Dear Arachnids, A very good point was made by both Jeri and Catherine about how lacemakers with more experience in working with traditional techniques are sometimes overlooked in favor of younger, less experienced artists. I think there are a lot of factors involved in this.
When the general public looks at a piece of lace, as Devon previously pointed out, they cannot distinguish the fine stitches, so the smaller, more complex pieces may appear less interesting than larger ones with thicker thread. In the case of the work of Penny Nickels and Maggie Hansel Brown, I think the appeal is their unusual subject matter for a piece of lace. Nickels has used dark or subversive subjects for lace, like the Jersey Devil piece and the fighting scorpions, and Brown chooses particularly mundane aspects of daily life, which are unusual to highlight in a time-consuming technique like needle lace. I think this is what people find attractive and interesting about their work, myself included. Most people that look at it won't realize that their technique may not be exactly historically correct. However, this is not to say that traditional lace designs are any less interesting, they absolutely are valuable and beautiful as well. I personally would like to focus on learning the more traditional and complex laces that are in danger of slipping away. I think there is room for all styles to be celebrated! Additionally, in today's world, there is the issue of social media and marketing. A lot of these younger artists have audiences on social media that have never seen or engaged with lace before, which is great of course. But the general public has a huge knowledge gap about lace history that needs to be remedied, and in doing so give rightful credit to the many lacemakers (like the members of this list) who have devoted their lives to the craft. And finally, there is of course, ageism. I have experienced repeatedly that Devon will have been saying something for years about lace and is not listened to, but when I say it, as a thirty-something with pink hair and "out there" fashion, it is suddenly heard and seen as a fresh or interesting idea. This is frustrating, but I try to use the small platform that I have to highlight lacemakers that have come before me. Overall, I sense a new "revival" brewing, and I think that is a good thing, even if it takes a different shape than previous lace revivals. I for one am very excited for Lace, Not Lace! Best, Elena On Thu, Mar 29, 2018 at 12:34 PM, Jeri Ames <[email protected]> wrote: > Lace, Not Lace: Contemporary Fiber Art from Lacemaking Techniques ? Do > you think - Not Lace - might be more appropriate than originally intended ? > > Some of us may not be on the same wave length as Needle Lace Revivalists. > > A comment is in order from someone whose lace and embroidery studies and > reading history is way above normal. Personally owning (and having read) > over 4,000 books on lace and embroidery surely qualifies. Please remember > embroiderers consider needle lace to be embroidery because it is made with > a threaded needle. From an educational point of view, it is important to > be able to distinguish between what we have always thought about lace and > what is being presented in this exhibit as - Not Lace. > > Perhaps the - Not Lace - is more appropriate than most of us first thought. > > Others who agree should feel free to bravely comment that some examples of > the Needle Lace Revival (discussed extensively yesterday) vulgarize > long-established traditional needle lace techniques and design principles. > > Have you ever been breathless when viewing an exceptional lace made by > someone like Catherine Barley? My wish is that one lace by Catherine (or a > quality photo) could be in the exhibit - for comparison, since at least one > of the needle lace revivalists claims to have studied her work. Will the > public be short-changed because they do not see any lace examples that > inspired revivalists? > > Are we being overly polite, waiting for someone else to defend the laces > we have grown to love after many years of study? Does that indicate a > demeaning of the time it takes to become a lace master? > > At this stage in history, any lace exhibit is better than none. In a > world that does not equally acknowledge art created by women by showing it > in anywhere near equal quantities to that of men in our greatest museums > (which are supported by disproportionate tax funding and volunteer work > provided by women), Devon Thein is on a brave mission to expose the > public to a different perspective about lace. She is acknowledging that > young lace artists of today (usually female) make affordable laces that can > be sold. She is a dear personal friend to many of us, and we hope the > exhibit she is curating is very successful. > > At the same time, dear Arachne subscribers, please do not feel you should > abandon your values because it seems others are doing so. > > Jeri Ames in Maine USA > Lace and Embroidery Resource Center > ---------------------------------------------------- > In a message dated 3/28/2018 4:40:40 AM Eastern Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > I have looked at Penny Nickels work and agree it is very impressive and > can recognise the influence of my Snow Queen panel, but for some reason my > panel does not seem to come into the category of 'Contemporary Fibre Art' - > I wonder why? I know people are visiting my website by the number of hits > it gets on a regular basis and clearly they learn something from the > detailed progressive images that I have shown there, but my work seems to > all be classified as 'living in the past' recreating old fashioned > traditional techniques. Perhaps the skills that have taken me over forty > years to perfect are the problem, and maybe if I were to incorporate some > irregular tension in my work, it may be viewed as more 'avant- garde'. > Clearly we all learn from the old traditional techniques so it is essential > that they continue to be practised, otherwise they will disappear into > obscurity. > > I wish you and all your exhibitors the greatest success with your > exhibition. > > Catherine Barley Needlelace www.catherinebarley.com > > > > - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
