worked on the looms over five days time. At least 668 hands worked together to create this unique and colorful handwoven tapestry.

Our finished fabric
Thank you to Ms. Kerr for inviting me to Francis Wyman Elementary School to do this project. Thank you to the PTO for generously funding this project. Thank you to the students at Francis Wyman for being such great participants. Thank you to the faculty and staff, especially Ms. Vigneau and Mrs. Wicks, for welcoming me into your community. I am happy to leave this energy-filled tapestry at your school. I have installed it outside of the library so that you can all enjoy it.

Please feel free to leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you.

Also, if you know of a school that would be interested creating a community tapestry like this one, please email me for further information at stacey@staceypiwinski.com. 

Sincerely,
Ms. Piwinski

Installing the tapestry
Searching for my part...

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Vermont Studio Center, March 2018

My studio at the end of the March residency, photo courtesy of Viet Van Tran.

I spent the month of March at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT. I was here in November of 2016 and have been looking forward to returning. I spent the first week settling in and wondering what a residency would be like if I shut my door and made small paintings. Especially since the last time I was here I did more community involved pieces such as the Orange Hat Project. https://staceypiwinskifineart.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-orange-hat-project.html

For the first week, I tried to slow down, be still, and make small paintings. I visited the meditation hut and tried to sit and let me mind relax. I couldn't help myself from thinking about the last time I was here, the people I met and the work that was created. https://staceypiwinskifineart.blogspot.com/2016/11/vermont-studio-center-first-half.html  https://staceypiwinskifineart.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-vermont-studio-center-second-half.html I was just beginning to get into the rhythm of these small little landscapes, when I returned to the Vermont Flannel Company...

Me and my little landscape paintings form week one. Photo by Viet Van Tran.

Working on a small landscape. Photo by Viet Van Tran.

Photograph by Viet Van Tran

The last time I was here, I had met Mallory at the Vermont Flannel Company and purchased strips of flannel remnants that I incorporated into my work in various ways. On the morning that I left that residency in November of 2016, I stopped at the Flannel Store and gave Mallory a scarf made out of the flannel remnants. She took me upstairs to meet the sewers and to show them what I had made from their scraps. As I was up there, I watched as this one woman named Cerese, let small little scraps of flannel fall into a bag beside her. I think she noticed me looking at her tiny little scraps and she asked me if I wanted them. I said yes, even though my car was packed, and she pulled out a Fritos bag and a few hard candy wrappers from her trash and gave it to me. With those remnants, I have made several scarves. I began to create scarves to sell as a fundraiser to earn money towards my tuition to return to the Studio Center #vermontscarves I still had many of these scares remaining in the beginning of March, so I decided to bring them with me. They could have been used into my landscapes or maybe as a bartering tool?


The 16 Vermont Scarves that I brought with me to the residency. 

Sunday afternoon, the beginning of week #2, I brought the first few bags of flannel remnants into the studio. Mallory knew that I would be returning in March and saved me some scraps. That afternoon, I went to do laundry and began to braid the flannel, in a way that could be used to make rag rugs. I came back from doing this task with a new idea and began the first small wall piece.

One bag of Flannel Remnants

Braiding at the Laundry Mat

The first small wall loom

Once I wove the flannel strips and braided flannel into the small wall loom, then I began the first large wall loom, 84 nails across the top and bottom. The next day I had a studio visit with the artist, Corban Walker. He asked me if I would have enough time to finish one and I said I thought that I could finish two. However, by the end of the month, with all the assistance I got from participating residents, we completed three!

The beginning...

The goal of working small and being still only lasted so long... Once I decided to work big, I returned to the Vermont Flannel Company to get more supplies...

They had plenty of remnants for me.


How could you resist? Time to jump in!
I did use the scarves as a bartering tool... I offered a labor exchange. For a minimum of two hours labor on these tapestries, one hour of braiding flannel that can be done on your on time and one hour of work in the studio, participants could earn a scarf.  From the first day I hung the sign up sheet on my door, it filled and I even added a wait list. Susannah was the first to earn her Vermont scarf.




While working along with volunteers and participants to create this laborious work, we would talk. When working with you hands in repetitive and meditative motions, these conversations go beneath the surface. These personal stories and social exchanges are embedded into these tapestries. These works are about people, place, and conversation.


Beginning the conversation


Patrick working on Tapestry #1

Patrick earns his scarf

Patrick was there helping me with the tapestries every step of the way. He put in a record number of hours working in the studio and even wove a couple scarves of his own. I appreciate his assistance, company, and the occasional singing of show tunes!

Viet Van Tran would  often come by the studio to take photos of us working. Many of the pictures he took are in this blogpost. He has a way of capturing artists working in a very honest and sincere way. One day I told him he had to work on the tapestry before he could take photos...

Viet Van Tran weaving
The photo Viet Van Tran took of me that day with my many things.

What once was a quiet, solitary painting studio in the first week, had transformed into a place to gather, talk and work together in the second week. As people began to earn their scarves, they would wear them outside, to meals, and around the studio center. Kapil told me they were like an walking exhibition.

Jill and Kapil helping to sort flannel scraps while Denise and Lori weave. 


Jenny and her scarf

As more scarves were earned, more people would come by the studio to work. As more people would work with the soft flannel fabric, more people would visit the Vermont Flannel Company to support the local business that supported us. I loved seeing people braiding at talks and events, people proudly wearing their scarves, and all the flannel shirts. Even after their minimum of two hours of labor was complete, many residents would return to work more on the tapestry anyway... so I decided to set up two.

Anne working on Tapestry #2

Anne earns her scarf
Tapestry #2, which I have titled Flora Bunta, came to be quite fast. Many hands helped to make the piece and it quickly gained momentum. Even Mallory from the Vermont Flannel Company came to work on this piece with us one night after work. Participation guides the compositions and creates the energy of each piece.

Junko was especially interested in helping to complete this piece and she helped me over the two days time until it was complete. Thank you Junko!

Mallory weaving
Mallory weaving
Junko and Emily working on Tapestry #2, Flora Bunta


Once it was complete, we took it off the wall and became quite playful interacting with this woven tapestry...


Jake and Flora
Jake helped me hang the tapestry up high and then I set up Tapestry #3.

A passage from a poem by Cindy Veach referencing the Mill Girls of Lowell, MA...

They bleed, I weave.
I weave, they bleed.

The blood threads have now turned to healing threads.

Meg begins Tapestry #3

Kim weaving Tapestry #3, Passage to the Sky

Sarah weaving

Sarah weaving
Meghan weaving

Meghan weaving
These pieces work so well because of everyone who participated, because artists are open and courageous, allowing themselves to be vulnerable, because of what you were willing to share, these things, this process is inextricable from the finished pieces. I believe these feelings, emotions and intentions are the work.

A special thank you to Mallory and The Vermont Flannel Company for supplying me with the flannel remnants and coming to the studio two times to work on the tapestries and make her own scarf.

Weaving with Mallory. Photo by Kieran Riley Abbott

Weaving with Mallory. Photo by Kieran Riley Abbott

Mallory and the scarf that she made.

Thank you tot he Vermont Studio Center and all who work there to make this an incerdible place for artists to have a amazing and productive residency experiences.

Thank you to everyone who worked on these pieces with me...at least 25 people, you know who you are!  More photos can be found on Instagram at #loomlabor

It took many people, several bags of flannel remnants, 4lbs of nails, at least 67 hours and 23 minutes of volunteer labor and labor exchange, at least 24 bags of braided flannel, many conversations, 19 handwoven scarves made by me, and 4 handwoven scarves made by visitors. I could not have done this without all of you!

Walking in Vermont with Kate. Tapestry #1, Envelope of Sadness


Siuko helping to complete Tapestry #3, Passage to the Sky

However, now that I am back home, I set up strings on my studio wall to attempt Tapestry #4. The energy will be very different working alone in my home studio and the time I will have in the studio will be more fragmented by real life than the luxury of time one has while at a residency. I am curious how a piece that is a conversation with myself over a longer period of time will compare to the three pieces that were created with all of you. I guess, we'll wait and see what lies beneath the surface...

Photo by Howard Romero