Alexandra Brownell at Needlework

Image courtesy of Hamilton Spectator Collection, Local History & Archives, Hamilton Public Library 

Things have been chugging away with Pulling Strings since our library launch event at Needlework in April-- we are already at work on our summer program.  Behind the scenes for the last few months, Thea and I (Tara) have been working with a talented recent grad of Sheridan College's textile program, Alexandra Brownell, on her first exhibition.  This opportunity stemmed from a Sheridan class that Thea teaches where I was invited to give a guest lecture on my practice as an independent curator as well as guest curate an installation of student work based on an assignment that was structured like a call for submissions.  I juried the submissions alongside the wonderful Liz and Kate from Needlework.

It has been a real pleasure working with Alex and getting to know her and her great work.  Don't miss her installation (inspired by cotton and photographs found at the Hamilton Local History Archives!) that officially launches at Art Crawl next Friday! For more info about Alex and the show, see below.

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Alexandra Brownell

Sweet Fibre

A window installation at

Needlework

174 James Street North, Hamilton

Opens at the James Street North Art Crawl on

Friday, June 13, 2014

Alexandra Brownell is from the rural hamlet of Leskard, Ontario. She grew up catching frogs, exploring the woods, and writing scary stories. This curiosity and creativity stuck with her and eventually she attended Sheridan College for the Craft & Design of Textiles. She continues to practice her craft in the GTA.  www.alexandrabrownell.com

This installation was organized by Thea Haines (Faculty, Department of Crafts and Design, Sheridan College), Tara Bursey (Independent Curator) and Kate Hunter and Elizabeth Simpson of Needlework.

Winterlore at Hamilton Winterfest 2014

Thea Haines, Blanket Fort 

Things have been a little sleepy here on the Pulling Strings blog for the last few months.  If you've been wondering what we've been up to since our last event, we were hard at work up until a few weeks ago in our respective roles for Hamilton Winterfest, a community event presented by the City of Hamilton Tourism and Culture Division that has been going strong for nearly four decades.  Jen was by and large the main brain behind this year's installment of Winterfest, I curated Winterlore, the outdoor exhibition that was part of the Winterfest kick-off event, and Thea was one of the exhibition's ten participating artists.  Her embroidered Blanket Fort (pictured above) was a beautiful and evocative tribute to the importance of warm textiles to Canadian pioneers in wintertime.

The photos below show more highlights from Winterlore and the Winterfest kick-off event.

Jacqui Oakley and Jamie Lawson, Awakening 

Tonya Hart, Phantasmagorical Nights 

 KalynDar (wearing some lovely Ukrainian-inspired accessories)

Hitoko Okada, Lotus Lantern

For more information and photos of Winterlore, take a look at the exhibition Facebook page!  Also, stay tuned for more information about our upcoming March/April event coming very soon!

Pulling Strings 1.1: Shannon Gerard Conceptual Crochet Talk & Workshop (Nov 23, 2013)

After months of coffee shop scheming and logo napkin doodles, we are pretty dang excited to be getting Pulling Strings off the ground with a talk and workshop led by Shannon Gerard! Shannon was a natural choice for a first speaker in the series – her playful approach to her practice is never stuffy or alienating but always makes you think about things not previously considered – exactly what we are trying to achieve with Pulling Strings.

Next Saturday (November 23) Shannon will give a talk and Q&A at the Hamilton Artists Inc, followed by a hands-on workshop at Needlework. We are super grateful to both spots for giving Pulling Strings, a roving series, its first home.

Recognized for her engaging teaching and speaking style, Shannon will share the evolution of her crochet practice from recognizable objects with a decorative or educational function to forms that graph concepts of hyperbolic space or chart biographical and emotional journeys.  Following the talk, anyone is invited to push the boundaries typically associated with crochet as a functional pastime in a conceptual crochet workshop - no crochet experience necessary! As spaces are limited, we'll need you to register beforehand by emailing us at pullingstringshamilton@gmail.com.

Here are the details:
Who: Shannon Gerard (http://shannongerard.tumblr.com)
When: Saturday November 23, 2013; Talk and Q&A (2:00-3:30pm); Workshop (4:00-5:30pm)
Where: Talk and Q&A – Hamilton Artists Inc. 155 James N Hamilton, ON (@ Cannon); Workshop – Needlework, 174 James St N Hamilton, ON
Cost: Talk - FREE; Workshop - $10
Registration: Talk – all are welcome, no RSVP required; Workshop – contact pullingstringshamilton@gmail.com to register.

A bit about Shannon: In addition to teaching courses in print media and nano-publishing at OCAD University in Toronto, Shannon Gerard makes artist's books about magic, hope, faith and human frailty and produces large-scale installations that incorporate stop-motion animations and digital print. Shannon spends at least 50% of her waking life crocheting soft sculptures, which include Boobs and Dinks, Plants You Can’t Kill, and contributions to the Toronto Hyperbolic Coral Reef.



Toronto Hyperbolic Coral Reef (by Shannon & Others)