Some of us know how under-represented textile arts are in our educational systems and world of fine craft, except as art to wear. Garry Bennett, at a recent guild meeting,
Jan Moore "the Green Man" detail
commented in his inimitable fashion on our lack of positive exposure to collectors and markets. Tapestry, especially, gets small notice, even in publications devoted to textile arts. This month, there are some notable remedies to the situation, including the representation of tapestry in an article in Vogue
Alex Friedman,"Flow 3"
magazine! The article features contemporary hand woven tapestry adorning the walls of a New York penthouse, and uses a detail of the work as the background for a collage of other photos. Well, it hardly gets better than Vogue. The texture and nature of the work is clearly visible. The work of Alex Freidman, tapestry weaver and member of BCG and the American Tapestry Alliance, will be featured in FiberArts just in time for the Baulines Craft Guild's Spring Showcase at 600 Townsend, April 19-June 10.
Tapestry is slow cloth. No doubt about it. Yet, the high quality of design combined with the unequaled textures and details of tapestry construction make it a form worth musing upon, for long hours, by candlelight. Currently at Art Works Downtown in San Rafael, CA, I have a piece in the show "Mosaic" juried and installed by Ted Cohen. It's possible to understand media as a theme, and without changing what we do, find a way to interpret it. I tend to see tapestry as small bits of local color, adding up to a whole, thus, mosaic. Imagery is important to me. The depth of meaning, the narrative, the opportunity for figuration and representation is important in my work. Call me old school.
Jan Moore
