I am very proud of the growth and opportunities I had as an artist in 2011:
Art Residency
In May, I attended a two-week Art Residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT. It was an amazing experience, and I worked harder than I could have ever imagined, from 7am until 11pm or midnight every day. The end result was a new body of large-scale work, something I wanted to be able to do, and was able to do, because of the very large studio space I was provided.
Before my residency, I had never created work that was bigger than 40” wide. At my residency, I created many pieces as wide as 10’, and that provided me with the portfolio and confidence to create my first public art piece (see below).
Public Art
I was invited to create Fence/Curtain 1.0, a 35' temporary outdoor installation, at the ConstellationCenter in Cambridge, MA, which will be on exhibit through March 2012. Working this large was extremely exciting and I look forward to having many more outdoor art installation opportunities!
Shows
I participated in a number of shows in many locations. A change from previous years was that I exhibited in very few juried shows, and instead, I was invited to exhibit in most of the shows I was in 2011. I would like that to continue in the future.
A Novel Idea, Hampden Gallery Incubator Project Space, University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA
The Constructed Surface, with Hayley Perry, Krause Gallery, Moses Brown School, Providence, RI
Stretch: Aimee Miller, Lesley Patterson-Marx and Jeanne WIlliamson, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
A Community of Artists 2010 Annual Juried Exhibition, Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham, MA
Squiggles and Squares, Artworks! Gallery, New Bedford, MA
Northeast Contemporary Fiber Exhibition, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Rochester, NY
22nd Annual Benefit Art Auction, Massachusetts College of Art and Design Foundation
Present Company, Fountain Street Fine Art, Framingham, MA
Unscripted, Fountain Street Fine Art, Framingham MA
Sales
The economy is slowly improving, and so are sales of my work. I had a number of private sales, as well as selling a piece at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design Foundation Annual Art Auction, and also one end of the year sale from a gallery. I look forward to additional sales in 2012.
Artful Home
I have a lot of work for sale on ArtfulHome.com, which provides me with a wider audience than I would normally have via exhibits and my website/blog.
deCordova
The deCordova Museum of Art Corporate Art Loan Program in Lincoln, MA placed my work in a corporate setting in 2011 and it will be there through October 2012.
Book Proposal Accepted
My book agent contacted me in March 2011 with news that one of my how-to book proposals was of interest to a different publisher than the publisher of my previous book, The Uncommon Quilter. I updated the proposal and created some new samples, and a few months later, it was accepted by Running Press in Philadelphia, PA. I'm writing the book now, and it’s scheduled to be published in the Spring of 2013.
Storefront Art Installations
In order to spruce up shopping areas, Storefront Art Installations are becoming more popular. I participated in two, one in Natick, MA and the other in Arlington, MA.
Magazine
Studios Magazine published pictures of my studio in their Spring 2011 issue, which was fun, both to prepare and to see in print.
Looking ahead to 2012
The Fence As Lace #6 will be on exhibit at the 8th International Fiber Biennial at the Snyderman-Works Gallery, in Philadelphia, PA from March 2 - April 28, 2012 in conjunction with Fiber Philadelphia, a city-wide event of fiber exhibitions throughout the Philadelphia region.
I will have a solo show at a gallery in Boston In December 2012 and I'll also be in an exhibit of contemporary fiber in Virginia in the fall of 2012 with some other artists I admire a lot.
The manuscript for my how-to book is due on June 1, 2012.
I have ideas for five new series of mixed media pieces that I can't wait to start working on. Four will be on board, and one stiffened fabric.
I already have a number of websites to create and/or update in 2012.
And, I’ve been accepted into one 2012 art residency and I'm waiting to hear if I got accepted to two others, as well a number of grants, a few public art opportunities, and a few exhibits. And in addition to all of that, I’m readying portfolios that I’ll be sending to a number of art consultants and art galleries.
I am confident that there will be many more good opportunities to present my work, and I look forward to continued growth of my art in 2012.
