BAM Docent Janet Kurjan takes SDA Members on a private tour of Counter Couture.

Recently Seattle area Surface Design Association regionals organized a field trip to the Bellevue Arts Museum to see Counter Couture: Fashioning Identity in the American Counterculture. This fabulous exhibition celebrates the handmade fashion and style of the 1960s and 1970s. Curated by Michael Cepress, a local fashion designer and instructor in the University of Washington’s School of Art, the exhibition highlights the “far out” fashions of the times and shines a light on the incredible artistry and craftsmanship expressed in these garments. The show is divided into four parts: Funk and Flash, Couture, Performance, and Transcendance.

Jill Nordfors Clark, Caftan, 1974

Funk and Flash looks at the bounty of individual expression engendered in these garments of the  “hippie” movement. Early work by familiar names such as Yvonne Porchella and Jill Nordfors Clark showed hints of their later work in their fine craftsmanship and expressive flair.

Couture focuses on those artists who took this energy and expression into the mainstream, pioneering the field of Wearable Art. The jewelry of Alex and Lee, along with fashions by Birgitta Bjerke and Kaisik Wong took fashion to the edge of costume while still retaining the wearability of daily, or perhaps special occasion, fashion.

crocheted mens suit by Birgitte Bjerke

Performance bridges that gap between fashion and costume, capturing the tenor of a time when music and performers were exploding preconceived notions of what was acceptable in their search for self-expression. Wearable Art that graced some of the most famous stages of the times is on display. Outfits worn by Wavy Gravy, Mama Cass, Jimi Hendricks, and costumes from the gender-bending theater troupe The Cockettes are displayed among photos that place the viewer in the scene.

The final section, Transcendence, addresses the spiritual cults of the times. Remarkable video footage is shown with samples of the robes and long dresses worn by members of the Source Family of California, and the very local, Love Family. This section was a chilling reminder of my childhood in the early 70s, when the quest for spirituality and the sway of a charismatic leader derailed the lives of many families. It also brought back to me the use of clothing as a cultural signifier among the followers of Bagwan Rajneesh. Their bright clothing in the “colors of the sun” made them a highly visible part of life in Seattle in the 1980s.

Curator Michael Cepress has done a fantastic job of creating an exhibition that sites you in times through the music in the galleries, the fascinating photos and media, as well as the beautifully displayed, stunning garments. Although this is a fascinating reminder for those of us who lived through these times, the exhibition is not merely nostalgia. There is much here for the younger generation, whose DIY spirit has its roots in the taking back of craft of the 1970s. Plus, current fashion is very much looking back to the 70s for inspiration right now.

SDA Member Carla looking at the details on an elaborately embroidered outfit.

Our group was fortunate that Janet Kurjan, an SDA Member and docent at the Museum, took us on a personal tour. I wished that Michael (who is a friend) could have been along on our tour to observe the curiosity and detailed discussions of technique that this knowledgeable group of fiber artists shared during our tour. This field trip and the following lunch, were a truly wonderful benefit to membership in SDA.

I’m heading back to Bellevue tomorrow to spend more time with the show and also to hear Curator Michael Cepress give the talk– Unlocking the Psychedelic Trunk: My Journey into the Closets of a Movement. Tickets are still available. If you are in the area don’t miss it!

Counter Couture: Fashioning Identity in the American Counterculture
Bellevue Arts Museum
510 Bellevue Way NE
through January 10th, 2016

After seeing art and eating, the best thing to do in NYC is walk the parks and neighborhoods. Here are some images from my recent trip to the big city.

The Castle in Central Park

afternoon sun on the buildings

New York schist with horse and buggy

gingko leaves

plantings on the High Line growing up through the original rail line

chartreuse shrub in the afternoon light

old and new along the High Line

graffiti on the street in Chelsea

Mondrian scaffolding?

street view in Chinatown

wares for sale along the street in Chinatown–now I wish I’d bought some rather than just taking a picture

still life in a bin

lovely abacuses (or abacusi?)

The Temple of Dendur at The Met

I got back a couple days ago from New York City. The impetus for the trip was to see the Matisse Cut Paper show that had traveled from the Tate in London. It was fun to be in the big city. My travel companions through four museums, multiple galleries and neighborhoods, and some adventurous eating were my husband and my 16-year-old daughter.

Firstly, Henri Matisse: The Cut Outs did not disappoint. It actually exceeded my expectations. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, photography was not allowed in the exhibition. I would have loved to capture images of the meticulously layered works, but not having my camera forced me to be in the moment and let the works in through my eyes. It was fascinating to see how Matisse, often through the hands of his assistants, layered small pieces of colored paper over a larger shape changing the shapes fractionally until they were right. According to wall text, when working on the Blue Nudes he labored over the first one, Blue Nude #4, for days to get it right. The deceptively simple shapes of the composition are made up of many small bits of colored paper. Getting that perfection then apparently loosened his hand. The other three Blue Nudes in the exhibition appear effortless, each shape flowing from a single cut.

It’s amazing to think about what an innovator Matisse was, that this way of working hadn’t been done before, or at least not as finished art. The freshness and the vigor of the artist come through when seeing the works in person. Multiple pinholes are visible in the paper, a testament to the artist’s thought and process. There is a dimensionality in the layers of the papers, wrinkles and edges, that can’t be seen in reproduction. Go if you can! The exhibition is at MoMA until February 8, 2015.

10/27/69 by Sam Gillian

After spending an hour-and-a-half in the Matisse exhibit, we wandered some through MoMA. I was particularly drawn, big surprise, to those artists who were working with fiber-based media and taking it from 2-d into 3-d. This painting on canvas by Sam Gilliam from 1969 becomes sculpture by the act of gathering and tying the material. Canvas is fabric, fabric is dimensional.

The next day we walked the High Line and visited some galleries in Chelsea. Even though I hadn’t done my homework on which galleries to see, we struck gold. Three that stood out were El Anatsui at Jack Shainman, Shea Hembrey at Bryce Wolkowitz, and Kwang Young Chun at Hasted Kraeutler.

piece by El Anatsui at Jack Shainman Gallery

detail of El Anatsui piece showing the intricate shaping and tying of mundane materials–the metal wrappers of alcohol bottles.

At Jack Shainman, El Anatsui’s show, Trains of Thought, showed six large pieces, including one piece that was free-standing rather than wall-hung. The large pieces sparked with energy and intention.

Shea Hembrey: Multiverses, installation shot at Bryce Wolkowitz

Shea Hembrey: Multiverses at Bryce Wolkowitz was presented as the work of five artists working in different media and curated by Hembrey. In actuality, each “artist” in this compelling show of paintings and sculpture was a persona of the curator, a fact stated only on the last page of the show’s catalog. Although I didn’t know it when I viewed the show, I had a keen sense of the interplay and through-lines of the works, and interestingly, responded more to some pieces than others. It brings up issues I’ve talked about with other artists, about being defined and hemmed in by success with one media or style. Perhaps the answer is for all of us to become five artists instead!

Kwang Young Chun at Hasted Krauetler Gallery

The Kwang Young Chun show at Hasted Kraeutler blew my mind. The 70-year-old Korean artist creates dynamic, labor-intensive works that blur the line between painting and sculpture, between two- and three-dimensions. Triangles of polystyrene are wrapped with Korean mulberry paper and tied, then affixed and painted to create layered fantastic landscapes. The interplay of dimension and color-field were mesmerizing and compelling.

On our last day we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw Death Becomes Her, a show of 18th and 19th Century mourning clothes. It was beautiful and somber, the stories and culture as interesting as the design and workmanship of the clothing. It’s crazy to just have two hours to spend at the Met, but that’s what we had. We zoomed through a odd collection of greatest hits and spent time looking at the musical instruments for the musicians in the family.

installation view, Death Becomes Her at The Met

In all, we visited the Museum of Art and Design (and lucked into being at the opening of New Territories, art and design from Latin America), Museum of Modern Art, The American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a number of galleries in Chelsea. Add in walks through Times Square, Chinatown, the Lower East Side, Central Park, and Little Italy. It was a thrilling, exhausting, and inspiring three days!

It’s happening! I finished painting the first set of 12 banners this week. Now it’s back to the drawing board, literally, as I work on creating full-size cartoons of the next sets. I’m also still working on final drawings for the final set of 4 foot by 10 foot banners (at the scale of 1 inch to a foot). I’m learning as I go and hopefully the pace will speed up as a result.

We have just about finalized our crew, the pots are simmering, and we are planning a fundraiser for the project on June 28th. This blog is an excellent place to keep up with news but my Facebook page for art, Cameron Anne Mason, is the best place for up-to-the-minute images.

Life is full and time is short and sweet.

I installed Susurration in Bellevue in the Elements Complex on 10th NE and 112th. It is visible through the windows day and night and is quite lovely at dusk, when this video was shot.

Susurration means a whispering sound or murmur and evokes the sound of gentle waves as they wash up against the boulders of our Northwest coastline. Susurration, the installation, shows the sea bed, where waves cross and eddy, creating complex yet repetitive patterns.

The fabric for Susurration measures 12 feet in height by 40 feet in length is made up of 28 separate panels of hand-dyed shibori silk. The installation is scheduled to be up as part of Bellevue Storefronts, supported by Shunpike through mid-March 2014. Like all the storefronts projects, the installation time is dependent on availability and will be shortened if the  space is leased. I am currently looking for other spaces to install Susurration. Let me know if you hear of an opportunity.

Cambium

Tomorrow night is the opening for my show, Madrone, at Foster/White Gallery here in Seattle. I’m excited and nervous, of course, wondering what to wear, figuring out logistics of how to get my kids down there and how to get them home so I can go out for a well-deserved drink!

I feel good about the work. When I saw the on-line catalog  I was really able to get that the show holds together as a body of work. I felt a real sense of accomplishment and pride. I really pushed myself to do something new. It was a huge amount of work and tomorrow night I get to see how it is received. It’s always wonderful to have my friends come out and support me but it’s often those comments from people I don’t know that make my night.

Here’s the link to the catalog: Cameron Anne Mason, Madrone

Excited and nervous!

An article I wrote about my installation work over the last 20 years has just come out in Fiber Art Now. Check it out!

I just heard yesterday that I’ve been offered a show at the Fairbanks Art Gallery at Oregon State University next Spring. Phen at Foster/White said that the curator had been by looking at a number of artists work at the gallery. When it came around to scheduling it he offered the show to me! That’s a nice kind of surprise. More info to come as I find out more about it.