Since the dawn of humanity, textiles have been a sought after art form, with coloring, weaving, and dyeing used to signify social standing, interests, and power.
Since the dawn of humanity, textiles have been a sought after art form, with coloring, weaving, and dyeing used to signify social standing, interests, and power. The word textile is even derived from the Latin word texere which means “to weave,” “to dye,” and to “construct.”
As fascinating as the woven art is itself, the process is arguably more so, with each artist’s process giving you insight into their work and their self.
Tomorrow at Quirk Gallery, artist Andrea Donnelly will give an artist’s talk and trunk show about the steps she uses to craft her fine textile works.
Donnelly is an artist well known for her woven pieces, particularly her Little Fool line of scarves.
“I have another side to my studio practice,” said Donnelly. “I make these hand-woven scarves with the same kind of technique I do with my artwork. So I’m going to be hosting a trunk show there at the same time to talk about the two sides of my studio practice and how they inform each other.”
In her talk, Donnelly will also cover the concepts of her work and how they collide to help form her current Quirk exhibit “The Garden. The Library. And the Labyrinth.”
No stranger to artist’s talks, Donnelly has done several over the course of her career. Exhibiting her work throughout the country, she typically finds time to accompany her work with insights into her process.
“I usually end up doing a talk when I have a show up in a gallery,” said Donnelly. “It’s always really nice to do those, and to have those conversations in the space with the work.”
Donnelly loves the spaces not only because it allows her to be near her work, but it also allows for patrons to interact and ask questions.
“People end up having a lot of questions about what they see because weaving and cloth are such familiar things, but at the same time they’re very foreign to people in the way that I use them,” said Donnelly. “It’s very fun to get into the nitty-gritty with people because it seems like they’re interested in knowing about that. And seeing the work in person is so much better than seeing it on a slideshow.”
Donnelly’s specialty is textiles, and she has been weaving since 2003. With a bachelor’s degree in Artistic Design and a Master’s in textiles, she is more than experienced in her field of choice.
“I took painting and photography and all those classes,” said Donnelly. “And then I just took a textiles studio as an undergrad and absolutely fell in love with weaving, and saw so much potential in the medium. It’s been inspiring my work since then.”
Touring throughout the country, Donnelly’s art is not only featured domestically but internationally. This year her work will be featured in at least four major museums throughout the nation, which Donnelly says is a very rewarding experience for her as an artist.
Not just a gallery artist, Donnelly also runs her own clothing line named Little Fool. The name for her business came to her one night post-grad school and is a reference to a cherished childhood memory of her father.
“It’s a nickname my dad used to call me as a kid, but it’s also the name a father character called his daughter in a book. His ‘little fool’,” said Donnelly. “I came across this name again. The daughter character sits in the sun and plays with clothes, so not only was there that connection but there was the one to my father as well.”
Donnelly’s trunk show opens tomorrow at Quirk and runs through February 28th. It will feature a collection of her scarves and pieces from her “The Garden. The Library. And the Labyrinth” exhibit, and runs from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, with Donnelly giving her talk at 6:30.
Come down to learn more her unique process and gain greater insight into intricacy of her work.
