Untangled, presented by GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, takes viewers on a personal journey to rediscover a deeper meaning to the concrete world around us. The exhibition, on view in the Cohen Gallery from March 17 through April 29, showcases the work of Olaitain Callender-Scott, C. Pazia Mannella Curcio, Dot Vile, and Libbie Soffer—individuals who are redefining fiber as an art form.
Suzanne Fellows, along with Barbara Thun, Nancy Sarangoulis, and Patricia Scialo served as curators, putting together a show that offers viewers a study of strength and weakness, balancing inside and outside together as one through fiber art mediums.
“My art making is an internal journey with external souvenirs,” Soffer says. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Soffer studied textiles at Moore College of Art, and her work has been featured in the Smithsonian and Whitney Museum of American Art. She is a current member of InLiquid, Philadelphia Sculptors, and Artists Equity.
Olaitan Callender-Scott’s art “reflects appreciation of compost, rust and small randomly found objects.” From Oakland, CA, Olatain works in mixed media, particularly using fabric and fibers in traditional and nontraditional ways. In Untangled, she explores her interest in memories, which she describes as, “the ghost, remnant, inspiration, trail and the irretrievable idea of the thing that, while altered, still exists.”
Curcio sites her interest in contemporary and historical textile patterns, embroidery, and garment designs as inspiration for her work. As Head of the Fibers Program at the University of Missouri, she recently exhibited work in Extreme Fibers: Textile Icons and the New Edge in Muskegon, MI.
Vile earned her B.F.A. in Fiber from The University of the Arts and has exhibited nationally and internationally, namely in Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, and Seoul. “I attempt to pin-point moments where the physical and the ethereal coexist. Found objects, the human body and cloth serve as the materials I use to inspect this interplay,” Vile says.
By using diverse mediums from used notebooks, hair, linen and concrete blocks, the artists prompt the viewer to see everyday objects in a new light.
Complimenting the exhibition, artist Libbie Soffer will be leading a series of “Sew Happy- An Ongoing Sharing” mending circles from 10:30am – 3:30pm every Wednesday during the run of the exhibition. Patrons can bring a garment or two and join these artist-led mending circles for conversation and sewing at no charge.
For more on this exhibition and the artist’s biographies visit our website.
