California Fibers last met in person in January, like many art groups, constrained by shelter-in-place and quarantine requirements. We met online in April, our normal meeting day and time, but in little boxes on the screen, some muted, some distracted, some challenged by technology, all glad to see and hear our group. We talked about art and our upcoming exhibits and whether they might even happen, until one member, Lydia Tjioe Hall, suggested we create an online exhibit in our isolation, a response to having to wear a mask, especially as fiber artists. So many other people were unearthing ancient sewing machines and using up all the elastic, or searching through their stash for appropriate materials. It seemed appropriate for each of us to reach deeply into our chosen medium and fashion a response to being masked and in quarantine.
And here they are…
Charlotte Bird, I’d Rather Be Somewhere Calm
Doshi, Ebb and Flow; Silk Organza, Arashi Shibori, Acid Dye
Timeless ebb and flow,
Endless waves of change,
Eternal depth of the sea.
Susan Henry
Polly Jacobs Giacchina, Wire, salvaged metal, and felt
Chari Myers, Covid-19 UV Blaster Periwinkle; wet felted, merino wool, viscose, silk gauze, lights
and Covid-19 UV Blaster Red; wet felted, merino wool, viscose, silk gauze, lights
Kathy Nida, COVID Mask; window screen, wool and cotton embroidery thread
Aneesa Shami, Credit: El Naddaha (deconstructed knit mask) by Aneesa Shami, for Planet City, Director Liam Young, Costume Design Ane Crabtree.
Cameron Taylor-Brown, Unraveled, an antisocial fabric mask; woven, layered and stitched, linen and rayon, 6” h x 7” w
This mask is inspired by a commentator who said that our chaotic national response to Covid is “unraveling our social fabric. “ One could also say that the fault lines of our culture are now unmasked for all to see – even as our citizenry is directed to “mask up.” Unraveled is cobbled together from pieces of handwoven textile, folded and stitched haphazardly, with threads in disarray. And it doesn’t fit well - not much protection would be gained from this mask.
Lydia Tjioe Hall, Face Mask No. 1
and Sneeze
Peggy Wiedemann
