Join WBGO for refreshments, entertainment and meet Rosalind Nzinga Nichol, at our Gallery Reception in the WBGO studio, Thursday, June 3, from 6 - 8 pm.
There will also be a live performance.
It's free and open to the public.
You can also visit the WBGO gallery during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 9AM to 5PM. The exhibit will be on display through July 30, 2010.
Special thanks to our sponsors Barefoot Cellars, E&J Distillers and Whole Foods.
Artist's statement
I use disintegrating textiles and other recycled materials as part of my creative process. Rescuing old lace and linens is also my way of paying homage to the countless women like my mother and grandmother. Skilled artists in their own right, who anonymously created their needle work to pass on to future generations....
I grew up watching my Grandmother recycle - everything! Nothing in our house was ever wasted. With this current series of work I began to remember her, and her surgeon's skill for dissecting old garments. First, off came the buttons, then any interesting adornment. Finally, out came the thread. Every bit it took to construct the garment.... I don't know how she managed but there would be at the end a neat pile of it. Strong. Relatively unbroken. Ready for reuse. Perhaps even with the same fabric it would show up again as a pillow cushion -- or even kitchen curtain trim. An unknown health issue left her handicapped as a young woman, yet I never heard her lament her fate. Quiet and self assured, she taught me how to use color, unbridle my imagination, and to be courageous and independent... American poet William Stafford says: “There's a thread you follow [your entire life]. It goes among things that change. But it doesn't change... While you hold it you can't get lost...." I look at the string of consciousness that has led me to this point and smile. I think my Grandmother would approve.
