Yousuf Karsh, untitled (portrait of Lenore Tawney with Shadow River), 1959; digital image from the negative; dimensions variable. Courtesy of the Estate of Yousuf Karsh.
Lenore Tawney (1907–2007) was an influential figure in the postwar fiber arts movement, creating groundbreaking work that continues to reverberate today. Known for her monumental sculptural weavings, Tawney’s practice also included drawing, collage, and assemblage.
Tawney’s life’s work will be the subject of a four-exhibition series, Mirror of the Universe, Oct. 6, 2019–Mar. 7, 2020, at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wis. The series is the most comprehensive presentation of her work since 1990.
Tawney’s work redefined traditional notions of weaving as she manipulated fiber into abstract sculptural forms and complex woven structures. Artists, scholars, and friends revered Tawney for the complete integration of her art and her life. The highly personal environment she constructed in her New York City loft spaces will be a major focus of the series.
“Deep consideration of Lenore Tawney’s work is essential to any complete understanding of 20th-century art,” says lead curator Karen Patterson. “This exhibition series will generate a conversation about Tawney’s life and impact, offering an unprecedented personal and historical view into her oeuvre.”
Lenore Tawney, Night Bird (detail), 1958; linen, silk, and wool; 89 x 19 1/2 in. Collection of the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation, New York. Photo: Rich Maciejewski, courtesy of John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
An opening event for Mirror of the Universe will be held Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m.
In Poetry and Silence: The Work and Studio of Lenore Tawney
Oct. 6, 2019–March 7, 2020
Anchoring the series is an evocation of Tawney’s studio underscoring the relationship of the artist’s space to her creative practice. Reuniting a selection of her key works—weavings, drawings, and collages—with objects from her work spaces reveals processes and inspirations, dissolving boundaries between the surroundings she constructed for herself and the art she made there.
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Ephemeral and Eternal: The Archive of Lenore Tawney
Sept. 15, 2019–March 1, 2020
Illuminating key moments in the artist’s career as well as her everyday life and close friendships, this exhibition presents correspondence, journals, artist books, photographs, audio interviews, and ephemera from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art and the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation.
Even thread [has] a speech
Sept. 1, 2019–Feb. 2, 2020
This group exhibition explores Tawney’s lasting impact on contemporary fiber artist with commissioned, site-specific installations as well as 2-D and 3-D works from eight artists. Artists include Indira Allegra, Julia Bland, Jesse Harrod, kg, Judith Leemann, Anne Lindberg, Michael Milano, and Sheila Pepe
Cloud Labyrinth
August 18, 2019–January 19, 2020
The presentation of Cloud Labyrinth, alone in the gallery and with ample room for contemplation, allows full appreciation of this monumental work. Cloud Labyrinth comprises thousands of threads suspended from a canvas panel. Although composed in a strict square grid, the diaphanous work is yielding, swaying in response to any atmospheric movement.
More information about and tickets to the opening event are available at jmkac.org. The John Michael Kohler Arts Center is located at 608 New York Avenue, Sheboygan, WI. Admission is always free.
