Collaborating with artists, revealing new possibilities.
The Fabric Workshop and Museum was founded in 1977 with a visionary purpose: to stimulate experimentation among leading contemporary artists and to share the process of creating works of art with the public. Providing studio facilities, equipment, and expert technicians, FWM originally invited artists to experiment with fabric, and later with a wide range of innovative materials and media. From th
e outset, FWM also served as an education center for Philadelphia’s youth who, as printing apprentices, learned technical and vocational skills along with approaches to creative expression. Today, FWM is recognized as an internationally acclaimed contemporary art museum, uniquely distinguished as the only institution in the United States devoted to creating work in new materials and new media in collaboration with artists coming from diverse artistic backgrounds—including sculpture, installation, video, painting, ceramics, and architecture. Research, construction, and fabrication occur on-site in studios that are open to the public, providing visitors with the opportunity to see artwork from conception to completion. In fact, the FWM’s permanent collection includes not only complete works of art, but also material research, samples, prototypes, and photography and video of artists making and speaking about their work. FWM seeks to bring this spirit of artistic investigation and discovery to the wider public and to area school children in particular, to ensure and broaden their access to art, and to advance the role of art as a catalyst for innovation and social connection. FWM offers an unparalleled experience to the most significant artists of our time, students, and the general public. The FWM has developed from an ambitious experiment to a renowned institution with a widely-recognized Artist-in-Residence Program, an extensive permanent collection of new work created by artists at the Museum, in-house and touring exhibitions, and comprehensive educational programming including lectures, tours, in-school presentations and student apprenticeships.
Operating as usual
We made you a card. Actually, we made you a lot of cards and we couldn't choose just one. So on behalf of all of us at FWM, please enjoy this parade of cards as our way of wishing you a joyful holiday season and a very happy new year!
Music: Joyful Snowman
Musician: Grand Project
Video by Kristina Price
Monoprints by Lindsay Deifik
Holiday cards by FWM Staff
Hello! With the holiday season upon us, please note our special hours over the next couple of weeks.
Saturday, December 24 | 10:00 am–3:00 pm
Sunday, December 25 | Museum Closed
Saturday, December 31 | 12:00–3:00 pm*
Sunday, January 1 | Museum Closed
*This is the last day to experience "Jayson Musson: His History of Art"—only a three hour window!
We'll keep to our regular hours Wednesday–Friday, noon to 6:00 pm and will remain closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
See you all real soon! Plan your visit: https://bit.ly/FreeTicketsFWM
Image: yardage by Andrea Barnes.
| Current FWM Artist-in-Residence Rose B. Simpson (born 1983) is a mixed-media sculptor based in Santa Clara Pueblo, NM. Inspired by Pueblo architecture, her ancestral landscape, and magical realism, Simpson’s multi-room installation “Dream House” explores the imprints and through-lines that connect and orient her life as an artist, an Indigenous person, and a mother.
When Simpson saw her vision of Dream House come to fruition, she drew three interpretive cards of her own hand-drawn imagery to mark the moment. She saw herself in the first card: a strong vertical line. In the second card were two small seed shapes, perhaps herself made vulnerable by allowing another creative body into her process—a metaphor for her residency? And then the two became three in the third card, but square-edged. Could it be the three closed rooms of Dream House or was the third figure the visitor that would activate its architecture? Simpson was so thrilled with these meanings that she painted the figures on the wall of the third room (image 2).
Today, we’re thrilled to announce the release of two sets of these guidance cards: an open edition and a collector’s edition of 50.
The open edition is digitally printed in white ink on black paper and packed with an elegant paper band. Get yours >> https://bit.ly/FWMxSimpson_GuidanceCards
The collector’s deck is printed with letterpress in black ink on thick cream paper and comes with a unique bag made from remnants of the exhibition. Each is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity hand-signed by the artist. Collect yours >> https://bit.ly/FWMxSimpson_CollectorsDeck
Rose B. Simpson, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum on the occasion of the artist’s solo exhibition, Dream House. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.
Heads up! The deadline for the Tier 1 application for the 2023 Summer College/Postgrad Apprentice Training Program (ATP) session will be here before you know it. What are the different application tiers, you ask? The earlier you apply, the more you save!
Here’s a breakdown of the 2023 Summer session:
$15.00—Tier 1 applications open through January 1, 11:59 pm EST
$25.00—Tier 2 applications: January 2–8, 11:59 pm EST
$35.00—Tier 3 applications: January 9–15, 11:59 pm EST
Be an early bird applicant and save $20. Learn more + apply >> https://bit.ly/3uiuNNV
Image: Spring 2022 College/Postgrad Apprentice Natalie Woodlock () printing her three-color repeat design with Museum Tour Manager, Katie Parry and Museum Education Coordinator, Ash Limés-Castellana.
Happy birthday to FWM Artist-in-Residence Jayson Musson. To celebrate the collaboration that keeps on giving, we’re announcing that your favorite pothead rabbit sidekick is now immortalized as a 30-inch-tall collectible.
Collectors will find Ollie housed in a box rife with references to the props and sets of “His History of Art” as well as Musson’s creative forebears from Hans Holbein to Mister Rogers. The front of Ollie’s box bears his signature and the plaid of his iconic couch. On the back are statements from the artist (signed by his character “Jay”) and from FWM about the process and intention of making this plushie and the video series that inspired it.
Closed edition. Ollie’s box is hand-signed by the artist.
Certified emotionally fulfilling! A birthday miracle! Get yours >> https://bit.ly/FWMxMussonOllie
Sneak preview! Here’s a sampling of some of the banners designed by our Fall 2022 Apprentices. And guess what...now you’ll have the rare chance to take home these artworks!
Join us this Friday to congratulate our Apprentices and support this important training program. During this very special event, we’re gifting original apprentice-designed artworks (including the ones seen here) as a thank you for various levels of support.
RSVP + donate: http://bit.ly/3hdKvpU
Images: 1. Yardage by Jazmyn Crosby (); 2. Yardage by Josh Kery (); 3. Yardage by Lisa Jungmin Lee (); 4. Yardage by Oonagh McKenna
—Two-day Intensive Workshop Opportunity—
This new year, give your business or artistic practice the creative spark it needs by learning to design and print your own custom fabric with us.
With an emphasis on expressive mark-making, learn the fundamentals of two-way pattern design, the screen exposure process, ink application techniques such as monoprinting and split fountain, and how to screenprint your own designs on fabric.
Create a 30 x 50” one-color design and print up to four yards of cotton sateen fabric. All materials will be provided.
January 7–8, 2023
$550 Public| $450 FWM Members
Limited Space Available | Register: http://bit.ly/3PovI8i
Music: Funk Alliance
Musician: EnjoyMusic
Video by Kristina Price
When you hear Jayson Musson's "His History of Art" closes in 3 weeks, just remember the words of Ollie the rabbit: "it's free so stop your cryyyin'."
Plan your visit now: https://bit.ly/FreeTicketsFWM
Image: Jayson Musson, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, "His History of Art," 2022. Video still courtesy of the artist.
Our Fall Apprentices have been hard at work this season! Next Friday, December 16, you're invited to check out their final large-scale repeat patterns and support FWM’s Apprentice Training Program for tomorrow’s artists.
At this closing event and fundraiser, you’ll have the chance to take home original artwork—unique fabric prints and limited-edition hand-printed totes designed by our current College/Postgrad and High School Apprentices—as a thank you for various levels of support.
All proceeds go directly to supporting the continuation of the Apprentice Training Program.
RSVP here: http://bit.ly/3hdKvpU
Images: Lisa Jungmin Lee prints her three-color repeat design with FWM Museum Tour Manager Katie Parry and FWM Education Coordinator Ash Limés Castellana; Jazmyn Crosby drawing on mylar for her repeat pattern at a light table; Josh Kery washes out his screen after exposing his design; Jill Adler paints her repeat pattern on mylar at a light table; Jazmyn Crosby exposes her design onto a screen with Ash Limés Castellana. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.
🚨 Art intervention 🚨
Join us at FABSCRAP this Thursday, December 8 to reimagine stained clothing using screenprinting and monoprinting techniques. Draw inspiration from your own memories to revitalize and transform your garments with a unique pattern or design. BYO articles of clothing or purchase recycled fabric from the FABSCRAP store.
Register: https://bit.ly/3UvKOKk
Music: Kumasi
Musician: Jeff Kaale
Video by Kristina Price
Here’s a gift idea from the Inquirer: a full year of FWM! With gift memberships, the recipient also gets a copy of our landmark publication, “New Material as New Media” and both the gift-giver (you) and recipient get a 20% off coupon to our Shop!
Bonus: The donation amount of new and upgraded memberships are being generously matched by The Kippy Stroud Foundation Challenge Grant, so the impact of a membership contribution is doubled.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/gift-guide-museum-art-institutes-memberships-20221202.html
Read on for some of our favorite memberships that keep the family togetherness going long after the holidays are over.
FWM is off to the Midwest!
Catch “Elisabeth Kley: Minutes of Sand” at the Bemis Center in Omaha, opening this Thursday, December 8. Kley’s work sits at the distinctive confluence of pattern, decoration, and contemporary art. With inspiration from motifs featured in ornamentation, architecture, interior decoration, and a myriad of global art traditions, "Minutes of Sand" features paintings, ceramics, and three yardage designs produced during the artist's residency at The Fabric Workshop and Museum.
The exhibition is organized by FWM and was first presented in Philadelphia as Kley’s first solo museum show in 2021.
Images: Elisabeth Kley: Minutes of Sand (exhibition view). Photo credit: Colin Conces.
SHOP + SIP SATURDAYS | During the first three Saturdays in December, we're offering a glass of wine and a chance to discover that perfect gift for that special someone at a 20% discount store-wide. Won't you join us?
Save in-store Saturdays from 12–5 pm or online: https://bit.ly/3iwHyAU
*promotional sale excludes pre-sales, jewelry, and select consignment items.
Music: Christmas Chill lofi Launge
Musician: Lesfm on Pixabay
Video by Kristina Price
FWM and new experiences go hand-in-hand. From the innovative work artists create with our Studio to a kid's first time at screenprinting, we offer unconventional approaches and new perspectives. As we celebrate and ask for your support to foster more of these experiences, here's an exciting new reason to give this year: new and upgraded gifts to FWM will be generously matched by The Kippy Stroud Foundation Challenge Grant!
And for the gift that gives back, join us as a member for free events, member exclusives, and discounts year-round. New members that join at the $50 Friend-level and above will receive a FREE copy of our landmark publication, "New Material as New Media" which captures the first 25 years of artist collaborations at FWM (a $50 value in and of itself!).
Every donation supports experimentation and collaboration! Make a member-level gift today>> http://bit.ly/3UgNRpt
Images: Yardage for "Space Walk," 2022. Silkscreen on cotton sateen and cotton brocade. Yinka Shonibare MBE, in collaboration with FWM; "New Material as New Media" publications with "Serape" yardage by Mary Heilmann, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Photo credit:
This Museum Store Sunday, set your gift-giving apart with unique items found nowhere else, made in collaboration with artists from around the world. Save 30% on all exclusive FWM-made products from home goods and hand bags to wearables and artist editions. This flash sale is only available on Sunday, November 27.
Check out our stories for specific deals from artist-designed scarves to gifts under $200, $75, and $50.
Shop at the link to explore all eligible items or visit us Sunday from noon to 5 pm: http://bit.ly/3VtKCfr
Music: ?
Musician: Jeff Kaale
Video by Kristina Price
| Belonging to the Eagle Moiety of the Kaagwaantaan Clan, Tommy Joseph works primarily with wood, producing objects such as totem poles, warrior helmets, and bentwood boxes. Informed by the traditional art of the Tlingit peoples, he utilizes simple hand tools and time-honored methods of woodworking. However, Joseph works fully in the present, telling stories about those around him through the language of Tlingit iconography.
From 2009–2015, Joseph collaborated with FWM to produce “My Ancestors,” a men’s suit, cut to his measurements and made of custom-designed fabric, creating a modern, wearable representation of Tlingit totemic motifs. Joseph’s Eagle and Wolf sketches provided the basis for the repeat pattern on fabric, which also resulted in a scarf.
“Eagle Wolf” scarf was designed by Tommy Joseph in collaboration with FWM in 2010 and is printed on silk charmeuse. Available in the Museum Shop and online: http://bit.ly/3UYAewg
Images: Tommy Joseph hand painting in the FWM studio; A sketch of Tommy Joseph’s Eagle and Wolf design; Tommy Joseph and “My Ancestors,” in collaboration with FWM, 2009–2015. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño
Today is , held annually on November 20 to remember and honor trans and gender-diverse people whose lives were ended by violence in the last year. In this country and around the world, trans people face stigmatization, harassment, and violence associated with sexism, misogyny, and patriarchy—experiences that are often exacerbated by racism and xenophobia.
In the face of these hostilities, some in the trans community have looked to the ginkgo tree as a symbol of resilience. It is one of the oldest living organisms in the world and among the most threatened; it is evolutionarily distinct; it is rare in the wild but survives through cultivation and withstands trying conditions; and its male trees are known to have fluid sexual expression, that is to say it can change sexes to exhibit female traits—an apparent survival mechanism that is perhaps a key to the ancient ginkgo’s endurance.
Image: "Ginkgo" yardage. Diane Itter, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum.
| Marie Watt (b.1967) is an interdisciplinary American artist and citizen of the Seneca Nation of Indians. Created primarily with textiles and common materials through collaboration, Watt’s work explores the intersection of history, community, and storytelling by instigating multigenerational and cross-disciplinary conversations about our connectedness to place, one another, and the universe.
During her 2009 residency at FWM, Watt drew on the powerful narrative tradition of Native American storytelling to create a domed structure titled, “Engine.” Upon entering, viewers experience the darkening effects of walls, stalactites, and stalagmites made of hand-felted wool—an ancient and universal fabric and the oldest and simplest cloth in the world. Visitors also encounter projected images and audio of native storytellers, and colorful felted silhouettes of hands which emulate the earliest known human mark-making in cave art and speak to the collective stories and experiences of native peoples. “Engine” has deep roots in the artist’s native tradition while also touching on the elemental human need for protection and identity.
Images: Marie Watt, Engine (installation view), 2009. Hand-felted wool, wood, three-channel projections. 9 x 20 x 13.5 feet. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño. Marie Watt with FWM Production Coordinator Andrea Landau building “Engine,” 2009. Marie Watt, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum.
Stand out this season in our artist-made scarves, exclusively at FWM. Perfectly accent your palette with designs by artists like Dale Chihuly, Sarah Sze, Will Stokes, Jr., Tommy Joseph, and Mark Fox just to name a few.
See our full online collection of scarves>> http://bit.ly/3EArIhg
Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.
| Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap-of-Birds is a Cheyenne-Arapaho nations artist who uses a variety of mediums including large-scale drawing, printing, and monumental sculpture to confront the visible and veiled legacies of mass violence perpetrated against Indigenous Nations.
During Edgar Heap-of-Birds's FWM residency in 1993 and 2003, he created his “Neuf Series #36” scarf (“Neuf” being a Cheyenne word for “four”). With a bold and beautiful array of colors, the scarf suggests valleys and landforms as well as textures through the handwoven weave of the silk, reflecting the wooded landscapes of the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservation lands near Oklahoma.
Neuf Series #36 by Edgar Heap-of-Birds is available in the Museum Shop and online: http://bit.ly/3EyeWQg
Images: Hachivi Edgar Heap-of-Birds with Print Coordinator Lou Hopkins and Master Printer Robert Smith, 1992; College Post/Grad apprentice touching up mylar with Hachivi Edgar Heap-of-Birds, 1992. Photos courtesy of FWM; Hachivi Edgar Heap-of-Birds, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum. “Neuf Series #36” and “Neuf Series #38,” 1992–2003. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.
Hi! David Sacks here, an Emmy and Golden Globe winning comedy writer for The Simpsons, 3rd Rock from the Sun and a number of other TV shows you may have seen. I’d like to invite you to an amazing master class I’m giving this Sunday, November 13 over zoom with The Fabric Workshop and Museum.
We’re going to be reinventing humans through a two-part workshop. I can’t wait to join you for this most amazing project!
Sign up: https://bit.ly/3FEcHMt
Video courtesy of David Sacks, a thinking partner in support of “Jayson Musson: His History of Art”
Congratulations to our Executive Director Christina Vassallo on being named the Alice & Harris Weston Director of the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in Cincinnati, beginning in the spring.
We’re so deeply grateful for the leadership Christina has provided during her time at FWM. She joined just weeks before the pandemic and immediately hit the ground running, spearheading an effort to keep FWM not only visible, but as an active leader among the Philadelphia community's institutions.
Her accomplishments include keeping our staff fully intact during two COVID-related museum closures; advocating for the region’s cultural sector when city and state funding were at risk; re-articulating our mission and continuing an ambitious program calendar; strengthening our board membership; developing a permanent collection care plan and more exciting initiatives currently underway that we know will have a lasting impact.
Christina will continue as Executive Director of FWM through early March 2023. In the meantime, FWM is in the process of searching for her successor and will share more in the new year.
Please join us in wishing Christina the very best in Cincinnati and be sure to come pay us a visit soon to see some of the recent projects she’s played a pivotal role in bringing about.
Images: Christina Vassallo at the opening of “Jayson Musson: His History of Art,” 2022. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño; Senior Project Coordinator Abby Lutz and Christina Vassallo with Rose B. Simpson at Rose’s studio in New Mexico, 2022; Ahmed Alsoudani and Christina Vassallo in the exhibition “Ahmed Alsoudani: Bitter Fruit,” 2021. Photo credit: Jessi Melcer; Christina Vassallo at FWM’s Into the Wild Fall Benefit, 2022. Photo credit: Kristina Price; Christina Vassallo, Jayson Musson, Director of Studio Operations Nami Yamamoto, Project Coordinator Avery Lawrence, Senior Project Coordinator Abby Lutz, and Project Technician Allen West at the opening of “Jayson Musson: His History of Art,” 2022. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.
It’s a beautiful day to exercise your right to vote! From your local representatives to your next senator and governor, plus two local ballot questions, be counted and make your voice heard!
Philly voters, all polling places are open from 7 am to 8 pm. 🗳️ Find your polling location, view your sample ballot, and learn what you need to come prepared >> https://vote.phila.gov/voting/voting-at-the-polls/
This week, celebrate CraftMONTH with a free guided tour of two best-in-craft exhibitions at The Fabric Workshop and Museum and The Center for Art in Wood.
At FWM, experience “Rose B. Simpson Dream House,” an immersive multi-room installation organized as a journey through the artist’s psyche. At The Center for Art in Wood, discover the vessel as a source of inspiration for artists. “Vessel: Embodiment, Autonomy, and Ornament in Wood” explores eternal questions of offering and ownership, concealment and emptiness.
The tour is offered on both Thursday, 11/10 from 4:00–6:30 pm and Sunday, 11/13 from 12:00–2:30 pm.
There are limited spots available, register: https://bit.ly/FWMxCraftMonth
Note: These tours will begin at FWM and will allow 30 minutes for travel before the second part of the tour begins at the Center for Art in Wood.
Image: At left: Rose B. Simpson, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. Dream House (installation detail), 2022. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño; At right: Vivian Chiu, “Self Portrait IV” from the Fractured Body series, 2018–19. Birch plywood, laser print, aluminum. 65 x 11 x 36”. Courtesy of the artist.
| Today we are remembering past FWM Artist-in-Residence James Luna (Luiseño, Puyukitchum, Ipai, and Mexican, 1950–2018). Luna contributed to shaping contemporary indigenous identity in museums and American culture using his body in performances, installations, and photographs to question the museum display, fetishization, and commodification of Native Americans. He often used irony and humor—both symbolically and materially—to disarm and confront us as viewers, making space for a more complex consideration of these issues.
During his residency at FWM, Luna created a series of related works centering on two costumes: High-Tech War Shirt and Indian Lounge Suit—both made to fit the artist. Each costume represents an opposite persona: the entertainer or con man of white popular culture, and the authentic spiritual man of American Indian culture. In taking on these personas and writing scripts with a great deal of humor, Luna addresses the complex nature of the contemporary Native American man. These costumes were later incorporated into the sequel to Luna’s well-known performance, Shameman.
Learn more about these costumes>> https://bit.ly/3fAVBEy
Images: James Luna in the FWM studio; James Luna, High-Tech War Shirt, 1997-98. Edition of 2; James Luna, Indian Lounge Suit, 1997. Edition of 2. Photo credit: Aaron Igler
GOOD NEWS | What could possibly make the experience of Jayson Musson's hilarious sitcom-style exhibition any better? More time to see it! With this critically acclaimed show now extended through the end of the year, you'll have more opportunities to rediscover art history through the Theater of Unfabricated Dreams and more chances to meet new friends through the black door of Jay's living room.
So what are you waiting for? Get your free tickets>> https://bit.ly/3OF1Vap
♪ So pull up a chair
Listen close, my dear
I'll share with you His History of Art ♪
Image: Jayson Musson as “Jay” with “Ollie.” Jayson Musson, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, “His History of Art,” 2022. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.
Celebrated comedy writer David Sacks (The Simpsons, 3rd Rock from the Sun) would like to know how you feel about being human in the world today. What makes it hard? How could humans be better designed and better equipped for the challenges we face? How would you reinvent humans?
On Sunday, November 13, workshop your ideas for an original character with David Sacks over zoom, then collaborate in-person with balloon artist Jodi Rice, sketch artist Safiya Wharton, or screenprinters from FWM staff to bring your ideas to life!
Space is limited. Register here>> https://bit.ly/3FEcHMt
Image: On the set during the filming of “Jayson Musson: His History of Art,” featuring Brian Langan as “Caveman” (left), FWM staff member Abby Lutz as “Willa” (right), and Jayson Musson as “Jay” (floor). Episode two: “Caveman Days.” Jayson Musson, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, “His History of Art,” 2022. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.
1214 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA
19107
The Fabric Workshop and Museum 1214 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19107-2816 [T] 215.561.8888 [F] 215.561.8887 [email protected] Hours Open 7 days a week Monday through Friday 10 am to 6 pm Saturdays and Sundays 12 pm to 5 pm Please call [T] 215.561.8888 for information on upcoming holiday hours & closures. Free and Open 7 Days a Week Group tours available by appointment; please call [T] 215.561.8888 x247
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Update: This event has been postponed. Ticket holders will be reimbursed and notified when the event is rescheduled. Spark the exchange of future stories of art by screenprinting your own conversational tote bag. This workshop will follow recorded stories from “Storytellers of Art Histories,” edited by Alpesh Kantilal Patel and Yasmeen Siddiqui, presented by PhD art history candidates from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture. It all goes down this Tuesday, October 18 at 6:00 pm. Student tickets are just $5. Register: https://bit.ly/3SWYaPq Video by Kristina Price Music: Possible Musician: Jeff Kaale
“Funny and frivolous are not the same thing, and sometimes humor can be the only way to approach something extremely serious.” —artist Nina Katchadourian Join artist Nina Katchadourian this Friday, October 14 for an eerily apt discussion on humor and a close look at the ways artists use it as a device to bring viewers into their work, to help them become more attentive, or to call attention to fraught historical or cultural questions. Katchadourian will present projects of her own that utilize humor, and also introduce some theories of humor as described by various philosophers and critical thinkers. Katchadourian promises, “Although this workshop may sound boring, it will actually be extremely fun.” Sign-up: https://bit.ly/funny-but-not-frivolous Organized in conjunction with “Jayson Musson: His History of Art.” Reel by Nina Katchadourian Music: Let’s Groove Musician: Earth, Wind, and Fire
PLAYER ONE: SELECT YOUR FIGHTER | In the battle for domination, you must outwit or outlast your opponents using lessons from art history. Will you choose Jay, the intellectual, Ollie, the dirtball, or uniformed bullies The Cool Popes? See it all play out in Jayson Musson’s “His History of Art” at The Fabric Workshop and Museum. Tickets: https://bit.ly/3OF1Vap #JaysonMusson #HisHistoryofArt Music: Games Master – Classic Arcade Game Musician: Dream-Protocol Reel by Kristina Price
Next Week | First Friday Workshop Wondering what a halftone is? Photographic halftones are usually made up of a series of dots. By varying the size and spacing of the dots, we can create a range of tones that allows us to translate detailed digital, photographic, and hand-drawn imagery into prints. So up close, they’re just dots but when you back up, it’s whatever the artist wanted it to be. Pretty cool, right? To learn more, click the link below to register for our First Friday workshop, where you’ll learn how to create a halftone in Photoshop and screenprint halftone patterns and textures out of prepared imagery. Then create shapes from the prints and arrange the pieces to make your own collaged image. https://bit.ly/3cpcErD #screenprinting #halftone #firstfridayphilly Music: Miami Musician: Deleted Account Reel by Kristina Price Flower print design: Morgan Medl
Artmaking can be messy. We should know. FWM is a place where artists are free to pursue their wildest creative imaginings unfettered by expectations. Step outside the confines of the white cube for an end-of-summer benefit to support artmaking untamed. Join FWM in Chestnut Hill for an evening of al fresco food and cocktails featuring a performance by John Jarboe and the Bearded Ladies Cabaret. Festivities also include the chance to make your own art, mingle with past, present, and future FWM Artists-in-Residence, shop the Into the Wild pop-up collection, and many more artful surprises. Proceeds benefit FWM’s artist, education, and community programs. Tickets are on sale now: https://bit.ly/3T8aihc Image: Flower pattern by FWM Apprentice Princeton Cangé.
🎉 Happy *80th* birthday to Ursula von Rydingsvard! 🎂 Her monumental cedar sculptures and works on paper that were first presented at FWM in 2018 as part of the exhibition, “Ursula von Rydingsvard: The Contour of Feeling,” are on view at Denver Botanic Gardens through September 11. Video: Ursula von Rydingsvard in her studio. Excerpts of videography by Daniel Traub.
🎶 Welcome to my world It’s a wonderful world Where dreams and ideas come to life 🎶 “Jayson Musson: His History of Art” opens this Friday, July 22. FREE tickets now available: https://bit.ly/3Jic1dO Jayson Musson, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum. His History of Art, 2022. Video produced by All Ages Productions.
Summer Skill Building Series | This Thursday, experiment with traditional techniques such as block printing and Suminagashi—the art of Japanese paper marbling. We’ll first glean inspiration from former Artists-in-Residence Jiha Moon and Shahzia Sikander, whose works on view combine ancient techniques with a contemporary perspective. Then, delve into their artist boxes for a more intimate glimpse at their process in preparation of your own artwork. Sign up today: https://bit.ly/3OMOuVH Music: Golden Days Musician: Philip E Morris
Join us today in wishing Ann Hamilton a very happy birthday! Known for making large-scale and site-specific works, Hamilton worked with FWM in 2016 to debut “habitus,” a project that continued her longstanding exploration of textiles and spanned multiple venues and forms. Among the most memorable works is her installation at Municipal Pier 9/Cherry Street Pier. There, visitors propelled a field of gigantic cylindrical curtains that billowed to atmospheric proportion—inviting visitors to touch and be touched by the fabric of human experience. Learn more about Ann Hamilton and her time at FWM: https://bit.ly/3ycw1fH #AnnHamilton #HappyBirthday #FabricWorkshop Video: Ann Hamilton, “habitus,” 2016. Installation at Municipal Pier 9, made in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. Videography by Brittany Rafalak and Liam Martin.
Hey! Oh, hey! It’s me again, and we’re back at Sister Cities Park with The Fabric Workshop and Museum and Parkway Pals. This week, we’re sculpting our very own *powerful person* So bring the kids this Wednesday, June 22, ‘cause we’re making lots of stuff! 🤪 Visit Parkway Pals at Sister Cities Park any Wednesday this summer, 11:30 am–12:30 pm. We’ll be there, ready to create with kids. #ParkwayPals #FabricWorkshop #kidsactivities
Made Monday | Kiki Smith is known for her multidisciplinary works across sculpture, printmaking, and textiles that evoke a complex, sometimes fantastical relationship to our bodies and the natural world. Joining FWM as an Artist-in-Residence in 2002, the German-born American artist approached her residency as an opportunity to experiment with traditional textile forms that were domestic in nature. The artist’s solo exhibition, “Homework,” featured familiar objects with practical purposes but executed with extraordinary forms, including this "Owl and Pussycat" doll. Inspired by the classic nursery rhyme by Edward Lear, Smith collaborated with FWM to fabricate a reversible doll—each double sided, with a cat on one end and, when the skirt flips, an owl with little wings on the other side. For Smith, dolls and puppets have significant connections to folklore and mythology—mixing personal memories with recognized fables and archetypal myths. Now through June 27, save $25 with the purchase of Smith’s Owl and Pussycat doll, which is hand-sewn with screenprinted fabric designed by the artist and skirts made with Liberty print fabrics. https://bit.ly/3xEUKHV
Though FWM is closed today, just down the Parkway, The Barnes Foundation is celebrating Juneteenth and Father’s Day with Barnes on the Block, a night of visual art displays, family-friendly art making, live performances, food, drinks, and more. This celebration coincides with the opening of The Barnes' summer exhibition, “Isaac Julien: Once Again...(Statues Never Die),” on view June 19–September 4, 2022. This event is free, but registration is required to access the Barnes collection and special exhibition. FWM Members save on admission at the Barnes Shop. Register here: https://bit.ly/3y3Orz4
“The power of the domestic is so important because it’s the foundation for so much of what we do in our everyday lives. It is a safe space to allow one’s self to just “be” without performing or thinking about the dangers of the outside world.”—artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase This #PrideMonth, we’re reflecting on the complexity and sensuality of Jonathan Lyndon Chase’s “Big Wash” through the exhibition catalogue. Last year, Chase transformed our gallery into a laundromat with drawings, paintings, sculpture, video, and sound that explored Black, queer domestic intimacy and blurred public and private boundaries. Included in Chase’s paintings are personal objects—bedsheets, clothing, and grooming products—to reveal an undercurrent of tenderness in daily life. In addition to installation views and illustrations of Chase’s works, the catalogue features photographs, sketches, poetry, and short fiction exploring kinship, nostalgia and intimacy—themes of the exhibition and Chase’s larger artistic practice—by contributing writers Yolanda Wisher, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Meg Onli and Meg Pendoley, noor ibn najam, and jamal rashad. The exhibition may have come and gone, but the salient themes in “Big Wash” continue to resonate through the catalogue, available through the link: https://bit.ly/3HpkiNT #JonathanLyndonChase #BigWash #FabricWorkshop #Queerart #Pride Music: Solitude Musician: Rook1e
“The power of the domestic is so important because it’s the foundation for so much of what we do in our everyday lives. It is a safe space to allow one’s self to just “be” without performing or thinking about the dangers of the outside world.”—artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase This #PrideMonth, we’re reflecting on the complexity and sensuality of Jonathan Lyndon Chase’s “Big Wash” through the exhibition catalogue. Last year, Chase transformed our gallery into a laundromat with drawings, paintings, sculpture, video, and sound that explored Black, queer domestic intimacy and blurred public and private boundaries. Included in Chase’s paintings are personal objects—bedsheets, clothing, and grooming products—to reveal an undercurrent of tenderness in daily life. In addition to installation views and illustrations of Chase’s works, the catalogue features photographs, sketches, poetry, and short fiction exploring kinship, nostalgia and intimacy—themes of the exhibition and Chase’s larger artistic practice—by contributing writers Yolanda Wisher, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Meg Onli and Meg Pendoley, noor ibn najam, and jamal rashad. The exhibition may have come and gone, but the salient themes in “Big Wash” continue to resonate through the catalogue, available through the link: https://bit.ly/3HpkiNT #JonathanLyndonChase #BigWash #FabricWorkshop #Queerart #Pride Music: Sunrise Musician: Ilya Marfin
Hey! Oh, hey! Do you like to make stuff? ‘Cause we’re gonna make *lots of stuff*! 🤪 Summer is here and FWM is returning to Parkway Pals at Sister Cities Park. We’ll be there every Wednesday from 11:30 am–12:30 pm, ready to create with kids. Kicking off our first week on June 15, we'll be screenprinting paper bag puppet pals. Give your puppet their own voice and personality to create performances with other kids in the park! Learn more: https://bit.ly/3xHQSr6 #ParkwayPals #FabricWorkshop #screenprinting #kidsactivities
Today we’re celebrating Betty Woodman, who was born #onthisday in 1930 in Norwalk, CT 🥳 The ceramic artist challenged the meaning of an object’s functionality through deconstruction and reconstruction—pairing familiar hints of household items and architectural details with a distinctive gestural quality. What makes her sculptures so captivating? Upon closer inspection, one can easily get lost in the details of her exuberant brush strokes and textures. Whether the designs riff on Greek, Etruscan, Asian or Modernist forms, her works find pleasure in a vibrant language that is recognizable as her own. In the spirit of Betty Woodman, let us take a moment today to look closely and find joy and beauty in the details of everyday life. Learn more about the artist: https://bit.ly/3yC9xW6 #BettyWoodman #HappyBirthday Film excerpt from “Think Out Loud,” produced by Charles Woodman, New York, NY, 1990. Courtesy of the Woodman Family Foundation. Video editing by Watch Me Rise Films. Images: Betty Woodman (right) and construction technician Betty Leacraft-Cameron work on Turnadot Doorway, 1980.
This Sunday, bring the family to Fairmount Park and drop in for FREE screenprinting with natural turmeric dye! The Horticulture Center will set the scene for a belated Earth Day celebration with a variety of family activities, demonstrations, and workshops as part of the Penn State Extension Master Gardner Program’s 2022 Plant Sale and Garden Day. FWM will offer screenprinting from 11:00am to 12:00pm, but you’ll want to stick around for more crafts, tours, and the plant sale of course! https://bit.ly/3Ou9wZz Music: Always Musician: Rook1e
We’re back with Season 2 of Halftone, a podcast from FWM that embodies the experimental nature of the Workshop. This season we’re exploring ideas of belonging and estrangement and the ways we navigate a complex world, with inspiration from our current exhibition, “Ahmed Alsoudani: Bitter Fruit.” Join us on this journey as we walk from the museum through the streets of Philadelphia with Palestinian Poet Ahmad Allmallah as he searches for home and Venezuelan artist Ana Mosquera as she weaves together a cyber territory. Don’t miss the two-episode second season of Halftone, coming soon this month.
Today is the day! Click the link to browse our online shop and find items like this children’s t-shirt, artist books, silk scarves, and more. Receive 25% off your purchase with the promo code VALENTINE https://store.fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/?_ga=2.24348851.802129644.1644859384-1754886138.1602864669
As a new year begins, The Fabric Workshop and Museum invites you to join us at Pig Iron School (1417 N 2nd St.) for a day of cross disciplinary exchange. Reflect on the past year, the current moment, and the year to come through exploring the themes and processes of our 2021 projects and expanding your practice through workshops and live performance. Attendees can choose from several participatory workshops led by performance artists Colin Gee, Quinn Bauriedel, Indira Allegra, and art therapist Sarah Kodish Eskind. 2022 Convening is happening on the afternoon of March 5. Save the date and click the link for all the info! https://fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/event/2022-convening/
From all of us at FWM, we thank you for your ongoing support. We wish you a joyous and healthy holiday season and look forward to seeing you in our galleries!
Did you know that FWM has a free online collection of interactive activities and learning resources for all ages? Mix up your quality time spent with those near and dear to you with these quirky, creative prompts that can be enjoyed by all! Created by FWM staff during quarantine in 2020, these exercises can be adjusted to suit the age and abilities of your friends, family members, and/or students. Use these projects to imagine new materials, tools, and possibilities! Follow the link to get started! https://fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/education/teacher-programs/
Next Weds 11/3 at 6:30pm ET! FWM presents a free virtual lecture by artists Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley in conjunction with their current exhibition "Blood Moon." https://www.showclix.com/event/mary-reid-kelley-patrick-kelley-artist-talk Culminating as two new films, for which FWM collaborated on costume design and set production, this immersive experience is replete with the artists’ signature wit and wordplay. Tune in for this live Zoom event to learn more about the exhibition and the artists’ collaborative work. Zoom information to be sent with confirmation. Video: Time lapse sequence from the making of "Blood Moon" in Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley's studio. Courtesy of the artists. 🎥: @maryandpat #BloodMoon #FabricWorkshop
Need to get a break up story off your chest? We've got an event (and a number) for you: 1-833-3-WE-GOT-U Ex Factor is a "Break Up-themed Live Call-In Show" presented by our friends at Philadelphia Contemporary and hosted at Dahlak Paradise this Thurs, Oct 14 at 6pm. More at https://www.philadelphiacontemporary.org/ex-factor A 90s style call-in show featuring Indira Allegra and Jesse Harrod, mixed by Danny Orendorff, with live musical accompaniment by David Underwood. Indira and Jesse will be supporting live audience members in sharing their break up stories. Can’t make it to the event? Pick up the phone and share your stories: ex-lovers, ex-bosses, ex-friends, ex-jobs, ex-situationships… Pre-recorded voicemails will be played at the live event in addition to live testimonials. By recording a voicemail, you consent to your message being played at the event. Call in now! @indiraallegra @jesseharrod1 @the_magicians_assistant @1davidunderwood #PhiladelphiaContemporary #FabricWorkshop #situationships
“Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley: Blood Moon” is now open to the public! https://fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/tickets/ In addition to today's public viewing hours from 1:30-4:30pm, we're extending our opening festivities into the weekend. Special tours and screenprinting workshops are being offered on Saturday afternoon - only a few spaces left! - and FWM is open on Sat-Sun from 12-5pm. Advance registration is encouraged for general admission and required for tours and workshops. More info on tours and workshops at https://fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/events/ 🎥: Mary Reid Kelley and Patrick Kelley, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. “Blood Moon” (excerpt), 2021. Courtesy of the artists.
If you missed Elisabeth Kley’s first solo museum exhibition "Minutes of Sand", don’t worry - you can still explore her work in the large-scale, black and white zine, "Egypt Drawings", now available in-store and online! You can also immerse yourself in more of Kley's work in her self-titled monograph featuring various paintings and sculptural work as well as essays by Edward Leffingwell and Paul P. Follow the link below to shop now! https://store.fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/?product_cat=books
At FWM, we are proud to be part of an institution that celebrates collaboration, experimentation, and letting the artist lead. Over the past year, conversations at all levels of the Museum—about where we've been and who we are now—have contributed to the development of a new statement that pares our mission down to six essential words: Collaborating with artists, revealing new possibilities. The recent ratification of this statement, as well as our Land Acknowledgement, by the Museum's board signifies a new era for FWM. The brevity and elasticity of the new mission statement reflects our goals for the future: collaboration remains core to our identity as a making and presenting institution while we reveal new possibilities for artists, our public, and each other. Over the coming weeks, stay tuned as we highlight different facets of FWM with related content and celebrate how this mission relates to our work in the studio, in the galleries, in the classroom, and in Philadelphia. More to come! Design by GDLOFT.
Since its inception in 1977, The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) has developed from an ambitious experiment to a unique contemporary art museum, including a significant permanent collection documenting over 40 years of artistic innovation, a critically acclaimed on-site and touring exhibition program, and an extensive educational outreach program of tours, apprenticeships, lectures, and internships.
At the outset, Marion “Kippy” Boulton Stroud (1939-2015) envisioned founding an organization that combined the activities of the Finnish fabric printing company Marimekko—which promotes design excellence in everyday objects—with contemporary printmaking ateliers such as Gemini G.E.L. and Universal Limited Art Editions (U.L.A.E.) which encourage artists to experiment with techniques unfamiliar to them, such as lithography or etching. With these models, Stroud established an inner-city art education program that provided a creative outlet for artists of all ages, while also training them for careers in the textile industry.
Through Stroud’s leadership, FWM developed into an internationally-renowned contemporary art museum, distinguished by one of the country’s most innovative residency programs and complimented by well-regarded education and apprenticeship programs. In 1996, the word "Museum" was officially added to the name of the institution to reflect its growing collection of contemporary art, its commitment to the presentation and preservation of these holdings, and its broadening educational component.
Working alongside FWM's highly trained staff as part of the celebrated Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Program, leading contemporary artists have realized a wide spectrum of ambitious projects and installations. Over the years, experiments with fabric have expanded to embrace new materials and methods; artworks resulting from this collaborative creative process have pushed the definitions and possibilities of contemporary art practice with the integration of innovative techniques, applications, and presentations. FWM’s permanent collection currently holds more than 5,000 objects created by past Artists-in-Residence.
After Stroud’s untimely death in 2015, Susan L. Talbott stepped in as Interim Executive Director shortly after retiring from a seven-year-long tenure at the helm of the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT. Upon arrival, she immediately began instituting organizational and physical innovations at FWM and soon assumed the role of Executive Director, furthering Stroud’s vision with the imaginative capacity of a contemporary art curator and the skills of a seasoned museum director.
In April 2019, Talbott announced her retirement after nearly four years of service. She continues to oversee the operations and programming of FWM while assisting the Board of Directors in its search for and eventual transition to a new Executive Director, projected for late 2019. Recently, FWM also announced the appointment of Karen Patterson as the museum’s first-ever titled curator. Patterson, who joined FWM from the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI, assumed her new curatorial post in July 2019.
PAFA The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art
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