After reading an article by Sharon Marcus titled Critical Issues in Tapestry (©2004 by American Tapestry Alliance in “A Quarterly Review of Tapestry Art Today” Summer 2004, Vol 30 No 2), I have been thinking about the differences between fiber art, fiber craft and fiber work. I look around my house and see quantities of fiber work. I have tried a number of the fiber media either as part of a class or on my own. Most I wouldn’t bother documenting as art. To me, it just isn’t art. But what do I mean? It’s sometimes beautifully constructed or colored, but it really doesn’t explore concepts or feelings. While I may derive comfort from the process of the work, it doesn’t necessarily express any thought or speak to an outsider.
Sharon Marcus was speaking to the widening gap between tapestry and “fiber art” and what, if anything, the American Tapestry Alliance might do to embrace change. She states: “…tapestry has become more and more marginalized from the center of theoretically based fiber work. …Since curators and jurors are generally looking for work that interprets cutting edge ideas in art and culture, being out of the mainstream has serious ramifications.”
She states the following is one of the criticisms of tapestry work by detractors: “With a preference for technique over content, contemporary tapestry makers continue to mimic painting, and more recently photography, and have been left behind as the rest of the fibers world explores concepts in a manner which exploits the unique qualities of fibers, textiles and media-specific techniques.”
I think it would be easy to substitute the word tapestry with quilting or embroidery in the criticism of tapestry. There are many shows and publications featuring extraordinary work being done by quilters. But often just a handful of what I would consider “fiber artists” is included.
I want to see fiber art that goes outside the traditional, pushes technique, size, color and concepts of beauty. I want the work I’m viewing to somehow challenge me, engage me, to slap me upside the head.
