Hughmanick, Strait Jacket

Three local fiber artists and a photographer present a show about the history and process of fiber art at the A.P.E. Gallery, Northampton, MA from June 8 to 26 with an opening reception on Friday, June 11 from 5 to 8pm.  The artists host a discussion Saturday, June 19 from 11am to 1pm to inform and engage the public in a conversation about the role of this historic art form in the contemporary art world. Artists include Carly Goss, Kathryn Greenwood Swanson, Christalena Hughmanick and Brendan Murtaugh.

Carly Goss, a Western Mass native now living in Baltimore, presents a series of handwoven textiles that explore the liminality of celebration and mourning. Kathryn Greenwood Swanson, a Hampshire College graduate and Northampton resident exhibits a large, site-specific installation which seeks to ask questions about women and their relationship to textile arts. Work featured by Christalena Hughmanick includes knitted, tatted and embroidered bridal trousseau items which examine the relationship Victorian women had to fiber crafts. Providence, RI based photographer, Brendan Murtaugh exhibits series of photographs exploring the lyrical process of Tatted lace-making.

APE Gallery is located at 126 Main Street, Northampton, MA 01060. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday & Sunday 12 to 5pm and Friday & Saturday 12 to 8pm. To contact APE please call 413.586.5553 and for more information about the show please contact Christalena at 717.490.2003 or christalena.hughmanick@gmail.com. For more information on each artist please visit http://www.carlygoss.com, http://remyfriends.blogspot.com, http://www.christalenahughmanick.com and http://brendanmurtaughphotography.blogspot.com. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Northampton Arts Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

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Show Statement

Each of these pieces makes use of mediums that are traditionally considered "women's work" and explore the value of such work throughout time.  Whether it be a bride planning her modern wedding, or a Victorian woman slaving over her bridal trousseau, we examine the currencies at play in the economies that determine the value we place on textiles in todays world.

Artist Talk & Discussion

"What is the value of textiles in our modern culture?"

Saturday, June 19 from 11am to 1pm

Hughmanick, Handkerchief

We will each give a short talk about the ideas behind our work and how it was made. This will include a brief history and demonstration of the craft we each utilize in our work. We will then broaden the discussion to the textile industry at large and how it impacts our daily lives. We discuss production methods for household textiles such as bed linens, curtains and clothing before and after the Industrial Revolution. We will ask, how has the revolution affected the monetary and sentimental value of textiles and why? How has our relationship to fabric changed over time? How has the womans role in textile production evolved? We also hope to answer questions about current modes of production such as "Where does my clothing come from? Where can I find out?" With this talk we aim to reinforce the human presence in textile production and how it has evolved to what it is today.

The Missoula Oblongata Present "The Daughter of the Father of Time Motion Study"

Saturday, June 26 at 8pm

The "Threadbare" show will welcome the Missoula Oblongata into the gallery space for a presentation of their latest show. Once there was a time when people knew the difference between sacrifice and compromise. Which is to say, they knew the difference between a walrus and a robot. Which is to say, they knew the difference between a hole in the ice and the ice itself. They knew each of the 18 hand movements prescribed by Time Motion Study, and they knew how to use them in a way that was restful. This play is a television mini-series about that remarkable period of time. As always, The Missoula Oblongata is asking the big questions here: Can inefficiency be cured? If a robot is smarmy, is it only a reflection of your own smarminess? What exactly does it take to get oneself on a postage stamp? Debuting May 30th at Southeastern Ohio’s own CrabbFest, comes a new play by The Missoula Oblongata: The Daughter of the Father of Time Motion Study.  It’s the company’s sixth touring production—this one half the size of their usual main-stage fare, but with all of the moving parts, twisty dialog, and duct-taped together lighting that the company has become known for. And all of it is created, performed, and operated from the stage (that is, a 6’ x 6’ x ‘6 box) by the three full-time members of the company: Madeline ffitch, Sarah Lowry, and Donna Sellinger. For more info about The Missoula Oblongata please visit: http://www.themissoulaoblongata.com.

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christalena hughmanick

http://www.christalenahughmanick.com

http://www.itknits.com