1803 Studios with prayer flags by Sharon Rowley

I just got back from a convention of Surface Design Association in San Antonio, Texas. It was inspiring and exhausting. There were so many new people, so many ideas, and so much art to see in such a short time. I made some wonderful contacts and had a lot of fun. I think I will be synthesizing it for some time to come.

I’m going to break up my impressions of the conference into several blog posts so it’s not too overwhelming. On the first day I attended a Fiber Tour of Jane Dunnewold’s studio, the McNay Museum, and the Witte Museum’s collection of Fiesta dresses.

Jane Dunnewold

gleaming stainless tables and large industrial sinks at Jane’s studio

I really enjoyed seeing Jane’s new teaching space, 1803 Studios. She purchased a Victorian house and has fixed it up as a dry studio and classroom space. She built a new wet studio in the back with a large deck, big sinks, stainless steel tables, washer/dryer, and 20 foot long printing table. I have serious studio envy!

The future ain’t what it used to be, by Lisa Hoke at the McNay Art Museum

The future ain’t what it used to be, detail

Second stop was the McNay Art Museum. I really liked the piece in the Reception Hall by Lisa Hoke, “The future ain’t what it used to be.” It was a huge wall covered with a collage of packaging and other disposable paper products. The work was both a joyous composition of color and pattern and a reminder of the waste that is generated in our consumer culture.

the inner courtyard at the McNay Museum

Vision Catcher, by Lesley Dill

Part of the McNay Art Museum is housed in the original Spanish Colonial Revival house of Mrs. McNay. It’s a beautiful example of that style of architecture. I felt like I was in an old western and Tyrone Power was going to climb in through the window. The collection was interesting, kind of a mish mash like most personal collections, but with some very nice pieces. I enjoyed the exhibition, Majority Rules: A Decade of Contemporary Art Acquisitions, that included pieces by Lesley Dill, Roger Shimomura, Vik Muniz, and Chakaia Booker among others.

The last stop was the Witte Museum to see a collection of Fiesta dresses. It was a room of large-scale, highly embellished dresses celebrating the theme of Patriotism and Pageantry: Honoring the Military. Unfortunately, the plan to take us behind to the scenes to see their large collection of stored dresses was scuttled because of the flooding San Antonio had the week before we all arrived. Too bad because the exhibit was a little weak in my opinion.

I did enjoy the day, though. I got to ride around on the bus with my bud Marci McDade, meet some new people, and see a little of San Antonio, but calling it a fiber tour was a stretch. Although I enjoyed the McNay and they had a few fiber-based pieces in the collection, it was difficult to make a direct connection. A curated tour would have helped. And there just wasn’t enough at the Witte to make the visit worthwhile to me. I don’t regret going, I had fun and saw some interesting stuff, but it was a little disappointing.

Fiesta Dress