For more information contact Megan Winkel, (734) 926-4130
mwinkel@annarborartcenter.org
Wearable Tech and New Directions in Textile Design
Ann Arbor, MI (March 17, 2017) — Whipstitch: The State of Contemporary Design is an Ann Arbor Art Center exhibition, running March 31 to April 29, that explores myriad present-day departures from the foundations of textile construction and use.
Co-curated by Ann Arbor-based Thea Augustina Eck and Brooklyn-based Rachel Anna Walker, this exhibition opens in the Art Center’s 117 Gallery on March 31 with a kick-off party from 6:00 to 9:00pm, free and open to the public.
The curatorial inquiry of this show by Eck and Walker asks how long-time textile traditions are being innovated in today’s artist studios. The products of their inquiry, for instance, show nuances in the definition of ‘textile,’ collisions of tech and bio sciences in fiber arts, and historical through lines of quilting and embroidery techniques in America.
Eck says, “In my artistic practice I routinely focus on materiality and could think of no better partner in an investigation of textile materials than Rachel Anna Walker. The work we’ve discovered and are installing at the Ann Arbor Art Center is exciting and reaffirms our belief in artists inherently being creative, social, and economic pioneers.”
Eck and Walker are joined in this gallery exhibition by international artists Esteban de la Torre and Judit Eszter Karpati, founders of EJ Tech, an experimental art & tech lab based in Budapest, Hungary. The work of de la Torre and Eszter combines technology, weaving art, and applied science to create synergy between the digital and physical world.
The curators will be present for a gallery talk on Saturday, April 8 at 11am, free and open to the public. This exhibition is presented in partnership with the University of Michigan Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design.
For more information about the exhibition visit Whipstitch’s official page
About the Ann Arbor Art Center
For 107 years, the Ann Arbor Art Center has been sparking creativity in people of all ages and artistic abilities. Our mission is to be a contemporary forum for the visual arts through education, exploration, and exhibition, and to expand perspectives and ignite growth in students, artists, and the community. In this work we aspire to be a gathering place that serves artists and the community in four distinct, yet related ways: Exhibition, Retail, Education, and Community Engagement.
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Facebook event for the opening reception
