Photo courtesy of John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Even thread [has] a speech installation view at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, artwork by Sheila Pepe, 2019.
“Even thread [has] a speech,” now on view at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, examines how contemporary artists have broadened the groundbreaking experiments of fiber artist Lenore Tawney (1907–2007).
Among the most influential post-World War II fiber artists, Tawney helped to shift the practice and perception of weaving beyond that of a utilitarian craft through her ethereal open-weave works and woven sculptures. Her legacy endures in the work of contemporary artists working in many fields.
Even thread [has] a speech showcases new, site-specific installations commissioned by the Arts Center as well as 2-D and 3-D artworks by Indira Allegra, Julia Bland, Jesse Harrod, kg, Judith Leemann, Anne Lindberg, Michael Milano and Sheila Pepe.
In the exhibition, Allegra’s video piece and Harrod’s site-specific sculptures draw parallels between the tension and support inherent in structures like weaving looms and macramé frames and these same forces within the human body and communities. Many of kg’s small weavings echo Tawney’s use of found materials, while Bland's embedded shapes allude to Tawney’s own use of archetypal symbols.
Milano’s drawings and works on cloth reference weaving patterns and structure, and Leemann’s installation positions the viewer to listen and read simultaneously, presenting content that intersect with texture, text, and textile.
Lindberg’s large-scale installation stretches across the Arts Center Atrium, transforming things that seem delicate—thread, light, and line—into something monumental. Pepe’s crocheted installations connect the histories of craft and feminism to reimagine familiar spaces such as the church and the home.
“Even thread [has] a speech” is one of four exhibitions in the series “Lenore Tawney: Mirror of the Universe.” The series brings together thought leaders who provide a dynamic and unprecedented look at this pioneering artist’s legacy. It is the first time Tawney’s body of work has been approached from multiple perspectives.
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Photo courtesy of John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Even thread [has] a speech installation view at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, artwork by Julia Bland, 2019.
For more information, visit jmkac.org/LenoreTawney.
