February, 2024 |  | Studio, in progress, January 2024. |
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| Thankfully we live in a time where our rampant technology use can bring bright spots in our doom scrolling or endless podcast consumption. The steady pace of unearthing and pulling into the light over looked women artists continues online and in real life. See below for some great IG female design history lessons.
This month I was inspired from the blockbuster Shah Grag Foundation exhibition Making Their Mark: Art by Women, (which after welcoming over 15k visitors in November and December extended the exhibition and panel discussions through the end of February), to the cast pewter animal sculptures made of discarded clementine peels, the fruits of her labor as a mother, at the ICA Boston’s presentation of Venetia Dale.
As a pet hobby of study I read about rare female Renaissance painters, the hidden in plain sight 21st century women artists, old quilters establishing an abstract language, and everything in between. I recently got my hands on the new Miyoko Ito monograph, Heart of Hearts, the first of its kind. I haven’t seen a book take over my instagram feed in the weeks after Christmas like this before. Chalk her up in the category of hidden in plain sight, but has now burst onto the bluechip market post-mortem. Almost the width of my knuckles, each painting sits on its own 2 page spread in this book. I highly recommend for those who love abstract work that trades in the spiritual and psychological realms, trippy inventive landscapes, and sophisticated use of color.
39 days to Spring! | | Group Exhibition: Making Waves at Reynolds Gallery |  | Lovers Link, 2019 Hand-dyed fabric, fabric, embroidery, oil stick on mounted paper, 72 x 60 inches. | Making Waves at Reynolds Gallery March 1st - April 19th | Opening Reception March 1st, 5 -7 pm 1514 West Main Street, Richmond, VA
Artists Include: Meg Lipke, Erika Huddleston, Hampton Boyer, Tendai Mupita, Bailey Santaguida, Roberta Gentry and Amanda Valdez. |
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| | | Book of the Month Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Finding a new spiritual home in the reflections, wisdom, and desire to be in harmony and community with nature in Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants is the deep slow read I needed this winter. A bestseller in the zeitgeist for the past 11 years, Robin Wall Kimmerer’s beautiful writing and teachings point towards the lessons that quiet observation of the natural world have to offer, how we can attune ourselves to a relationship with nature that is reciprocal, and the inherent wisdom of Indigenous ways of caring for plants, growing food, and reverence for an ecosystem that can take care of all living entities. The Honorable Harvest, The Three Sisters, and the Thanksgiving Address are lessons that a lifetime of devotion are worthy of. |
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| | | Cookbook Corner Pulp: A Pratical Guide to Cooking with Fruit by Abra Berens
It’s not at all intuitive to pickup a fruit cookbook in winter. Yet, Pulp is thoroughly delivering recipes I want to make on repeat. Berens goes through 15 fruit categories - providing multi-prep methods (raw, poached, baked, roasted, etc) - then within each method a savory and sweet version. Don’t think pies and preserves here. Think sautéed apples in black pepper over a bed of vinegary arugula with goat cheese and homemade croutons, (I skipped the pumpernickel, opting for focaccia, aaaaand I would make this salad 3 nights a week if I were cooking just for myself). The Melon, Cucumber, & Chickpea Salad is bright on flavor for the winter, but also just a nice break soup season. |
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| | | Art History Pops
IG account @amberasay, a Design Educator, has churned out over 26 short videos in her series Women Designers You Should Know. Enlightening us on the women who broke gender and racial barriers in the 21st century and how entrenched their impact is on our visual culture. These are the stories behind some of the most popular graphic designers, magazine art directors, and the logos, typeface, fashion, furniture design, and emojis these women from Brazil to Jamaica to Japan created while working in America. Some of my favs: Tomoko Miho, Bea Feitler, and Zelda Wynn Valdes.
While well overdue, I put my own sprinkling of shame in not knowing these pioneers on the shelf and feel excited and emboldened by their accomplishments. |
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| | |  | Winter Island, 2022 Hand-dyed fabric, fabric, embroidery, oil stick on mounted paper, and canvas, 20 x 18 inches. |
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