She has been sewing since childhood and allowed herself creative permission to make “herself the art piece.” She was also influenced by the lineage of musicians and artists in her family tree. Meier took a circuitous path to fiber art. “I think with textiles especially there is such an amount of time that goes into it that the person is ingrained into the piece.” Meier says the repetitive nature of creating her work imbues her to the art. The multidisciplinary artist loves fashion and collecting and art performance but works mainly in fiber, creating rugs and weavings. It’s in nearly every piece of art she makes.“ I’m just so attached to the color pink. Kirsten Meier is “all in” when it comes to one specific color. Visit and on Instagram to see more work.Ĭontemporary Fiber Artist: Eye of the Needle – Kirsten Meier Once My Attic, No More, 7’x9’, machine-tufted wool fibers, 2021. And she says, “I’m a builder” and by examining the past it allows her to reimagine a future one that is full of bright and bold weavings of many different materials. I’m thinking about tents and Nomadic structures structures where the skin was the textile and it allowed a Nomadic lifestyle”, according to Fairbanks. She says by examining our history of textiles and looking at other cultures it helps her to think about ways to push the process. Historically weaving has been only thought of as a two-dimensional object but Fairbanks wants it to be more three-dimensional. Radiant Indeterminacy 2019 Plastic flagging tape, adhesive Image courtesy of the artist Patterns and Positions I, 2020, collage on paper. Image courtesy of the artist Patterns and Positions II, 2020, collage on paper. Laser cut high density polyethylene, paint Image courtesy of the artist Holding Pattern #7, 2021, (Window) Fairbanks says, “The thing that is so cool about textiles is that they are in our everyday lives and we look to them for that utility, but when it comes to the sort of appreciation, the complexity and patterns, we tend to discount them.” Gradient Slippage All of this is in pursuit of elevating textiles from their historical category of utility to one of contemporary art. By making them bold and bright, I sort of foreground a lot of the patterns that are happening at a scale that you usually don’t see with your eye”, according to Fairbanks. “I’m often playing with maybe painterly ideas about mid-ground, background and foreground, but then doing it in relation to textile images and patterns. By digging into her deep into her imagination, Fairbanks is able to create award winning and innovative work. For her own practice Fairbanks likes using a Jacquard loom, unusual materials and techniques that challenge the viewer’s perception of what a textile can be. “I don’t work quietly”, according to Fairbanks, “I think sometimes textiles have the potential of being quiet because they are so beautiful.” Fairbanks is “turning up the volume” on weaving with the creation of “The Weaving Lab” where she and her students explore the utilitarian, conceptual and social potential of cloth made in a public space. Now, as an Assistant Professor of Design Studies at the University of Wisconsin Madison Fairbanks is charting new conceptual territories but not in a subtle way. “I like the idea of wonder and your eye being dazzled” says Fairbanks. And then 7 years ago, she re-imagined her solo practice. It’s the engineering of it.” From there, Fairbanks spent time adding to her knowledge and skills with art-curating and working collaboratively on community projects. “How do you put these strings together to make a textile. “When it clicks, it clicks.”, according to Fairbanks, “It just was the materials and processes that sucked me in.” It was also the repetitiveness and problem solving that excited Fairbanks. And the fact that it is a woven surface.” Fairbanks took an unconventional path to weaving while studying painting at the University of Michigan during her second year of college. “I DO want people to look from a distance and see it and be sucked in by how graphic it is even at a long distance and then by walking closer the complexity is revealed. Fairbanks says her art operates on different levels. But a closer look reveals something deeper. Miyazakiīold geometric shapes and vibrant colors are what first draws viewers to Marianne Fairbanks’ art. Installation: Villa Terrace Museum, Milwaukee, WIĬollage on paperThe Trajectory Series exhibition at Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum in Milwaukee, WI. Linda Marcus Contemporary Fiber Artist: Eye of the Needle – Marianne Fairbanks Sky Sett, 2019, Flagging tape and adhesive
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