Morning (11AM): “Notes from the Field, Part I”
Afternoon (1PM): “Notes from the Field, Part 2”
Introduction:
My favorite talks are those that I give to weavers and creatives who work with cloth. Over many years I have reflected on what makes these moments, when we come together as makers, so compelling and almost magical. Is it the lineage we share, the equipment, materials, and familiar techniques we hold in common that so compels us? Or is it the exotic wardrobes of amazing cloth that predate us, the bolts of historic and intoxicating fabrics that have dressed generations and continue to profoundly inspire us?
Morning Program: “Notes from the Field, Part I”.
Notes from the Field visually embraces the textile past, present, and future, blending both the craft and the stories that we and our ancestral family ofmakers weave, stitch, felt and tel. tI is a gentle reminder that ours is a powerful legend of creativity andSpirit that transcend time, place, politics, and even beauty.
Morning Program: “Notes from the Field, Part 2”.
The afternoon version of Notes from the Field focuses on the 40 year evolution of mywork in cloth from the early days of weaving carpets for American Craft Shows to the present, creating commissioned weft ikat tapestries for large public spaces.
About Mary:
Best known for her work in ikat tapestry, Mary Zicafoose strives to be an inspirational presence in the textile world. She received her BFA from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN and went on to graduate studies in art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and University of Nebraska. Her work is exhibited and collected internationally, including the International Triennial of Tapestry, Lodz, Poland; Museo de Textil, Oaxaca, Mexico; China National Silk Museum, Hangzhou, and the collections of two dozen United States Embassy’s on four continents. Extensive exhibition, teaching, and lecture venues include the de Young Museum, San Francisco, Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN and universities, conferences, and textile programs worldwide. She is Co-Director emerita of the American Tapestry Alliance, and have served on the board of GoodWeave, an international NGO dedicated to eliminating child labor in Southeast Asian carpet factories. As a founding member and past board president she helped form the Union for Contemporary Art in Omaha, NE. She is a former Bemis Center for Contemporary Art resident artist and three-time USA Artist finalist. Her studio practice has for the last decade has focused on creating large-scaled contemporary tapestry installations for public buildings and homes throughout the United States. Her most recent contribution to the textile field is the Penguin/Random House book, Ikat: The Essential Guide to Weaving Resist-Dyed Cloth, released in 2020.
For more information about Mary and her work visit her website www.maryzicafoose.com , Instagram @mary zicafoose