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African American fiber artists sought for annual exhibition

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Wednesday, March 1, 2023


The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department is seeking entries from African American textile artists from across the nation for a special exhibition presented as a component of the 2023 North Charleston Arts Fest, set to take place May 3-7.

[caption id="attachment_51687" align="alignright" width="300"] Together As One | L. Brown | submitted image | Click to enlarge.[/caption] African American artists, ages 18 and up, living in the U.S. and working in the medium of fiber are invited to participate in the 16th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition, titled "Sister Girl Friends (and Brothers, too)." The exhibition will be on display at North Charleston City Hall, opening on the first day of the Arts Fest, May 3, 2023, and remaining on view until June 18, 2023. A $30 entry fee allows artists to submit a maximum of four entries for consideration. Up to two entries per artist may be selected by the curator of the exhibition. Artwork submitted for consideration does not have to be complete at time of entry. Artists may enter works in progress. The application can be accessed online at https://NorthCharlestonCulturalArtsDepartment.SlideRoom.com. Read the exhibition parameters carefully. Terms and regulations must be followed exactly or entries will not be accepted. Deadline for entries is Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
Curated by award winning master art quilter and curator, Torreah “Cookie” Washington, this unique exhibition offers African American fiber artists a showcase to display their original and innovative designs. Isadora James once said, “A sister friend is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning a life.” This year’s theme looks to celebrate friendships between sisters (and brothers, too), both familial and those chosen along the way. The challenge for this year’s exhibit is for artists to create a fiber art piece that explores the special bond between sister girlfriends and the strength that can be drawn from these cherished relationships. Sister girlfriends support, defend, encourage, trust, and advocate for one another. They show up in every way. Following the close of the exhibition, up to 20 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2023/2024 Traveling Exhibitions program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists. The 16th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition: "Sister Girl Friends (and Brothers, too)" will be on display 8 a.m.-8p.m. daily from May 3-June 18, 2023, on the 1st and 2nd floors of North Charleston City Hall (2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston). Admission is free. A free public reception in honor of the participating artists will be held at North Charleston City Hall on Thursday, May 4, 2023, from 6-8 p.m. For more information about the North Charleston Arts Fest, the annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843.740.5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.

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Applications open for 46th Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, April 1, 2022


Call for applications is open for the 46th annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.

[caption id="attachment_48377" align="alignright" width="301"] Provided photo. Detail.[/caption] Information can be found at www.pmacraftshow.org/application. The deadline to apply is April 1, 2022, with a late deadline of April 19, 2022. The juried PMA Craft Show features 13 categories of fine craft including ceramics, furniture, jewelry, fiber, glass, emerging artists and more, and will be in-person at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia Nov. 11-13, 2022 with a preview party on Thursday, Nov. 10. PMA Craft Show artists keep 100% of their sales from the Craft Show. You might remember that #SCartists Flavia Lovatelli (Columbia) received the Excellence in Fiber Arts in the 2021 show. Her winning work is shown at right. The museum’s largest single fundraiser, the PMA Craft Show has raised close to 14 million dollars in its now 45-year history. Presented by The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, funds raised support museum initiatives, including education, acquisitions, and special exhibitions.

Jason Rapp

SCAC selects five for Emerging Artist grant

Up to $1,500 grant includes mentorship, more


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COLUMBIA, S.C. – A ceramicist, a dancer, a painter and fiber and installation artists make up the five #SCartists receiving South Carolina Arts Commission Emerging Artist Grants in FY2022. The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) defines emerging artists as being at an early stage in their artistic career development with no basis in age. Five South Carolina artists were selected to each receive an up to $1,500 Emerging Artist grant from the SCAC in the current fiscal year (2022). They are, left to right:
  • Robyn Arnold of Central (dance)
  • Evelyn Beck of Anderson (fiber)
  • Jordan Sheridan of Columbia (installation)
  • Adrian Smith of Darlington (painting)
  • Jordan Winiski of Greenville (ceramics)
In addition to financial support, the artists will benefit from mentorship and professional support facilitated by the SCAC and Artist Development Director Ce Scott-Fitts. The combined benefits are intended to deepen artistic practice and foster artistic excellence; encourage career growth, advancement, and sustainability; and provide professional development and opportunities for collaboration. The SCAC awarded an inaugural class of emerging artists in 2021. Work resulting from their grant can be explored in an online exhibition on SouthCarolinaArts.com. An online exhibition of works by the new class of emerging artists is expected to be available in late summer 2022. “It means a lot to be considered an ‘emerging artist’ in my 60s,” fiber artist Evelyn Beck of Anderson said. “Art is a second career for me, and I’ve devoted myself to it completely. This recognition and support for my project spurs me forward and makes me feel that I’m heading in the right direction.” “Funding for emerging artists is crucial for cultivating a community of young creators who are able to discover their artistic voice. I am so thankful for this opportunity,” ceramicist Jordan Winiski of Greenville said. Beyond funding support, Arnold, Sheridan, and Smith expressed that they anticipate benefit from the mentorship provided by the Emerging Artist program, summed up by Arnold: “I am amazed by how comprehensive and engaging the emerging artist program is. The other grant recipients and I not only receive funding to create, but we also get to meet once a month as a group and meet individually with Ce (Scott-Fitts), the artist development director. That means receiving an incredible support group of other artists as well as personalized insight and direction into our emerging journeys.” The application period for the next round of the Emerging Artist Grant is to begin in Fall 2022. The SCAC will announce it on The Hub (https://www.scartshub.com/), on its social media at @scartscomm (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) and other channels.

About the South Carolina Arts Commission

The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is to promote equitable access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences. A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts by providing grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in three key areas: arts education, community arts development, and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. Visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696, and follow @scartscomm on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for #Arts4SC and #SCartists content.

Jason Rapp

African American fiber artists sought for North Charleston exhibition

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 1, 2022


[caption id="attachment_48432" align="alignright" width="200"] Provided image. Click to enlarge.[/caption]

The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department is seeking entries from African American textile artists from across the nation for a special exhibition at the 2022 North Charleston Arts Fest.

African American artists ages 18 and up, living in the U.S. and working in the medium of fiber, are invited to participate in the 15th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition, titled "From Chaos to Beloved Community: Envisioning Social Justice." The exhibition will be on display at North Charleston City Hall, opening on the first day of the Arts Fest, May 4, 2022, and remaining on view until June 17, 2022. A $30 entry fee allows artists to submit a maximum of four entries for consideration. Up to two entries per artist may be selected by the curator of the exhibition. Artwork submitted for consideration does not have to be complete at time of entry. Artists may enter works in progress. The application is available at http://NorthCharlestonCulturalArtsDepartment.SlideRoom.com. Deadline for entries is Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Curated by award winning master art quilter and curator, Torreah “Cookie” Washington, this unique exhibition offers African American fiber artists a showcase to display their original and innovative designs.

Challenge to artists

Artists are asked to create a fiber art piece that envisions a society free from the bondage of oppression—both physical and social. True social justice imagines a future void of racist and bigoted thought and the structures that violently oppress minorities and marginalized communities. Visualize a future where better conditions exist for all generations of people through the use of technology, art, music, and literature. The challenge for this year’s exhibit is for artists to create art that shows what an inclusive future looks like. Some questions to consider are: What does safe housing, transportation equality, accessibility to healthy food, clean water, and the dismantling of systemic racism look like? When a narrative is embedded with those visuals it takes on a more powerful connective tissue. THAT is full social justice. Let your art reflect a future where radicalism is viewed, not as something to be fought, but as a societal good. Read the exhibition parameters carefully. Terms and regulations must be followed exactly or entries will not be accepted. Following the close of the exhibition, up to twenty works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2022/2023 Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.
The 15th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition - From Chaos to Beloved Community: Envisioning Social Justice will be on display 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from May 4, June 17, 2022, on the 1st and 2nd floors of North Charleston City Hall (2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston). Admission is free. A free public reception in honor of the participating artists will be held at City Hall on Thursday, May 5, 2022, from 6-8 p.m. For more information about the North Charleston Arts Fest, the annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843.740.5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.

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Lovatelli wins honors at Philly craft show

Recognized for Excellence in Fiber Art

[caption id="attachment_48377" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Provided photo. Detail.[/caption]

The craft show committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show is pleased to announce this year’s award winners, chosen from 195 artists across over 30 states in 13 categories.

Columbia artist Flavia Lovatelli received the award for Excellence in Fiber Art. We congratulate all the recipients and thank the judges and award sponsors for their dedication and commitment to keeping fine contemporary craft artists at work. This year’s PMA Craft Show is back in-person at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia as well as available for online shopping. Visit all the artists at www.pmacraftshow.org. Ed. note: Lovatelli received an S.C. Arts Commission grant to participate in this exhibition, which The Hub brought to you just last week.
The Prize for Excellence in Fiber Art: Flavia Lovatelli Judge: Gwen Goodwill Bianchi From Lovatelli: “Art is the unspoken language that, which moves us, connects us, breaks the borders and unites us. I try to create work that evokes emotions at the sensory level, fascination, perplexity, curiosity, admiration, and the intense desire to touch it, feel the textures, densities, temperatures. My work is created with strips of recycled paper collected from magazines, flyers, and papers found in my daily life. I am intrigued with the colors and textures in everyday printed matter. Coiling is a very tedious and time-consuming process; it takes countless hours to roll enough strips of magazine pages into coils to create anything of substance.”

The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show

In-person at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and online from across the United States: www.pmacraftshow.org Show Dates and Hours
  • Friday, Nov. 5, 2021: 11 a.m.–9 p.m. ET
  • Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. ET
  • Sunday, Nov.7, 2021: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. ET
@pmacraftshow on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter
Now in its 45th year, the Craft Show, presented by The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has raised over 13.5 million dollars over its long history. The museum’s largest single fundraiser, funds go to supporting museum initiatives, including education, art and fine craft acquisitions, state-of-the-art equipment, and special exhibitions.

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Uncommon threads coming to Park Circle Gallery

A Thread Runs Through It opens April 2


The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that works by Art Quilters of the Lowcountry will be on display at Park Circle Gallery from April 2-24, 2021. The group exhibition is free and open to the public.

The Art Quilters of the Lowcountry is a group of five award-winning fiber artists who share a passion for creating art using fabric and thread. Their work ranges from large to small and from abstract to realistic, using fabric, thread, and quilting techniques to create the illusion of 3-dimensional art. This group of artists exhibits monthly at the Hilton Head Island Art League at Ats Center at Shelter Cove on Hilton Head Island. The artists have been selected individually for many juried quilt and art shows. "A Thread Runs Through It" features fiber pieces that showcase the individual interests and talents of the Art Quilters of the Lowcountry. Ron Hodge creates his art using various fabrics, but there is always one constant – his precision piecing and bead work. Donna Stankiewicz paints her fabric with various dyes and then embellishes with applique and thread painting. Ro Morrissey uses strips of fabric along with thread painting to create painterly images of seascapes and landscapes. Peg Weschke creates fiber collages to realistically portray Lowcountry scenes, and Jody Wigton uses color and improvisational piecing to create beautiful abstract art. The artists’ five unique styles together create an interesting and eclectic fiber art show. To learn more about the Quilters, visit their website at www.artquiltersofthelowcountry.com.
The Park Circle Gallery is located at 4820 Jenkins Avenue in North Charleston, in what was formerly known as the Olde Village Community Building. Admission is free and free street parking is available on Jenkins Avenue in front of the gallery, as well as on the adjacent streets and in parking lots close by. The gallery is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and Noon-4 p.m. on Saturdays. In compliance with safety recommendations from the CDC and SCDHEC, gallery capacity is currently limited to 10 people at a time. Staff and all visitors must wear a mask while they are in the gallery and practice social distancing. Hand sanitizer will be provided upon entry. For more information about PCG, call 843.637.3565 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org. For information on other Cultural Arts programs and artist opportunities, visit the Arts & Culture section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org.

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African-American fiber artists sought for North Charleston Arts Fest

The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department is seeking entries from African-American textile artists from across the nation for a special exhibition presented as a component of the 2019 North Charleston Arts Fest, taking place May 1-5 in North Charleston. [caption id="attachment_34666" align="alignright" width="251"] The world-famous Hub Calls for Art Megaphone.[/caption] African-American artists, ages 18 and up, living in the United States and working in the medium of fiber are invited to participate in the 13th Annual African-American Fiber Art Exhibition, titled "BLACK GOLD." The exhibition will be on display at North Charleston City Hall from May 1-June 21, 2019. A $30 entry fee applies and allows artists to submit a maximum of four entries for consideration. Up to two entries per artist may be selected by the curator for the exhibition. The application is available online. Deadline for entries is Friday, March 1, 2019. Curated by award winning master art quilter and curator, Torreah “Cookie” Washington, this unique exhibition offers African-American fiber artists a showcase to display their original and innovative designs. This year's theme is directly inspired by the song "Black Gold" by Esperanza Spalding from her 2012 album "Radio Music Society." Washington was particularly moved by the lyrics, "Think of all the strength you have in you / From the blood you carry within you / Ancient ones, powerful ones / Built us a civilization..." The challenge for this year's exhibit is for artists to review the full lyrics of Spalding's song, as well as the official music video, then create a fiber art piece that will inspire the next generation. Following the close of the show, up to twenty works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2019/2020 Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists. The 13th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition: "BLACK GOLD" will be on display 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily from May 1-June 21, 2019, on the 1st and 2nd floors of North Charleston City Hall (2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston). Admission is free. A free public reception in honor of the participating artists will be held at City Hall on Thursday, May 2, 2019, from 6-8 p.m. For more information about the North Charleston Arts Fest, the exhibition, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843.740.5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.

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Mary Jackson honored by American Craft Council

Mary Jackson is among the foremost of #SCartists, and late last week in Minneapolis the American Craft Council added to her impressive resume by inducting her to its College of Fellows – placing her firmly at the top of her field. [caption id="attachment_16665" align="alignright" width="230"]Mary Jackson, Two Lips Mary Jackson, Two Lips[/caption] Candidates for this prestigious honor are nominated and elected by their peers. To be eligible, individuals must demonstrate extraordinary ability and must have worked for 25 years or more in the discipline or career in which they are recognized. The Charleston-based basketmaker uses sweetgrass in the West African (and later, Gullah) tradition for her art, which had already garnered her exclusive recognition. In 2008 she received a $500,000 MacArthur Foundation "genius grant," and in 2011 the S.C. Arts Commission presented her with the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the Arts for Lifetime Achievement. In 2016, the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston named a gallery for her. Jackson began making baskets under her grandmother’s tutelage at age 4, working alongside other members of her family to uphold a multi-generational tradition that extends back to their ancestral heritage in West Africa. “The results of a basket are the thing that keeps you coming back again,” she said. “You’ve created something so beautiful, then the whole world loves what you’re doing … that’s the inspiration.” Read more here and here from American Craft Council, whose work contributed to this post.

African American fiber artists sought for 12th annual exhibition in North Charleston

Image: Fruits of Her Labor by Jan Hollins The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department is seeking entries from African American textile artists from across the nation for a special exhibition presented as a component of the 2018 North Charleston Arts Fest, taking place May 2-6 in North Charleston, S.C. African American artists, ages 18 and up, living in the United States and working in the medium of fiber are invited to participate in the 12th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition, titled I’m NOT Every Woman, I’m a PHENOMENAL Woman! The exhibition will be on display at North Charleston City Hall from May 1-June 22, 2018. A $30 entry fee applies and allows artists to submit up to four entries. A maximum of two entries per artist may be selected. The application is available on the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department's website.  Deadline for entries is March 1. Curated by award winning and nationally exhibiting textile artist, Torreah “Cookie” Washington, this unique exhibition offers African American fiber artists a showcase to display their original and innovative designs. The challenge for this year’s special exhibit is for artists to create a fiber work, such as an art quilt, doll, wearable art piece, etc., that pays tribute to an extraordinary African American woman - past or present, real or fictional, a public figure or an unsung heroine. Artists should note that the curator will not select pieces relating to Maya Angelou as this theme was explored in the 2015 exhibition. Following the close of the show, up to 20 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2018/2019 Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists. The 12th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition: I’m NOT Every Woman, I’m a PHENOMENAL Woman! will be on display 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. daily from May 1-June 22 on the 1st and 2nd floors of North Charleston City Hall, located at 2500 City Hall Lane in North Charleston. Admission is free. A free public reception in honor of the artists will be held at City Hall on Thursday, May 3 from 6 - 8 p.m. For more information, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.

Fiber arts program launched to train Upstate designers

From The Greenville News Article by Nathaniel Cary, photo by Bart Boatwright

Textile executives from multiple Upstate companies banded together to fund a new program they hope will train a new generation of homegrown textile designers to carry on the textile heritage of the Carolinas. Many of those designers may come right from Greenville, trained at a new first-in-the-nation program run by the Greenville Fine Arts Center. Greenville County Schools officially launched the program Wednesday. The inaugural group of 24 students, who each auditioned for entrance into the program, will take a course-load built around design and use of fibers in the textile industry. Roy Fluhrer, Fine Arts Center director, conceived of the program years ago and approached business leaders three years ago with a plan for a program similar to an architectural design program that the center had started. Fluhrer called it a way to give the county’s bright artistic students creative futures built in South Carolina. The program drew interest from local companies who wanted to train and retain talented designers in the Upstate. Five companies each contributed $25,000 while Greenville County Schools agreed to fund the salary for a teacher and paid for renovations for two portable buildings that now sit adjacent to the Fine Arts Center on Pine Knoll Drive in Greenville. Sage Automotive Interiors in Greenville, Glen Raven Custom Fabrics in Anderson, Springs Creative in Rock Hill, Alice Manufacturing in Easley and Inman Mills helped purchase equipment for the program, Fluhrer said. A fiber arts program in Greenville made sense for local businesses to support, Randy Blackston, vice president of operations at Glen Raven, said. “There are billions of dollars of capital investment in the textile industry within 30 minutes of this school,” Blackston said. "More importantly, there are thousands and thousands of workers who work in the textile industry within 30 minutes of this school." The textile industry is beset by the preconceived notion that it’s a “dirty industry” whose reputation has been tainted by the number of jobs that have disappeared overseas, Dirk Pieper, president and CEO of Sage Automotive Interiors, said. “The arts and design are a very important part of our business so the opportunity to connect with students of the high school age and get them involved early in our industry of textiles and automotive textiles is a fantastic opportunity to develop homegrown talent here to support our business,” Pieper said. They’re working to change the perception of textiles, which is now high-tech, use new fabrics and design methods and are going to be a $56 billion industry employing more than 500,000 people in the United States, Pieper said. “It’s thriving and of course it’s significant in South Carolina and in particular, the Upstate,” he said. The industry in the Upstate is facing what leaders are calling a “silver tsunami” of retiring baby boomers and will need a new generation of skilled employees to fill their jobs. “Workforce development is the single most important issue in terms of supporting the manufacturing industry,” he said. As the manufacturing industry rebounded post-recession and the state’s leadership attracted new jobs, “It’s our role now to create the associates that are going to be able to work in these operations,” Pieper said. Fiber arts students will learn to weave, knit and construct cloth. They will dye fabric, shape fabric, cut fabric into conceptual art forms or works of art, April Dauscha, fiber arts instructor, said. Inside the remodeled portables, an open concept design splits the rooms into learning zones. A small classroom space with mannequins sits near the entrance with four computers connected to a photo printer. Tables with scraps of fabric, yarn and other materials and a large design table as well as a small kitchenette and laundry area complete the space. Students will spend two hours each day in the studio learning from a curriculum designed with help from professors at N.C. State University, one of the nation’s leading textile programs. The curriculum was built so students who complete the fiber arts program will have college credit that will either offset the amount of time it will take to complete the N.C. State bachelor of science degree or will allow students to study abroad or accept internships to gain added experience during their college years, Nancy Powell, professor in the College of Textiles, said. The fiber arts program moves the school district closer to its goal of graduating students who are college or career ready, Superintendent Burke Royster said. Companies involved in the program will interact with the students regularly, will facilitate visits to textile manufacturers and will offer internships, Pieper said. Image: Greenville Fine Arts Center fiber art student Eileen Selby, left, talks with Greenville School Board member Kenneth Baxter Sr. during a tour of the school's new one-of-a-kind industry-sponsored fiber arts program.