Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting

January 25, 2007 - June 17, 2007

RADICAL LACE AND SUBVERSIVE KNITTING

Provocative Exhibition Explores the Current Renaissance of Venerable Handcraft Traditions in Work of 27 International Artists


NEW YORK, December 20, 2006 – Premiering at the Museum of Arts & Design (MAD) on January 25, 2007, Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting explores the phenomenal rise to prominence of knitting, crocheting and lace making in the work of contemporary artists from around the world. Blow torches, fiber optics, digital technology, shredded currency, video, chocolate, and even knitting needles the size of telephone poles are hallmarks in the work of these artists, who have reinvented traditional handcrafts through their introduction of new materials and unorthodox techniques.

Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting showcases approximately 40 works, ranging from obsessive miniatures to architectural interventions, video installations, and performance and participatory pieces—nearly half of which were created especially for the exhibition. Organized by David Revere McFadden, the Chief Curator of the Museum of Arts & Design, the groundbreaking exhibition will be on view from January 25, 2007 through June 17, 2007.

“These are not your grandmother’s crocheted doilies and knitted legwarmers,” said Chief Curator David McFadden. “The traditions that have defined both knitting and lace making for centuries are suspended in this exhibition. Each piece bears a political or personal message, invites public participation, and encourages the viewer to reconsider how fiber functions on a tangible, spiritual and aesthetic level.”

The works selected for Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting do not readily accept neat classification within the traditional triad of art, craft and design, nor do they fulfill stereotypical expectations of either knitting or lace making. The 27 featured artists are both male and female, of various ages and nationalities. What brings them together is a vision that uses fiber to explore line and space, marrying traditional methods, such as knitting needles and crochet hooks, with new technologies and materials that include rubber, lead, glass, industrial wire shelving and found objects. For many of these artists, Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting will be their first major New York presentation.

“As the first in a series of exhibitions exploring new interpretations of traditional materials and techniques in honor of the Museum’s 50th anniversary, Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting extends the boundaries of the category we call fiber art—work that traditionally uses cotton, wool, silk and linen,” said Holly Hotchner, Director of the Museum of Arts & Design.
“Given the established perceptions of knitting and lace making, viewers will be surprised to see how contemporary artists have revolutionized these crafts to produce provocative, poetic and timely works.”

Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting reveals affinities in content and structure among the works on view, which are subdivided into six thematic groupings:

• Corporeal Constructions explores works that reference the human body, both indirectly through imagery or content and directly through costume and dress. For the exhibition, Liz Collins has created a gown with long knitted “veins” that extend beyond the body of the dress to attach to the gallery architecture. Also on view in this section is Barbara Zucker’s Lilian’s Face Flowing, a massive waterfall of black rubber lace that is based on the facial lines of her friend.
  
• Matters of Scale examines the way in which size and scale can influence the viewer’s understanding of the work. Among the works on view on this section is a video presentation of Dave Cole’s The Knitting Machine, a performance piece staged at Mass MoCA, in which two commercial backhoes knit a 35-foot-wide American flag. At the other end of the spectrum are Althea Merback’s “nano-knit” garments, which are no larger than a human fingertip and are meticulously knit using fine medical wire as needles.
  
• Light Constructions features works that explore the transmission of light as an integral element in the work, or consider “lightness” in materials and visual effects. Bennett Battaile’s History, created specifically for the exhibition, weaves together glass threads to form an ethereal, lace-like cubic structure. Niels van Eijk of The Netherlands knots hundreds of individual optical fibers to create a chandelier that glows with light.
  
• Interconnections highlights the work of artists who extend their engagement with materials and process to the public, either through performance or participatory art making. For the exhibition, Sabrina Gschwandtner, founder and editor of the radical magazine KnitKnit, will create a book that incorporates knitted contributions and other objects by the visitors, make a living record of the interactions between the artist, the viewer and the final work of art.
  
• Creative Deconstructions presents the work of artists who use subtractive rather than additive processes to arrive at their final work. Elana Herzog, for example, begins her installations by attaching a textile, such as a vintage bedspread, to a sheet rock panel using thousands of industrial staples. As she removes the staples from the fabric, surrounding bits of fabric are also removed and the resulting work becomes a haunting, ghostlike image of what was once a whole cloth.
  
• The Beauty of Complexity is highlighted by works whose sculptural presence is defined by intricate structures, complex manipulation of materials, and unorthodox techniques. These artists develop forms that are dependent upon complex structural systems, challenge our understanding of unusual materials, or use new media, such as video, to extend the concept of knitting and lace making into the realm of performance art. Among the other artists represented in this section is Anne Wilson, who creates mysterious, layered landscapes that combine fiber, animation, and sound.

Public Programs
A wide range of education programs will accompany the exhibition, including artist presentions, demonstrations, interactive knitting and lacemaking workshops, and performances. A highlight will be: Katja Gruijters of The Netherlands, will create an Edible Lace High Tea on January 29; This event made is possible through the generosity of Jane and Leonard Korman

Two additional artist interventions in the exhibition include:

• Sheila Klein of the United States will create an architectural intervention in the Museum’s 53rd Street windows;
• Dror Benshetrit, a New York-based Israeli designer, will show his new "Lily" lace chair.

Catalogue
A full-color, 120-page catalogue will accompany the exhibition. Designed by award-winning graphic designer Linda Florio, it includes a foreword by Museum of Arts & Design Director Holly Hotchner, an essay by Chief Curator David Revere McFadden, and contextual essays compiled by Assistant Curator Jennifer Scanlan and Curatorial Assistant Jennifer Steifle Edwards. The catalogue is published by the Museum of Arts & Design and printed by The Studley Press, Dalton, Massachusetts.

Exhibition Organization and Support
Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting is organized by David McFadden, Chief Curator at the Museum of Arts & Design. The exhibition installation is designed by Todd Zwigard of UKZ Architects.

Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting has been made possible by a generous grant from the Coby Foundation. Additional support has been provided by Mondriaan Foundation, Amsterdam; Coats & Clark and Westminster Fibers; Greenwall Foundation; Jane and Leonard Korman, and Friends of Fiber Art International. Support has also been provided by Brooklace, Inc.; Prym Consumer; Stork Prints, B.V.; and University of Central England.

Vogue Knitting is the media sponsor for the exhibition.

Museum of Arts & Design (MAD)
The Museum of Arts & Design is the country’s leading cultural institution dedicated to the collection and exhibition of contemporary objects created in a wide range of media, including clay, glass, wood, metal and fiber. The Museum celebrates materials and processes that are embraced by practitioners in the fields of craft, decorative arts and design. MAD’s distinguished permanent collection includes more than 2,000 objects by renowned artists and designers from around the world, representing many forms of creative expression and technical mastery. The Museum will move to a new 54,000 square-foot building at Two Columbus Circle in Manhattan in 2008. In its new home, designed by Brad Cloepfil of Allied Works Architecture in association with Handel & Associates, the Museum will be able to display works from its permanent collection in dedicated collection galleries for the first time in its history.