The Box Project @The George Washington University Museum The Textile Museum

Through January 29, 2018

Collector and former Textile Museum trustee Lloyd Cotsen challenged thirty-six leading fiber artists worldwide to create a three-dimensional work to fit inside a standard box. The Box Project showcases the dynamic results. Organized by the Cotsen Foundation for Academic Research with the Racine Art Museum.



Participating Artists

Masae Bamba • James Bassler • Mary Bero • Zane Berzina • N. Dash • Virginia Davis • Carson Fox • Shigeki Fukumoto • John Garrett • Ana Lisa Hedstrom • Helena Hernmarck • Agneta Hobin • Pat Hodson • Kiyomi Iwata • Gere Kavanaugh • Ai Kijima • Hideaki Kizaki • Lewis Knauss • Nancy Koenigsberg • Gerhardt Knodel • Naomi Kobayashi • Gyöngy Laky • Paola Moreno • Jun Mitsuhashi • Kyoko Nitta • Hisako Sekijima • Barbara Murak • Cynthia Schira • Heidrun Schimmel • Carol Shinn • Sherri Smith • Hadi Tabatabai • Koji Takaki • Aune Taamal • Richard Tuttle • Peter Weber


https://museum.gwu.edu/boxproject


The George Washington University Museum
The Textile Museum

701 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
Phone: 202-994-5200
museuminfo@gwu.edu

Jewelry sale in London

Get Ai Kijima's latest jewelry collection from September on at SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP LTD pop ups and private sales in London, United Kingdom.

SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP LIMITED

Image courtesy of SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP

About "Protect"

Protect, 2016
Hand applique, bead embroidery, sequin embroidery

As with all my work the process involves a number of steps. The first and most important of which is collecting the materials. Almost all my materials are second hand. For the work "Protect" many of the materials are original and handmade. And even the ones that are machine made are specific to a small region, namely Turkey / Central Asia. These are not pop culture images, they are more intimate private images that a single person put their thought and their soul into creating. I have then collected them and reimagined them into yet another handmade work. So it is a process of passing down ones own desires, expressions and realizations of what it is to work with hand made textile tradition.  

Protect, detail

Protect, detail

Protect, detail

Protect, detail

One of the major things I was thinking about while making "PROTECT" was that in almost, if not all cultures, women play a major role in creating textiles. That is certainly true in Turkey and Central Asia. These textiles, when made by hand, are a symbol of the self expression and the self realization of the woman who made the work. At the same time that self expression serves a very practical purpose, if they are making rugs, wall hangings, dresses, tablecloths, etc. it is something that helps in the greater good of the family. It protects. Yet at the same time it is creative, it is a release, a form of private dialogue that helps them to express things that perhaps they can not with words. The work "PROTECT" is meant to create a voice for women who have found their personal expression in textiles. However silent or loud that voice is simply depends on how you look at the work. 

Little Hagia Sophia Flooding

Just down the hill from the famous Hagia Sophia, there is beautiful Little Hagia Sophia, a former Byzantine church that currently functions as a mosque. 

In the courtyard of Little Hagia Sophia, several artisans who are pursuing their passions for Turkish traditional crafts such as Iznik tile, Block print, Mother of pearl inlay, Jewelry, Glass art…etc have their own small workshops where visitors can buy their handmade products directly from them. 

They are my friends and they got serious flood damage in their workshops after the record heavy rainfall in Istanbul 4 days ago… 

If you happen to be in Istanbul please visit and buy their original handmade products to support them and keep the traditions alive. 

K Art Studio (Iznik Tile)  https://www.instagram.com/k.a.ist
Tahsin Istengel (Block Print) https://www.instagram.com/tahsinmeister_studio_

Textile jewelry sale at Chelsea Old Town Hall in London

Come and try my textile jewelry collection this week in London!!!

Designer Summer Season Finale - 12.-13.06.2017 

in Chelsea Old Town Hall.

With many other famous Italian designer brands like: 
Pinko, Just Cavalli, Versace, Patrizia Pepe, Liu Jo, Diesel, Armani Junior...

For more informations email to info@suyd.co.uk 

Or follow https://www.instagram.com/shop_until_you_drop_limited/

The Box Project : Uncommon Threads at Racine Art Museum

I am proud to be a part of this group exhibition at Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin this summer!

ramart.org

The Box Project: Uncommon Threads Opens Sunday, May 21 -  Aug 27 The Box Project: Uncommon Threads kicks off the season of a summer full of fiber art. This exhibition showcases commissioned works by 36 of the world's top fiber artists. These artists, many of whom work on a large scale, were challenged to create an original piece within the confines of a small box. Organized by the Cotsen Foundation for Academic Research (CFAR) with RAM, this traveling exhibition presents works commissioned by Lloyd Cotsen between 2004 and 2013 together with 22 large-scale fiber art pieces on loan by the same artists. Racine Art Museum – R|A|M, 441 Main Street, Box 187, Racine, WI 53401–0187 http://www.ramart.org/content/box-project-uncommon-threads