On Thursday, May 24, the Figge will host an Art Talk that explores the topic of sculpted fiber. Figge Associate Curator Rima Girnius will introduce the artists represented in the exhibition, Sculpting with Fiber, and Rowen Schussheim- Anderson, fiber artist and Professor of Art at Augustana College, will explain the materials and techniques used to create the works on display. The Art Talk begins at 7pm and is offered in conjunction with Thursdays at the Figge.
Sculpting with Fiber showcases fiber works created during the 1960s and 1970s. Prompted by the feminist inquiry into the social constraints imposed on women, fiber artists challenged the distinctions made between craft and fine art. They appropriated the very techniques and materials that had been associated with domestic labor and transformed them into abstract, non-representational compositions that implied rather than described narratives. Using coarse and raw natural fiber like hand-spun wool, sisal and jute ropes over the fine silk and linen threads of conventional tapestries, artists built out from the two-dimensional plane and into the three-dimensional space of sculpture.
The works included in Sculpting with Fiber are on loan to the Figge Art Museum from the Deere & Company corporate art collection. This is the third exhibition from the John Deere Collection at Figge since 2010. The corporate collection, acquired during the mid to late 20th century, contains artworks from countries where Deere & Company conducts business. The collection features art from East Asia, northern Africa, Eastern Europe and the Americas. In addition to textiles, the collection includes oil paintings, works on paper, photography, and sculpture. By exhibiting their collection at the Figge, Deere & Company gives the community unique access to rarely viewed works of art.
Sculpting with Fiber is one of two exhibitions on view at the Figge featuring Fiber. Interplay: Material, Method and Motif in West African Art, an exhibition included in the Legacies for Iowa: A University of Iowa Museum of Art Collections Sharing Project will be on view at the Figge through October 21, 2012. Interplay explores the dynamic intersections of materials, methods and motifs in four West African contexts. Pieces included in this exhibition are from the University of Iowa Museum of Art's permanent collection.
About the Figge Art Museum
The Figge Art Museum is located on the riverfront in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and Sundays 12-5 p.m. Thursdays the museum is open until 9pm. Admission to the museum and tour is $7. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit our website, www.figgeartmuseum.org.
