Over the course of the 2018-19 academic year, I will be completing a distinction project within my studio art major. This year-long process will begin with a trip to New York City for textile research as well as a close partnership with my mother. I will be utilizing crochet lace for the final piece(s).
A crocheted turtleneck that I completed in 2017
The history of craft is a long, complicated book that spans every continent and countless cultures. Craft traditions have grown in notoriety, traveled across the world, and over the past century, have been automatized with mechanical processes. However, a select few individuals take it upon themselves to keep these traditions alive. It is through their hand work that they create, share, and innovate otherwise dying mediums.
Many different types of lace exist, but the most relevant to my skills and background is crocheted lace. My mother has used crochet to create baptismal dresses, wall hangings, angel tree toppers, and more. This skill has been passed down through four generations in my family to end up with me. My great-grandmother, Viola Becher, taught my mother, and my mother taught me. This transference of knowledge has kept crochet alive in my family, and hopefully will continue to do so for many generations. I want to incorporate this family connection into a realized project that utilizes crochet lace as the main medium, culminating in distinction within my art major.
The first step in this process is research. Over the Winter break, I plan to visit New York and the multiple textile museums located in and around the city. The Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum has a variety of collections on display that would be influential to my desing process. Specifically, I want to view Richard Landis’s Color Decoded. Also, I’m in communication with the Design Library about viewing their collection of over 7 million textile samples. While there, it is my goal to research the different styles and eras of lace, design, and curation revolving textiles. These are only a few of the places I’d like to visit while in New York and many of the museums I’m looking into offer student prices or are free. This initial research is instrumental in developing a foundation for my distinction project.
This final piece will showcase the skills I learned while also tying into family tradition. I plan on experimenting with crochet lace to generate a few garment-based-works. It will not only be a transition from art into functionality, but also a form a physical connection to the future of this family tradition. I’m keeping my options in terms of style open and will work with my adviser, Sarah Gjertson, to finalize my idea.
I’m fortunate enough to have this direct connection to a family tradition that not many people have. This practice has become a part of my family discourse and will continue to influence my scholarship for years to come. Textile designs sometimes serve no practical function, but they can transform an environment, tell the story of a culture, symbolize tradition, establish unity, and much more. This project will be my contribution to a family tradition focused on the future.
Check back in mid-December to see progress from my research trip to New York!
