an amazing evening!!!

An amazing evening.... Attleboro and UMass Boston!!! peace!!!

Out & About

A little update of the comings and goings of the artwork of Virginia Fitzgerald ~
Last night was the MassRecycle's Annual Recycling Awards @ the Artist for Humanity EpiCenter,Boston and a few artists, including yours truly, were ask to exhibit artwork made from recycled material. This was an easy one for me ~I exhibited Black Widow (the VCR tape dress), Glass Slipper and the Paper Mache Bustiere. It was such a lovely event as well as a zero waste evening!! really nice!!! The Epicenter was a perfect venue for this event being a green, high-performance, sustainable building ~ "the Artists For Humanity EpiCenter was awarded LEED Platinum Certification from the United States Green Building Council; it was the first project in the city of Boston to have earned this distinction. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings." The building itself set the 'green' tone with many different reused materials ~ the Ladies room was so cool, the toilet paper holder was made out of the bottom of a used water cooler bottle. I was happy to be included because i am a big fan of all things recycled. Years ago my business centered around recycling, creating bottle cap jewelry and accessories. I used the bottle caps as frame for my artwork and sold the pieces to stores around the world ~ so this is not a new trend for me. And it was exciting to see the 'recycled' artwork of the other artists. David Lang exhibited three pieces, and one of them he made especially for the evening, 'Return', and it was a show stopper!!! Check out his blog to see some of the pieces as well as the creation of 'Return'. The other artists were ~
Jeannie Dunnigan, Paula Estey, David Lang, Michael Ulman, Marty Ulman & Bill TurvilleIt was a feel~good evening!!

And then tonight there are two openings of shows that are exhibiting some of my work ~
First ,the opening reception for ArtOrganic at the Harbor Art Gallery, UMass Boston is tonight, November 18th, from 5:00 - 8:00 P.M. This show has many of my fiber pieces as well as the work of Jodi Colelle, Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord, David Lang, Janet Kawada and Derrick Te Paske. (Click here for the post with all the artists' links) The show runs from November 15th through December 15th. And I hope to make it to the opening near the end (one never knows with Boston Traffic).

And the second opening is for Carry On at the Attleboro Arts Museum, tonight from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. i am going to start there for two reasons. one this show is running in conjunction the city of Attleboro reading Tim O'Brien's The Things That They Carried so I am thinking this could be one big book group with artwork. As i think I mentioned before I was really moved by this book and I am eager to discuss it. Also I am planning to wear one of the pieces I made for the show, Tongue necklace, during the opening which will be fun. I just need to figure out what else to wear in the next few hours.

Both shows are exciting shows and the openings promised to be fun ~ I wish that i could clone myself :) but maybe I can make it to both openings!! But if you are in the area of either or both openings please stop by - i don't think you will be disappointed!!!

peace

Carry-On

This week I delivered four pieces to the Attleboro Arts Museum to be part of their invitational exhibition entitled Carry On. I am SO honored and excited to have been asked to be in this show. This exhibition is running in conjunction with a city wide reading initiative, where participants are encourages to read the same book at the same time and extend their connection to the text through local arts and cultural activities, such as this show. This year the chosen book is Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, considered by many as on of the finest books about the Vietnam War, and I couldn't agree more. This is not a book I would have likely picked up to read on my own, but since I have invited to be in this show I read it and I was blown away!! I was mesmerized and taken on a journey that i will never forget!

As artists we were asked to contribute artwork 'that directly responds to O’Brien’s text, along with work that addresses what soldiers, families, nations and others carry – literally and figuratively – during (and after) a time of war.' This will be a very provocative and moving show. Out of the four pieces that I am showing one of them was directly inspired by O'Brien's text but the other three fit perfectly with the theme. For the exhibit they asked the artists to write a description about how their pieces relate to the theme ~ and I figured that i will share those descriptions here because I always find it interesting when I need to put my thoughts and feelings about a pieces into words.

The Virgin of Guadeloupe represents the things that the soldiers carried to get them through; the talismans, the good luck charms, their faith, their hopes and dreams of girls and home. These were the things that kept the men"safe", "sane" and "alive".

In Memory Of... is a piece that I made to represent my sadness and frustration with the conflict in Iraq. On January 1, 2007 the New York Times announced that the list of dead soldiers had 'reached the somber milestone of at least 3,000 deaths since the March 2003 invasion'. I was moved by the 3 or 4 page spread of thumbnail pictures of the faces of the soldiers who had lost their lives. At that point the situation seemed endless and hopeless.

The top of the piece is made out of plaster tape, suggesting injury and immobility. The bottom of the dress is meant to suggest a quagmire – a total mess, with the wires suggesting the mines and booby-traps that have taken many of the soldiers’ lives. Lastly, hanging in and on this mess are dog tags with the pictures of a fraction of the soldiers who have lost their lives, who have left behind mothers and father, and sons and daughters. The size of this dress was deliberate reflecting the innocence lost in war, as well as portraying a sense of emaciation and undernourishment, states often present in war zones.

I have made a few pieces with dog tags as a way of visualizing the numbers and statistics that we hear or read about, and of which we may have become numb. I believe it is important to remember that these statistics represent real people and real losses in homes and families.

As of this week the total of US casualities in Iraq is 4427 since 2003 and in Afghanistan the total is 1388 US casualities since 2001 according to icasualties.org

Tongue Necklace was inspired by the chapter, "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong". This part of the book enchanted and beguiled me. I felt a sisterhood with Mary Anne Bell; how Vietnam made her feel alive and how she "wanted to penetrate deeper into the mystery of herself". As disgusting as the idea of a necklace of tongues is, I saw it also as a statement of empowerment and freedom. I envisioned the necklace with the tongues facing out, as in the act of screaming either out of pain, terror or as in the act of sticking out your tongue. In Mary Anne’s case, sticking out her tongue to the confines and limitations that she faced back in Cleveland Heights as Mark Fossie’s wife.

Do They Know its Christmas? comes from the ostentatious display of holiday consumerism and cheer while soldiers and loved ones are deployed to war zones.

As I mentioned before I am so honored that i was invited to be in this show - this is a theme of which I have many opinions & that I love to share. I am excited about talking to many people about the brilliant book. In fact if I had more time I could have produced at least a dozen pieces inspired by O'Brien's text. In fact even though I knew of the delivery date for months, thanks to girlies home sick and no school days, I was still madly sewing right up to the time we pulled the van into the museum's parking lot. :)

Show details : November 18th to December 4th, 2010
Opening Reception:Thursday, November 18th, 2010, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Free and open to the public.
Reception space is limited. RSVP by Nov 10, 2010 to kstpierre@attleboroartsmuseum.org or 508.222.2644 x13

CLICK here to see all the other exhibiting artists along with their web sites and also all the different activities that will be going on during the opening. I am so happy to announce that David Lang is also exhibiting some of his amazing pieces, check out his blog. In fact he was driving us to Attleboro while I was madly sewing!!! thank you St. David!! Now off to deliver some dresses to a party in Boston - more to come about that!! :) peace

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Travels and other interesting sites.

In the past few months i have been bathing in the lush world of fibers ~ my creatures have been gathering interest and have been in some shows; i have been exposed to new and different techniques and amazing artists; and I have been discovering wonderful articles and information on interesting blogs and websites. I have wanted to share these discoveries here and tonight after watching this video I figured I would share a few of my finds.

As i forge deeper into this luscious and intricate world of fiber art i am aware of a quiet connectedness, a sense of community, as if the rich history of fiber work and handicraft is still present and binding the people and the work together. An example of what i mean is the story of how i learned about this video. On Veteran's day, when the girls were out of school I took them and two of their friends to the Boston Museum of Science. A great museum for the girls to play for long periods with the many exhibits so i came prepared ~ I brought my crocheting. And while i was curled up on a bench crocheting and another mom was intrigued. She asked if i was following a pattern and i explained my 'organic' approach to crocheting. This reminded her of an article she saw on the web about crocheting, science and mathematics. I was interested so I gave her my card in case she remembered where she saw it. Well the next day she sent me the link to this article and the video about this crocheted coral reef and the story behind it. Here Margaret Wertheim speaks of how crocheting is the only way to model a certain mathematical theory and how their coral reef project has grown exponentially including many from around the world. This reminded me of Mandy Greer's work ~ a community forming around these artistic endeavors. I found this video very interesting especially after dropping my creatures off at the Harbor Gallery for their Art Organic show ~ so see what you think. The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Travels from Ireland to the Smithsonian.

Another one of my favorite 'fiber' finds is the artist Joetta Maue and her blog. I love to read her blog, it introduces many wonderful shows and artists ~ in fact her most recent post was about a show in London: Louise Bourgeois: Fabric Works. :) Joetta's work is beautiful and inspiring - i love her uses of old linens. This is an example of her work, on the right.

The last artist is will share this evening (as it is way past my bed time) is Abigail Doan. I discovered her work surfing the web and was memorized. Her blog is also a great read ~ showing many interesting works. I was particularly intrigued with the Knitted, Knotted, Netted show.

And this is just a tiny fraction of all the amazing work out there (which can be intimidating!!!) And many of the artists that i am drawn to do talk about a 'community' with their work, which is what i was trying to allude to earlier. There seems to be an invisible web connecting these works and the artists and the viewers. I see my interaction at the science museum as an example ~ how this mother and i have made a connection. In fact after she looked at my web site she realized that she knew my dress project work, and in fact she had pictures of some of my dresses on her phone. My brain is a little tired to clearly explain this sense of connection but I do feel there is something about 'handiwork' that softens people, breaks down some barriers and lets us connect a little more. I think this is shown in the tremendous interest in knitting and crocheting after 9/11.

I invite you to take a look at these artists and there will be more to come - I promise!!

peace & good night!!

Louise Bourgeois ~ amazing!

I just finished watching a most inspiring film called The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine ~ a film about one of my utmost favorite artists - Louise Bourgeois. Her work speaks to me in volumes and there are aspects of her and her work that i so relate to ~ one being her insomnia. She would spent many late night hours drawing until she fell asleep. Also her total dedication to her work, never wanting to waste a minute. She loved to work so much she would work 6 days straight and then on Sunday when her assistant, Jerry Gorovoy, would have his day off, she would open up her home to artists where she conducted critiques.

I was so fortunate to have been able to get to her retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, NYC, in 2008. The show blew my mind!!! Her pieces worked well with the architecture of the Guggenheim ~ both with their twists and spirals. I spent the entire day in the museum, so much that some of the museum guards noticed my complete absorption and made sure that I saw everything, directing me to this and that exhibit area!!

Bourgeois' Personages were her first pieces that made me sit up and pay attention. I saw one in person at the ICA's show, Bourgeois in Boston. The piece moved me, but then when i read more about the body of work I was even more captivated. When she exhibited her Personages for the first time she wanted them attached directly to gallery floor, not on pedestals. And she wanted them arranged like a cocktail party with some close together and some alone. (much of her work dealing with physical closeness or isolation) And she wanted the gallery visitors to be able to walk among the pieces. She created an installation with these pieces. And from the Personages I discovered her immense oeuvre. Another quality of this artist that appeals to me is she works in any and everything ~ painting, wood, marble, fiber & found objects to name a few. So much wonderful work, stories and emotions that I can't even begin....

The world lost this amazing artist earlier this year. (click here for the New York Times' obituary)

"Artist Louise Bourgeois, whose sculptures exploring women's deepest feelings on birth, sexuality and death were highly influential on younger artists, died Monday, her studio's managing director said. She was 98." Huffington Post

Since her death I have wanted to write a tribute to her and her work ~ but I was always overwhelmed or didn't feel prepared enough. But recently I have been drawn back to studying her work and during one of my library searches I came across this film. So this evening, once the girls were in bed, kitchen clean and the house was quiet, I set myself up with a cup of tea, some crocheting and Louise and I was memorized for hours ( I kept stopping and rewinding and taking notes to make sure I got everything). I highly recommend this movie and the work of Louise Bourgeois ~ be prepared for quite a journey!! peace

My 'Creatures' are out on the town ....

Today I delivered 6 creatures and my 'womb wrap' to the Harbor Art Gallery at UMass Boston for their show, Art Organic. This is very exciting because they wanted as many creatures as I could give them ~ so my babies are out in the world, some for the first time.

This show will also be the debut for my 'womb wrap'. I did exhibit it during my open studios a few weeks ago, in fact as a participatory piece. I set it up so that anyone who wanted to could put on the wrap and sit in my big, orange studio chair and just 'be'. I created this piece with the idea of being able 'go back to the womb', as a sort of sanctuary. I spent a few years knitting this piece in my organic approach ~ adding different yarns, and increasing and decreasing the stitches when it seems appropriate. It is two~sided which gives the piece a significant weight and comforting quality. For Art Organic 'womb wrap' will not be able to be worn but it will be hanging, in fact the plan is to suspend it in the middle of the gallery so that it will be able to be viewed on both sides and (hopefully) spin.

There is another interesting 'wrinkle' to this show ... when talking to the curator of the show, Steven Pirrello, about the numerous ways that my creatures can be exhibited I realized that i wasn't married to any particular way of exhibit them. And Steven showed real excitement about the creatures and understood their characteristics and their versatility. So I am letting Steven decide how each creature will be exhibited. Giving him that freedom seemed so right because these are 'creatures' ~ morphing, oozing and perching. In fact as they sat
on the floor waiting to be dealt with they were very reminiscent of sea urchin just washed up on the shore.

Art Organic will run from Nov. 15th - Dec. 15th, with the opening reception on November 18th, 5:00- 8:00pm. There are six artists exhibiting works that have an organic feel or work with organic materials. It is a great group of artists to be included with ~ Jodi Colella, Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord, David Lang :), Janet Kawada and Derrick Te Paske. The Harbor Art Gallery is on the UMAss Campus, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA, on the first floor of McCormack Hall, phone number# 617-287-7988. Stop by for a treat. Peace ~

Greeting cards....

Ok after many, many requests for greeting cards I have finally gotten my act together and I have a few on the zazzle.com site ~ hopefully it is going to go o.k. The first that i am posting is a detail from my Ribbon Dress. I picked this image because it represents many positive and creative intentions.
ribbons dress (detail) by va_fitzgerald
Shop for cards at zazzle
'>Ribbon Dress greeting card

happy halloween!!!

peace to all!!!

insatiable got into insatiable!!!!

I am SO excited to be able to announce that 'insatiable' got accepted into the show, insatiable, at the Kniznick Gallery, at the Brandeis Women's Studies Research Center!!!! I was honoered once I learned that they received many submissions from artists all over the US (25 states), Canada, and Turkey. And the even more exciting news is that it was accepted as a performance piece ~ I am truly psyched!! So during the exhibit I will be coming in to continue to add to the piece. As I mentioned in an earlier post this piece just does NOT want to stop - it wants more and more, and I am trying to oblige!! During this past Natick Artists' Open Studios I asked people to bring in any material that could be 'fed' to this creature ~ yarn, ribbon, rags, wire ~ anything green, black or brown. I was hoping to be working during the open studios ~ I set up a 'pulley' system in front of my favorite chair, however I spent most of the time chatting with wonderful folks!! So not a lot of crocheting but many wonderful ideas.

I am really enjoying adding the more non-traditional material. Here are some photos of interesting additions ~ a broken headphone, old plastic wrap & the old balloon ribbons and balloons from the open studios. I was tempted to crochet in one of the floating helium balloons but I figured it would not be as successful once the balloon landed!!!

So 'insatiable' is growing and growing and it will continue growing at Brandeis university.

The show will run from January 25 through March 15, 2011 and I will post the times that I will be there working!! peace ~

coming-homes and going-ons

Today is the last day of Cutting Edge: A Celebration of Fibers at the Textile Art Center, Brooklyn, NY. Here is a statement from the curator, Joetta Maue,

“This exhibition focuses on how artists are using fiber and techniques in truly unexpected ways either through their subject matter or the actual techniques of construction”, explains Ms. Maue. “Fibers are without boundaries - the purpose of this exhibit is to show that there are no rules. The show is going to be an incredible, not to miss exhibit with truly exciting work from prominent and unknown fiber artists. Any one who has an interest in fiber as a means of expression should not miss it.”

Click here to see some photos of the show and click here to see the videos that were exhibited at the show. It has been such an exciting show to be included in and I loved learning about all these wonderful artists and their work.

So these creatures will hopefully be back from Brooklyn in time for the up-coming Natick Artist Open Studios which is this weekend ~ the 16th and 17th!!! I will be posting more information but for now here is a brochure and click on the link above to get more information. And in the interest of saving paper and postage :) ..... if you want a brochure, email your address and I will send one out. Also I will have a pile in my studio so stop by my place first for your map. Lastly I will be collecting green, black or brown yarn, string, wire, streamer, balloon string,..... u get the idea. I'll explain more later. Happy Columbus day!!! peace

illustration friday ~ transportation

this week the 'topic' for illustration Friday is transportation .... so many possibilities ~ boats, cars and truck, oh my!!! When I finally settled down my creative brain and perused my portfolio for an appropriate illustration, I came across this one. And even though this might not scream transportation, like a big yellow taxi :) I wanted to use it, because this painting was done for a picture book and yesterday I read a disturbing article in the New York Times about the decline in the publication of picture books ~ Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children By Julie Bosman, published: October 7, 2010. Reading this article upset me greatly, as an illustrator and a parent. I believe in the importance of the picture book!!! I bet we all have a cherished memory of our favorite picture book ~ the one we sat with for hours, disappearing into the pictures ~ fighting dragons, rocking with mama bunny or cruising along one of Richard Scarry's wonderfully busy streets. Our house is still full of picture books even though my girls are nine and twelve. I don't think there is an age limit for enjoying a picture book; however this seems to be the main reason for the decline, according to this article. The article concentrated on how parents are pushing their children to read chapter books at an earlier and earlier age ~ ack!!! As a parent I see so many elements of my children's lives disappearing in the name of 'advancement'. How many parent conferences I have gone to where I am told that all these new procedures are preparing them for the MCAs ~ the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. Now don't get me wrong I am all for giving our children a wonderful education with as many opportunities that they can have, but I feel like we are losing some of the wonders of childhood! And this article stirred many of these feelings, especially this section ~

Now Laurence is 6 ½, and while he regularly tackles 80-page chapter books, he is still a “reluctant reader,” Ms. Gignac said.
Sometimes, she said, he tries to go back to picture books.
“He would still read picture books now if we let him, because he doesn’t want to work to read,” she said, adding that she and her husband have kept him reading chapter books.

I read this and it made my heart ache ~ I think as parents we are not only responsible for teaching our children to read but, and maybe more importantly, we need to cultivate a love for reading, especially now that children have so many other entertainment options besides a good book. I know that I am a bit biased on this point (you can ask my girls) but I feel that the written word can take you so many wonderful places and you don't need an outlet!

The article did mention that the cost for a picture book could also be contributing to the decline in sales ~ and I can see that, however then again, authors and illustrators do need to buy groceries and pay rent too!!
So go find a good picture book (or go buy one) and enjoy!! If you feel so inclined please tell me one of your favorites ~ one of my favorites is The Bedspread by Sylvia Fair ~ visually amazing and the story warms the cockles of my heart everytime I read it!!

happy reading and looking!! peace

the insatiable creature

Here are some photos of my latest 'creature', but this guy does want to stop ~ he is insatiable, wanting more and more!!! And I am happy to oblige. In fact I am feeling almost possessed by this creature, just wanting to sit a crochet and crochet. However, I need to take out a loan to pay for all the yarn and material that I keep buying for this guy. And the great thing is it is not only yarn ~ in this creature there is rope, leather, cut black plastic trash bags and, my personal favorite, green gardening twine. The reason I like the twine so much is that when i crochet with it the twine keeps some of its 'body' giving the crocheted strand a life of its own ~ twirling & curling. And depending how i exhibit the piece ~ some of the strands are coming out of the piece ready to grab your leg and pull you in!!!

I started this creature when i heard about a call for submissions. The prospectus read ~

"Gluttony is the new status quo. Our appetite for food, power, wealth, sex, new experiences, and information is seemingly insatiable and poses increasingly greater risks to the welfare of our planet and its inhabitants. .... this ravenous craving for excess and/ or the consequences of indulging our endless desire for more."

With these words spinning in my brain I thought I wanted to make a creature that represented these ideas. It was an interesting idea because I wanted this creature to be oozing, ugly, sucking up everything is its path. I saw it hanging from the rafters or slithering down the wall. I tried to work on it without an aesthetic agenda per say, yet I noticed how I did edit my greens ~ not any green yarn would do. And I haven't created an 'ugly' piece but the experience has been challenging and i am happy with this creature's presence. And, as I mentioned before - this piece is NOT finished!!!
However the call for submissions due date was last week ~ dilemma yes?? Well no ~ I submitted this piece as a performance piece ~ a work in progress that I would come in a continue to add to during the exhibit. I LOVE this idea!! and hopefully the curator will too.
The pictures that I have posted here are the pictures that I submitted to be judged. I wanted to show the versitiliy of this piece, the aliveness of this piece.

“Love is blind, and greed insatiable” chinese proverb ~ peace

illustration friday ~ beneath

When I saw the topic for Illustration Friday this week the image of worms under (beneath) the ground immediately popped into my mind .. so I sketched it. Now, my girls think the worms are snakes but you get the idea. However, as my weeks have taken on this basic insanity I realized that I wouldn't be painting this illustration any time soon (especially within this week). But then I remembered this illustration that I did awhile back with a snake 'beneath' the jungle ...so voila!!!

happy weekend!!! & peace ~

Portrait Show opening this Saturday ....

This Saturday at LynnArts, Inc is the opening for the Portrait show. My piece, Spirited, is in this show. The show runs from September 16-October 29, Time Warner Gallery , LynnArts, Inc, 25 Exchange Street, Lynn, MA.
Opening Reception:
Saturday, September 25, 2-4pm

I hope to post my pictures from this weekend but until then you can find some pic.s at this link ~ Cutting Edge opening party pictures.


Also a little momento from my weekend in New York ~ a little cup of heaven, made at my favorite NYC cafe in Chelsea ~ Le Grainne Cafe.
not sure why, but dresses kept popping up in my food this trip....

peace