Here’s what the LaDue News had to say.
Here’s an interview with the leaders of one of our partner organizations, Infant Loss Resources.
Here’s a link to Town & Style’s coverage of the St. Louis exhibition.
Category: News and Events
You Are Invited
This will be the first installation of all 20,000+ pairs of baby booties!
oct save the date flyerThe Mourning Project: One Day II
This 24 x 48” version of The Mourning Project: One Day features 63 pairs of handmade baby booties, one little elegy for each child lost before their first birthday every day in the US. It is a tiny portion of the 20,000 pairs we are collecting from makers all over the world to draw attention to the infant mortality rate in this country.
This version of the project will be at the Norfolk D’Art Center in Norfolk, VA for their Materials II exhibition, from October 10th, 2020-November 7th, 2020. Opening reception is Thursday, October 15 from 5:30-7:30 pm. The awards will be announced on Facebook Live, so stay tuned!
TMP makers–do you see your booties below? If not, check out the online installation by clicking here. Thank you to all who have contributed to save the lives of our most vulnerable citizens. Join us by submitting your booties today.
‘Little Elegies,’ the First Exhibition of The Mourning Project, and the Bootie Haboob
Let’s just say it’s been a whirlwind… It started with the installation, then the exhibition, meeting some of the local makers (two of my sisters flew in for the show), running the panel discussion, and finally, the de-installation. Phew. Here are some of the behind-the-scenes moments you might have missed…and did I mention the bootie haboob?
The Plan
This first exhibition, at the YWCA of Southern Arizona, was an outdoor installation. (Note: for reasons that will soon be clear, I am re-thinking any future outdoor installations). Little Elegies would be in a large courtyard surrounded on three sides by brick and mortar, and on one side (the west side) with a steel security fence.
I visited the site multiple times, at different times of day, measured, and carefully sketched out this installation plan:
The curve of the installation plan follows the curve of the fence. The 8 foot fence runs all the way down to the cement floor, so no worries about packrats invading the installation and stealing booties (these are the things you must take into account in Arizona). The forecast was negative for rain, and this being Tucson, you could pretty much depend on that anyway. A few days before the installation, however, I realized I had not thought about the wind, or even worse:
I checked the weather forecast to see that the maximum winds predicted were 13 mph. Not exactly a storm, more like a gentle breeze. I researched fences online that would act as a wind break. There were none available in Arizona. I would have to order them, and they would arrive after the opening of the exhibit. I decided to punt and use duct tape and drop cloths if needed to keep the booties from going airborne. Paper booties were filled with coins to weigh them down. Ceramic booties helped to weigh down aspects of the installation (like the altar cloth) and stabilize them.
Late on Friday afternoon (March 29), we completed the installation. The awesome installation team of Mitch Anderson, Ana Martinez, Kathleen Koopman, Janet Windsor, Valerie Galloway put it together in under 4 hours and it looked great. The question was, would it stay that way until Tuesday morning when the show opened?
Click here for a link to Dan Buckley’s cool time lapse video of the installation.
The Installation
When I arrived at 9:00 sharp on Tuesday, all was just as we had left it (we had secured the booties and rest of the installation with vinyl drop cloths and heavy rocks). It looked like I was home free, and the installation was ready for viewing at 9:00 a.m.
But about 1:00 on Tuesday afternoon, a gentle breeze blew in. By 3:00 there was some wind gusts, and the occasional pair of booties went tumbling like so many tumble weeds you see in the old westerns. I put up the drop cloths behind the fence with duct tape, which promptly fell off. ( I must have looked quite the sight battling the winds, the drop cloths, and the duct tape all at once.)
The wind came in from the west, directly into the courtyard, and I realized that the focal point of the installation was surrounded on three sides by the screen fence. So I covered the installation about an hour early, and went home to figure out plan B.
I had dinner that night with my husband and sister Kathleen AKA The Knitting Machine and told them the problem, that I needed ‘something with grommets’ to attach to the fence with zip ties and screen the wind. They had both used plastic tarps in the past and we headed over to a local hardware store and found just what we needed, in gray.
The next day, The Knitting Machine and I moved the entire installation 20 feet east, where it was better protected from the wind. Then we installed the tarps behind the existing fence. All on Wednesday morning, before the winds picked up again. It was so great to have Kathleen there to help. She sure knows how to whittle down a To Do List, and she’s fun to hang out with, too.
Thursday was busy with preparation for the panel discussion. Panelists Bonita Katz of the International Childbirth Education Association, Stacie Wood, TMC’s Perinatal Safety Officer, and Laura Vargas, March of Dimes Advocacy Fellow gave great presentations on how we can begin to make improvements in our infant mortality rate. Click here for an edited video of the discussion and learn more about the problem.
Friday morning we had a bunch of local makers in for a photo shoot with the installation. Stay tuned for a picture of that. In the meantime, here are some views of the installation throughout the week. Scroll down to see some of my photos of the installation. And then you can read about the BOOTIE HABOOB.
There are three banners that accompany the installation. This one describes the installation, and the other two discuss the problem of infant mortality.
No Booties Were Harmed
So, all of that happened, and Friday passed without windy incident. Until about 4:00 on Friday, the exhibition over, and it was time to start collecting the booties. The sky had started to darken. By 4:30, half of the booties were packed. Then a HUGE gust of wind came from the east, behind and up and over the building, and it swept a whole bunch of booties around the altar and up against the fence. It happened in about two seconds. And I so wish I had video of the bootie haboob to show you, but you will just have to imagine 1,500 booties tumbling in the wind.
It was just one hellacious gust, and we (JK, Nanci, Kathleen and I) scrambled to collect them all. No harm was done. All the booties were collected and undamaged. I have a better idea to hold the booties down IF there is another outdoor installation.
Do you see your booties in these photos? Please make some more! Make them black, white, and gray, knit, sewn, or crocheted. Be sure to send in your booties by Mother’s Day, May 12, and we will extend the deadline if necessary. We still need 20,000 more pairs to honor each American baby who dies each year. I know you will want to be a part of this important project.
And thank you to all the makers who have submitted booties to date! The Mourning Project is possible with you.
PS–Watch this blog and our Facebook page for professional photos of the exhibition. I’ll be using those to apply to different venues for the exhibition around the country. If you have an idea about where we should apply, let me know!
When You Wake Up to Find Your Work in the LA Times
Wow. This wonderful AP article has been in the NY Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and the LA Times. Click here for the article. Scroll down to see an image of my Desconocidos quilt. The piece has been travelling as part of the Migrant Quilt Project and is now at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA.
Migrant Quilt Project
Just a quick link to a local news story about the Migrant Quilt Project I am involved in. We are preparing quilts for a national tour including the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts and the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Nebraska. Click here for the news story.
This is the quilt I did for the project last year. It features a silhouette of Fr. Kino, the first European in the Tucson area, who I consider our first border crosser. Yes, he came south to Tucson from what we call Mexico today.
Subversive Stitching is Alive and Well in San Jose
I just had to tell you all about my all-to-brief trip to the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. I was invited to give my artist talk, Confessions of a Subversive Stitcher, on the closing weekend of Art Cloth Network’s Anything Goes show. My fellow ACN member Connie Tiegel picked me up at the airport–and brought cake for the reception! I had never been to the museum, and I was so eager to see how it compares to some of the other quilt museums I have been to.
The first thing I noticed was the space. The galleries are incredible! There are multiple large galleries with great lighting, and tall, tall ceilings. They highlighted another show, THE CALIFORNIA ART QUILT REVOLUTION: FROM THE SUMMER OF LOVE TO THE NEW MILLENNIUM. That show included work from Kathleen Sharp, who currently resides in my hometown, Tucson. The show was an eye opener for me. Did you know, for instance, that subversive stitchers were quilting with dryer lint back in the 70s and 80s? I did not know that!
I was able to tag along on a tour the Curator of Collections Nancy Bavor gave of the ‘back room.’ We saw lots of acid-free boxes neatly labeled with accession numbers and such and learned the rare circumstances under which a piece can be de-accessioned. There was an area where all incoming textiles were quarantined for 2 weeks before being unpacked. Why? Bugs! Nancy looks for any evidence of insects that could infest the rest of the collection before they can do any damage. Who knew? Nancy is also a quilt historian, and was kind enough to compliment me on my knowledge of quilt history. It’s an important part of my talk, so I was relieved to hear it.
The Executive Director, Joan Phillips, is delightful. She is so enthusiastic about the museum’s greater focus on art quilts, including political works. The museum has big plans and is growing, it now has its second artist-in-residence, Cristina Velazquez. I met her was able to see some of her knitted work. Check her out on Instragram here.
Anything Goes looked fabulous in person. The next best thing is to click on the link and see the show digitally. Its next stop is the Kirkland Arts Center in Clinton, NY. Be there, or be square!
Revisions at Tohono Chul
The Revisions/Outside Looking In show runs August 25 – November 9, 2016 at Tohono Chul Park (near Ina and Oracle).
Opening Reception is Thursday, August 25, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. Free and open to the public.
I will have 2 works in the show.
When Your Quilt Travels to Australia without You
When Your Quilt Travels to Australia without You….
So my quilt Chopsticks and Edamame has been travelling the world without me since it was accepted into Studio Art Quilt Associates Food for Thought show. It was in Dublin and the UK last fall, and is spending the spring at 3 venues in Australia. This morning my email inbox contained some photos of a spectacular venue, the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne (yeah, I didn’t know there was such a thing, either).
But look at the natural light coming through the windows here:
My quilt is in the center of the top photo below. Unfortunately, the black background didn’t do much for it, I am afraid.
Chopsticks and Edamame will be in Michigan at the Gerald Ford Presidential Library this summer, and I am excited to be able to check it out there. I will have my posse with me. It is not often that my parents get to see my work, so that will be cool.
Join Me and my Fiber Artists of Southern Arizona Friends
Fiber Artists of Southern Arizona will have our first-ever booth at the Tucson Museum of Art’s Spring Artisans Market on Friday-Saturday-Sunday, March 18-19-20. We will have lots of new fine fiber art and crafts available, including note cards, rugs, oven mits, hand-dyed clothing, as well as fine fiber art! Be sure to stop at Booth 109 to say ‘hello.’
FASA is: Barbara Hall, Patricia Hasting-Sargent, Joanne Krawchuk, Sharon Nemirov, Ruth Sharpe, Aimee Smythe, Peggie Thomas, Mary Vaneecke, Kathryn Wild, and Janet Windsor. Hope to see you there!
Ready for the Quilt Show!
Yay! It’s finally quilt show time! The Tucson Quilters’ Guild Quilt Fiesta will be held this weekend, Friday February 19-Sunday February 21. I will have lots of new goodies in my booth (with Trish Hastings-Sargent), including my latest 3-D work, Dark Desert Skies.
I will also be selling fabric and embellishment kits for projects from my book, Wild and Wonderful 3-D Quilts.
Aaaand, last but not least, some hand-dyed vintage table linens I have been having lots of fun with….
Stop by booth #22 and see what’s new!
Going to The Show
My friend Lea McComas and I have been planning all year to take our books to Houston for the International Quilt Festival. It is the biggest quilt show in the world, with about 60,000 attendees. My quilt It’s a Jungle Out There will be in Houston as part of the Studio Art Quilt Associates’ Wild Fabrications show. Check us out at BOOTH 2014 if you are going to the show. We’ll be selling our books, and fabric kits.
Now, back to packing….
A Wild Winter Whirlwind
It has been a busy winter in the studio and a lot has happened since Wild and Wonderful 3-D Quilts debuted at Houston Quilt Festival last fall.
- For starters, Brewer Sewing is now distributing the book to quilt shops. Ask for it at your local quilt shop.
- Individuals can buy the book from me at Amazon.com for the full $14.99 sticker price. (click here for more information) I want to support local quilt shops and won’t undercut their prices online.
- The National Quilting Association’s Quilting Quarterly will publish its book review this spring.
- I hope to bring my 3-D quilting classes online later this summer. Stay tuned for details.
- My friend Lea McComas and I are making plans to promote our books at Houston Quilt Festival again this year. It’s a Jungle Out There will be touring with the Studio Art Quilt Associates Wild Fabrications show, and Houston will be the first stop on the tour.
- The National Quilting Association’s Quilting Quarterly will review my book in its next issue. How cool is that?
Last but not least, I am going to the Chicago Quilt Festival this month to demonstrate my techniques at the free Open Studios booths on Thursday, March 26, and Saturday, March 28. Superior Threads will be selling Wild and Wonderful 3-D Quilts at the show, along with all their gorgeous threads.
Will I see you there?
Going to the Chicago Quilt Show…
I am delighted to be a part of the International Quilt Festival in Chicago next month. I will be demonstrating techniques from my book Wild and Wonderful 3-D Quilts on Thursday and Saturday, March 26 and 28 as part of the Open Studios events.
It’s going to be great fun, and in between, I get to see my sister and wish my dad happy 85th birthday! I just hope it warms up about 70* before then….
NEW: Shibori Salon Workshop Series
Please join me for my new workshop series. I will open a second session on Tuesday afternoons if the Thursday sessions fill. The Supply List is below.
Shibori Salon Supply List
Shibori is the Japanese word for using pressure (created by folding, stitching, clamping, or binding) to create patterns with dye on fabric or paper. This is a survey course in Shibori with Procion dyes. I will provide dye solutions in a variety of colors at each session, along with dye recipes and info on the dye process. In later sessions, I will also provide a thiox discharge bath. You will make several small fabric samples for future reference or for use in your work.
Required supplies (bring to each session):
A selection of silk, cotton, linen, and/or lightweight rayon fabrics up to ½ yard pieces to start (you can work larger on a couple of pieces later if you wish). Boring or ugly commercial fabrics and batiks may be good candidates for the kind of work we will be doing. Bleached muslin or PFD fabric is fine, but you can also take fabrics out of your stash. New or used clothing (whole or cut up) will work, but keep the pieces small to start. You don’t need to ‘scour’ your fabrics in advance, but you can if you wish (blasphemy, I know).
Clamps (small C clamps or hardware clamps)
A large handful of rubber bands of various sizes
Hand sewing needle with a fairly large eye (I will provide thread)
Clamps (small C clamps or hardware clamps; many different kinds will work.)
Bamboo chopsticks (several clean pairs)
A large handful of rubber bands in various sizes
A handful of coins or small balls in different sizes
2-3 pairs of knee-hi stockings or panty hose. Patterned is fine if that is what you have.
Ziplock bags (at least 5 in the one-gallon size, and 5 in the smaller size)
Dishpan
Several small and medium plastic containers with or without lids
Dishwashing gloves or medical gloves
Blue Dawn dishwashing detergent (you will need this at home to washout your samples)
ball of cotton or hemp twine or string, any weight
Please plan to wear old clothes and/or a smock, sturdy shoes, and a hand towel to use a a drip rag.
If you wish to track your processes (i.e., dye color, manipulation, etc.) for each sample you make, bring a Sharpie pen and notebook to mark your fabrics and write your notes, or sew Tyvek strips to your fabrics and note the changes on the Tyvek.
Optional supplies (please bring these if you have them available):
18’’ (approximate) length of PVC pipe (3-6’’ in diameter)
5′ of 1″ polyester rope
Matching pairs of square, rectangular, or round plastic or wooden shapes
If you want to try dyeing paper, bring sheets of Abaca paper (brand name: Tissuetex, available online at www.meinketoy.com and other online shops. This paper will not disintegrate in the dye solution or washout. You are welcome to bring other papers for experimenting. Test first for durability!)
**Pair of heavy duty rubber gloves
**Pair of silk glove liners (available at outdoor/hiking stores)
**Respirator (link is here: http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/product.php?productid=17358&cat=342&page=1)
**You MUST bring these items if you wish to dishcharge fabrics yourself. Otherwise, I will handle your fabrics for discharging.
Email me with questions at mary@maryvaneecke.com.
You are Invited to Chaos, Controlled: The Fiber Arts of Mary Vaneecke
Chaos Controlled: The Fiber Arts of Mary Vaneecke features many new and small works as well as my shibori chic scarves and clothing. Please come to the opening reception Saturday, January 10 from 7-9 pm. I will give an artist talk on Saturday, January 31st at 2 pm.
Art House Centro Gallery is in Old Town Artisans, 201 N. Court Ave. (next to the Tucson Museum of Art).
Hope to see you there. Here is a sneak peek of the hanging yesterday. I love the small shibori ‘monoprint landscapes’ I just completed for the show (center).
Sonaran Arts Network reviews ‘Journeys’ show and my piece, ‘Modern Love’
A link to the thoughtful and perceptive review of the SAQA-AZ Journeys show by CJ Shane is here. The show runs through December 10 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center.
Radical Elements Art Quilt Exhibition Schedule
As of July, 2014 Radical Elements will be shown at:
National Academy of Sciences, 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington DC, April 6, 2015 – September 21, 2015.
Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts, Melbourne, FL, May 2016 – August 2016.
Click here for the full schedule.
New Legacies Opening Reception, Friday, July 11, 5-7 pm
I am honored to be a part of this exhibition, curated by Carol Shinn, who does wonderful thread paintings. I will be at the International Folk Art Festival in Santa Fe this weekend, and will miss the opening at the Lincoln Center Art Gallery in Fort Collins, CO. Don’t you hate it when you can be in two places at once?
My piece, Off the Wall II, will be a part of the exhibition through August, so check it out if you are in Colorado. It will be the first time it is seen publicly outside of Tucson.
Fourth time’s a charm…
Finally, after three rejections, Off the Wall II will be shown outside of my hometown. Yippeeee! And thank you, Lincoln Center for the Arts in Fort Collins, Colorado. I was beginning to lose heart. Here are the details on the show. I am wondering if I can bunk with a Colorado buddy and catch the reception…
NEW LEGACIES: CONTEMPORARY ART QUILTS
July 11 – August 30, 2014
Opening Reception: Friday, July 11, 5-7 p.m.
One of the premier contemporary quilt exhibits in the country, this national exhibit showcases the best work of artists who are pushing the limits of the medium, working with new techniques and materials, and creating breath-taking and beautiful art.
Radical Elements Opening
I got some photos of the opening of the Radical Elements show at the Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, Montgomery College Takoma Park, Silver Springs, Maryland, April 3-May 9, 2014. I breathed a sigh of relief to see my piece hanging. The space looks beautiful. The signage is not great and I noticed that they did not install work as I instructed. (In order to meet the shipping requirements, I could not have anything hanging off the edges.) Oh well. The piece should look like this:
Notice how the bottom left and top right edges have overhanging circles? You won’t see those in the photo below. Oh well. Maybe the next venue will be better at the details.
The Big Reveal….
The Radical Elements show is in Washington D.C. today at the National Academy of Sciences. A link to information on the current venue is here. Since the embargo on publishing photos of the works has been lifted, I can post a full view of the piece now. Drum roll please….
Painted archival Tyvek embedded with silk fibers and medical gloves, layered with window screen with acrylic paint and medium screened into it. The piece features cutouts and a 3D element, an S curve composition, and is quilted with magnets. Embellished with electric guitar strings.
Ready for the Show….well, almost.
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Sunset on the Swan, 32” x 16” Brand new work ready to hang in the booth? Check.
New teaching brochure? Check.
Sleeves on the new class samples? Check.
Gorgeous new Shibori Chic clothing stitched, discharged, and dyed? Check.
E-newsletter sent? Check.
There is lots to do to get ready for the quilt show. I still have to quilt a few small pieces, and tag and package the merchandise, but I am almost ready for the big show this weekend. The quilt show is always so much fun. I am so looking forward to hanging out with my friend Patricia Hasting-Sargent and talking to people about my work. Will I see you there?
Join Me for the Tucson Open Studio Tour
I will temporarily move my studio to St. Gregory’s School at 3231 N. Craycroft for the 2013 Open Studio Tour this weekend. Janet Windsor and Patricia Hastings-Sargent and Joanne Krawchuk and I will all be in one convenient place. We’ll will demonstrate some of our techniques, from design processes to quilting. Hope to see you there (11 am – 5 pm this Saturday and Sunday).
Come join us for some fun, friends, and fiber art. The event is free and open to the public.