A few highlights from FiberPhiladelphia and more

I recently visited FiberPhiladelphia, an impressive city-wide event featuring over 40 art exhibitions, with the help of a grant I received from the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation.  Here are just a few highlights.  My first stop was the Snyderman -Works Gallery in Old City.   A large resist and stitched piece by Dorothy Caldwell was impressive in the lovely space with 20 ft ceilings, as part of their 8th International Biennial .   I was also drawn to the Norma Minkowitz sculpture, Karin Birch embroideries and Jo Stealy sculptures. 

 

Snyderman-Works Gallery

Next Narrative Thread, a group exhibition exploring innovative stitching and assemblage techniques at Wexler Gallery.  Orly Cogan’s re-purposed table linens with hand embroidery that explore issues of female identity and the embroidered photos of Flore Gardner were really interesting.

 I loved Emily Richardson’s georgeous ethereal, layered and painted, stitched pieces as well as Cassie Jones small scale quirky sculptural wall pieces at GrossMcCleaf gallery.  Emily was also a  featured speaker at the “Identity” conference, sponsored by SDA and SAQA, that I attended as part of FiberPhiladelphia.   Hearing about her work process was very engaging. 

 At Space 1026 it was exciting to see the whimsical and colorful embroideries of Takashi Iwasaki which I have only seen online.  I also enjoyed Allison Watkins’  hand stitched His and Hers piece.

Allsion Watkins at Space 1026

Takashi Iwasaki embroideries at Space 1026

At the  Fabric Workshop and Museum a striking installation by  Pae White: Summer XX  was exciting.   It’s amazing what the artist created with what seems like miles of red yarn.

Light sculpture by Warren Muller at bahdeebahdu

 Incredible work and space at bahdeebahdu  !!   I included a few pics though I don’t know the artists.  Please let me know if you recognize them so I can properly attribute. 

Shoe sculpture at bahdeebahdu

Sculpture at bahdeebahdu

Rooftop in Chinatown

Here a few pics of the city I took as we were walking between venues.

Mural just outside Chinatown

  

Painted Bride Art Center in Old City 2012

 

The Crane Arts Building which housed several impressive shows, including Outside/Inside the Box is a beautiful building. Check out Rachel Udell’s funky crochet and knit sculpture in the slide show.   Unfortunately my batteries ran out of juice by the time I arrived there so no pics of those.  Check the FiberPhiladelphia website which has tons of info and links to the many shows they organized.  Kudos to such an impressive event!    

Crabapple blossoms in Old City 2012

Sneak peek of “textile constructions” catalog, ready for purchase

Artwork in "textile constructions" catalog by Christine Sauer

A few weeks ago I put the finishing touches on a full color catalog of my recent textile works from 2010-2011, created with a grant from the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation.   One week later, like magic,  I received my order of  “textile constructions” created at lulu.com!    Lulu did a wonderful job printing them.  It was fun and challenging to design and edit my work in the form of a catalog.  After several days of editing and more editing, the flow of images finally looked right.   Creating this catalog was valuable, giving me an opportunity to look at my work a bit more objectively, to show my artistic journey as I begin new work and to have a printed record.   I recommend this process to all artists!

Included in the twenty-one page,  8.5x 8.5″  catalog is the “Cluster Series”,  photos of the 2011 Billboard Art Project exhibition,  and several sculptures.   An artist statement,  excerpts from a review of my 2011 LeMieux Galleries show and artist profile from a local magazine are part of the mix.  

I’d be honored if you Pressed here to buy my catalog with PayPal.  The cost is $10.00 plus $2.00 first-class mail.    Please add your mailing address to the order.  You should receive ”textile constructions” within 5 days.  Here’s a peek of what’s inside.

Christine Sauer "textile constructions" delivery 2012

    

Christine Sauer "Cluster Series/Split" 2011

Christine Sauer "Cluster Series I" (det)2011

Primal painting and primates painting!

This gallery contains 7 photos.

 Is the urge to paint primal?  I believe it is.  As an art educator of students from kindergarten through high school for many years, watching kids paint was always intriguing to me.  Many kids love the painting process, particularly the … Continue reading →

New exhibitions open at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans

The last few months have kept me busy at the computer transforming the business end of my studio practice and I have put my blog posts on the back burner.  I’ll start my new posts of 2012 with the most recent art show I attended last Saturday (2/23).  Opening night at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans had art from over 100 hundred artists from New Orleans on display in three different exhibitions.   I enjoyed seeing the work of emerging and established  New Orleans artists on display in these large rambling shows.   The packed opening night was great but also made it challenging to see all the work.  I’ll be stopping by in the next week or so to take a closer look.  The variety of content, media and styles was amazing, demonstrating the richness of the visual arts scene in our city.  One of the shows, part of a series celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Contemporary Arts Center, “NOLA NOW, Part II, Landscape, Seascape, Cityscape” will only be up for a month so make sure to check it out soon!

Here is a teaser detail shot of a new piece that I will be exhibiting for the first time in “NOLA NOW, Part II, Abstraction” which will open Saturday, April 7. 

Christine Sauer "Cluster Series/ Split" (detail) 2011

Art around NOLA, Prospect .2 and Billboard Art Project

‘Tis a busy art season around NOLA!   The billboard art project started in October and runs into November featuring over 25 artists from New Orleans  and around the country.  Check www.billboardartproject.com for a complete listing and details.  I  watched it for a few hours last week…the artwork looked amazing.  The large-scale set against an industrial background on a gray rainy day made the images pop!  Here’ one of my images, fun to see giant stitches, sequins and beads!  On the weekends you can see over 500 images from all the artists in the show alternating with advertising.

Electronic Billboard Art Show 2011, Christine Sauer "Cluster Series" detail

 Prospect .2 , a sprawling art biennial all over New Orleans opened last month.   Several artists are showing textile based work which is exciting.  So far highlights for me have been  Gina Phillips work, “Life Lasagna” at the CAC.  Her clever and engaging art quilt installation drew me in.  The Nick Cave and Joyce J. Scott exhibition at Newcomb Art Gallery  , Tulane University is fabulous!  Both artists’ works are dramatic in content and scale.

On the St.Claude route, Kathleen Loe’s drawings, paintings and prints at the Healing Center are impressive.  Pictured here is one of her large-scale drawings.  My only thought is that better lighting would have improved the viewing experience.

Art by Kathleen Loe at the Healing Center, New Orleans

 I enjoyed seeing  a group exhibition “Fresh Produce” at the artists collective at Staple Goods  gallery.  The show was edited and displayed well in the intimate gallery space. Whimsical chandeliers by Cynthia Scott and vibrant paintings by Ann Nelson were a highlight.

I’ll be heading out to see more exhibits in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned!

Billboard Art Project starts Saturday 10/22/11 in NOLA!

I am exhibiting my five images of my work from the “Cluster Series” in the Billboard Art Project in NOLA on the electronic billboard opposite the Superdome.  My work will be on display 10/22-10/28 rotating thru M-F with several other artists at 8 second intervals interspersed with advertising.  On the weekend, 10/22-10/23,  artists in the exhibition will have their images, over 500, rotating thru with no advertising.  The show runs thru November 18, 2011.  Check out the website above for a complete list of artists, map and schedule.  This is such a cool project!

At random…electronic billboard art, studio process and inspiration!

  My studio projects and marketing efforts have overtaken my time so I have not posted for a while.  Here are a few random items.

My work will be part of the Electronic Billboard Project in NOLA starting October 22.  Images will be on display on an electronic billboard interspersed with advertising.    I am really looking forward to seeing it in action.   Here’s an example:

 

Christine Sauer "Cluster" det 2010

I have been busy creating the raw materials for several new “Cluster Series” pieces,  exploring several new combinations of materials and techniques.  This series is proving to be fertile ground to generate  more  work.  I have many new ideas that I want to express.  I used my needle felting machine to create several textured materials.  Included in the second pic is  samples of solvy techniques, acrylic paint with tulle and stitching and my custom trim.  I am working toward a couple of deadline which always helps me push the work out!

Christine Sauer studio needle felting

 

C Sauer stitched examples

 

For inspiration check out the article on the NYT T magazine website about artist Nick Cave .  He has been an important influence to me.  The freedom of combining materials, processes, techniques to create his fierce sculptures is amazing!