FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Jenny Jones, Marketing Director

612/436.0464 or jjones@textilecentermn.org

www.textilecentermn.org

Textile Center and Concordia University St. Paul Present

Truth Telling:

Jerome Fiber Artist Project Grants Exhibition

Featuring Susan Hensel, Kristi Kuder, Allison Roberts & Julie Sirek

November 13, 2014 - January 2, 2015

Opening Thursday November 13

Artist Talk 5 pm / Reception 6-8 pm

at Concordia Gallery & H. Williams Teaching Gallery

November 2014--In April 2014, four Jerome Fiber Artist Project Grants were awarded through Textile Center and funded through a Jerome Foundation 50th Anniversary Grant. This program was designed to expand the opportunities for emerging fiber artists in Minnesota, supporting the artists as they undertake specific projects designed to help them take a step forward in their artistic careers. This exhibition is the culmination of seven months of work to complete these projects and includes screen printing, joomchi, machine embroidery, and wire mesh work.

Julie Sirek

Artist Statement Excerpt

In this exhibition, I use the quilt as a metaphor for domestic violence, specifically domestic homicides. Quilts inhabit our private spaces and are passed down from generation to generation - just as domestic violence is. But a quilt can embody different configurations. Not only in its traditional form of providing protection during our lifetimes, but also after our deaths, in the form of cerecloths and body bags.

Susan Hensel

Artist Statement Excerpt

The clothing we wear broadcasts information about us, whether we intend it or not. If we clothe consciously, clothing can be a form of self-publishing.I designed a uniform comprised of a jacket, a dress, a petticoat and leggings. I chose to represent degrees of personal space and privacy by the parts of the uniform.

Kristi Swee Kuder

Artist Statement Excerpt

As a multi-media artist, I use wire and fiber to create sculpture that is both commemorative and issue directed. The rural environment of western Minnesota where I grew up has a huge impact on the themes that influence my work: light and shadows, space, time, wind, plants, insects and land.

Allison Roberts

Artist Statement Excerpt

A personal narrative- the challenges and frustration of dealing with mental illness within a family, and the function of "home" is at the heart of my work. Layering and obscuring images creates a metaphor for coping- constantly redefining perceptions and expectations. I use printmaking techniques in a painterly way to create layered, gestural marks which reference human responses, memory, and emotional scars. The architectural plans and schematics express the desire to find answers, an emotional desire to find a logical solution or explanation.

The galleries of Concordia University Saint Paul are located in the Concordia Art Center, 1301 Marshall Avenue, at the NW corner of Marshall Avenue and Syndicate Street North in St. Paul.

Parking: on Marshall Avenue and Syndicate Street, or in campus lots after 4:30pm.

Hours: 10am - 4pm Monday - Friday or by appointment; contact Stephanie Hunder at hunder@csp.edu, 651-269-1406 or Concordia security at 651-641-8278 for assistance.

A national center for fiber art, Textile Center's mission is to honor textile traditions and promote excellence and innovation in fiber art. Through a variety of resources - exceptional exhibitions, education programs for 6 to 106, an extensive library, artisan shop, natural dye garden, and professional-grade dye lab - Textile Center supports artists' creative development and engages people of all ages and backgrounds in fiber art activities and appreciation.

Textile Center | 612-436-0464 | info@textilecentermn.org | http://www.textilecentermn.org

3000 University Ave SE * Minneapolis, MN 55414