I am pleased to announce that my artwork will be featured in the Earth Gallery of "Unfolding the Universe: A James Webb Space Telescope VR Experience" presented by @azelinskie @metaxustudio and @NASAwebb. Tonight Paul Geithner will be giving a talk and Q&A. Ticketing is sold out, but you can participate on Youtube live here: https://youtu.be/fMkR1HKDpqk
First Light
I will be in the gallery (it's a beautifully created space) with my three recent JWST art quilts, and Luminosity, the original I made after viewing the telescope while it was under construction.
Once again I am blown away that I have had the opportunity to use my art to represent this amazing piece of technology. The launch and deployment have gone exceeding well and we are all looking forward to the first images it will capture this summer.
Recap after the event: There are two galleries in this virtual space. The Earth Gallery is where the artwork is displayed; artists and participants hung out and moved around and interacted for the first part of the event. This part was not recorded for obvious reasons. The Sky Gallery is where the presentation was, and it was recorded and is up on YouTube. I recommend starting at about the 52 minute mark, where the introductions and Paul Geithner's excellent talk begin. If you've ever wondered what everyone is so excited about JWST, this talk is a great overview of what led us to this point and what we can expect going forward. If nothing else, check out how cool a VR space can be! It was a great experience. https://youtu.be/fMkR1HKDpqk
In anticipation of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, I am thrilled to share new artwork I made in response to this incredible event. I was so excited that I made not one, not two, but three new art quilts featuring the telescope and its mission. This one is titled Stellar Nurseries, and it depicts the telescope arriving and setting up at the second Lagrange Point. One of its early missions will be to observe, through infrared light, the nearby dust clouds that currently obscure the environments where planetary systems form. Here I have imagined three vignettes of the imagery the telescope will transmit back to us.
Stellar Nurseries, detail 1
The telescope in my quilt is made of hand stitched gold silk hexagons, with a gray silk depiction of the sun shield. The telescope and shield were engineered to fold up in order to fit in the rocket for launching, and once deployed it will slowly unfold and get set up for observation.
Stellar Nurseries, detail 2, by Sue Reno
The gold coating on the beryllium mirrors is a stunning example of form following function.
Stellar Nurseries, detail 3
The telescope will use infrared to see farther, and further back in time, than is currently possible, so I was able to freely visualize the type of imagery that will be transmitted back to earth once it begins its missions.
Stellar Nurseries, detail 4
The background on the quilt is made of black silk noil, which has the combination of sheen and deep intensity I felt worked well to evoke the darkness of space. The vignette panels are wool, silk, and mylar fibers, needlefelted and then heavily stitched and hand-beaded with glass beads and semi-precious stones so that they glitter and gleam.
Stellar Nurseries, detail 5
The telescope and vignettes are surrounded by handstitched hexagon shapes. I spent a lot of my pandemic anxiety obsessively stitching hexagon "flowers" in three different colorways and two different sizes, which I then auditioned on the background before joining them into the large panels for the quilts.
After the hexagons are all painstaking joined, it's time for the fast and fun paper removal process.
I've been obsessed with hexagons ever since working on my first JWST quilt, Luminosity.
In November of 2016 I was one of a group of 22 wonderfully diverse artists selected nationwide to attend the James Webb Space Telescope Artist Event at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD.
I had the opportunity to meet and interact with engineers, technicians and other team members from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the world's next-generation space observatory, tour Goddard's Integration and Test facility, see the world's largest clean room facility, and see the James Webb Space Telescope itself. I had time to sit in front of the mirror and create, which I spent hand stitching silk hexagons for my representation of the mirror. Back in the studio, I worked on creating a large art quilt, and documented the visit and the process on my blog. You can read about all things JWST in reverse chronological order by clicking the tab in the top header.
And in a nod to Luminosity, I had one of my images from that day printed up for the backing of the quilt.
Sue Reno, with Stellar Nurseries
Stellar Nurseries is 40" square; I'm posing with it here to give you a sense of scale.
So what lies ahead for the artwork? The excitement will continue, as the artists involved in the original project are planning a virtual reality gallery, with scheduled tours and artists talks. I've played around the beta gallery, and it's really quite wonderful. I will update with dates and times, etc., in the new year as plans become available.
As always, thanks for viewing and commenting, and please follow along on your platform of choice:
In anticipation of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, I am thrilled to share new artwork I made in response to this incredible event. I was so excited that I made not one, not two, but three new art quilts featuring the telescope and its mission. This one is titled Galaxy Assembly, and it depicts the telescope arriving and setting up at the second Lagrange Point. One of its early missions will be to observe and study galaxies at all stages of development, from epoch of first light through to the current time. Here I have three imagined vignettes of the imagery the telescope will transmit back to us.
Galaxy Assembly, detail 1
The telescope in my quilt is made of hand stitched gold silk hexagons, with a gray silk depiction of the sun shield. The telescope and shield were engineered to fold up in order to fit in the rocket for launching, and once deployed it will slowly unfold and get set up for observation.
Galaxy Assembly, detail 2
The gold coating on the beryllium mirrors is a stunning example of form following function.
Galaxy Assembly, detail 3
The telescope will use infrared to see further, and further back in time, than is currently possible, so I was able to freely visualize the type of imagery that will be transmitted back to earth once it begins its missions.
Galaxy Assembly, detail 4
The background on the quilt is made of black silk noil, which has the combination of sheen and deep intensity I felt worked well to evoke the darkness of space. The vignette panels are wool, silk, and mylar fibers, needlefelted and then heavily stitched and hand-beaded with glass beads and semi-precious stones so that they glitter and gleam.
Galaxy Assembly, detail 5
The telescope and vignettes are surrounded by handstitched hexagon shapes. I spent a lot of my pandemic anxiety obsessively stitching hexagon "flowers" in three different colorways and two different sizes, which I then auditioned on the background before joining them into the large panels for the quilts.
After the hexagons are all painstaking joined, it's time for the fast and fun paper removal process.
I've been obsessed with hexagons ever since working on my first JWST quilt, Luminosity.
Luminosity
In November of 2016 I was one of a group of 22 wonderfully diverse artists selected nationwide to attend the James Webb Space Telescope Artist Event at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD.
I had the opportunity to meet and interact with engineers, technicians and other team members from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the world's next-generation space observatory, tour Goddard's Integration and Test facility, see the world's largest clean room facility, and see the James Webb Space Telescope itself. I had time to sit in front of the mirror and create, which I spent hand stitching silk hexagons for my representation of the mirror. Back in the studio, I worked on creating a large art quilt, and documented the visit and the process on my blog. You can read about all things JWST in reverse chronological order by clicking the tab in the top header.
And in a nod to Luminosity, I had one of my images from that day printed up for the backing of the quilt.
Sue Reno, with Galaxy Assembly
Galaxy Assembly is 40" square; I'm posing with it here to give you a sense of scale.
So what lies ahead for the artwork? The excitement will continue, as the artists involved in the original project are planning a virtual reality gallery, with scheduled tours and artists talks. I've played around the beta gallery, and it's really quite wonderful. I will update with dates and times, etc., in the new year as plans become available.
As always, thanks for viewing and commenting, and please follow along on your platform of choice:
In anticipation of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, I am thrilled to share new artwork I made in response to this incredible event. I was so excited that I made not one, not two, but three new art quilts featuring the telescope and its mission. This one is titled First Light, and it depicts the telescope arriving and setting up at the second Lagrange Point. One of its early missions will be to find and study the first light objects that formed after the big Bang. Here I have imagined three vignettes of the imagery the telescope will transmit back to us.
First Light, detail 1
The telescope in my quilt is made of hand stitched gold silk hexagons, with a gray silk depiction of the sun shield. The telescope and shield were engineered to fold up in order to fit in the rocket for launching, and once deployed it will slowly unfold and get set up for observation.
First Light, detail 2
The gold coating on the beryllium mirrors is a stunning example of form following function.
First Light, detail 3
The telescope will use infrared to see farther, and further back in time, than is currently possible, so I was able to freely visualize the type of imagery that will be transmitted back to earth once it begins its missions.
First Light, detail 4
The background on the quilt is made of black silk noil, which has the combination of sheen and deep intensity I felt worked well to evoke the darkness of space. The vignette panels are wool, silk, and mylar fibers, needlefelted and then heavily stitched and hand-beaded with glass beads and semi-precious stones so that they glitter and gleam.
First Light, detail 5
The telescope and vignettes are surrounded by handstitched hexagon shapes. I spent a lot of my pandemic anxiety obsessively stitching hexagon "flowers" in three different colorways and two different sizes, which I then auditioned on the background before joining them into the large panels for the quilts.
After the hexagons are all painstaking joined, it's time for the fast and fun paper removal process.
I've been obsessed with hexagons ever since working on my first JWST quilt, Luminosity.
Luminosity
In November of 2016 I was one of a group of 22 wonderfully diverse artists selected nationwide to attend the James Webb Space Telescope Artist Event at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD.
I had the opportunity to meet and interact with engineers, technicians and other team members from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the world's next-generation space observatory, tour Goddard's Integration and Test facility, see the world's largest clean room facility, and see the James Webb Space Telescope itself. I had time to sit in front of the mirror and create, which I spent hand stitching silk hexagons for my representation of the mirror. Back in the studio, I worked on creating a large art quilt, and documented the visit and the process on my blog. You can read about all things JWST in reverse chronological order by clicking the tab in the top header.
And in a nod to Luminosity, I had one of my images from that day printed up for the backing of the quilt.
Sue Reno, with First Light
First Light is 40" square; I'm posing with it here to give you a sense of scale.
So what lies ahead for the artwork? The excitement will continue, as the artists involved in the original project are planning a virtual reality gallery, with scheduled tours and artists talks. I've played around the beta gallery, and it's really quite wonderful. I will update with dates and times, etc., in the new year as plans become available.
As always, thanks for viewing and commenting, and please follow along on your platform of choice:
I am happy and honored to share that Luminosity has been selected for On the Edge, a virtual SAQA exhibit. It will be on the newly revamped SAQA website from July 1 - August 31. The juror is Petra Fallaux.
From the juror's statement: “Art affords room for contemplation. It is my favorite way to lose myself and escape from reality. In the unfortunate and harsher reality of COVID times, I often find myself on edge. Seeking out breathing space is more important than ever. My hope is that this online exhibit offers its visitors a few moments of respite and of feeling connected. Most of all, I hope that the work provides a surge of inspiration: keep pushing that envelope!”
My submission statement: I was one of 22 artists selected nationwide to attend
the James Webb Space Telescope Artist Event at NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center. I was able to meet engineers, technicians and other team members from the
project, tour Goddard's Integration & Test facility, see the world's
largest clean room facility, and view the James Webb Space Telescope, the
world’s next-generation space observatory. I had time to sit in front of
the mirror and create, which I spent hand stitching silk hexagons. Back in the
studio, I made cyanotype and solar dye prints from my photographs. Cyanotype
dates from the 1840s as a pioneering photography process; these and the dye
prints were developed outdoors using UV rays from the sun. The border image is
from the other end of the photo technology spectrum, taken with a fisheye lens
on an iPhone and digitally printed. The center panel is my depiction of the
early luminosity, going back 13.5 billion years, which the telescope will be
able to detect.
One of the stated goals for this virtual exhibit was to showcase works that might be problematic to place in more traditional exhibit formats. Luminosity is a very large quilt, with a very specific theme and imagery, so I am doubly grateful to have this opportunity to share it. I am in very good company with the group of artists chosen, and I look forward to posting the link when the exhibit goes live.
You can read all about my visit to NASA Goddard and the making of this quilt (in reverse chronological order) by clicking on the James Webb Space Telescope tab at the top, or click here.
And you can follow my work in progress on your social media of choice:
FURTHER UPDATE: The exhibit was extended again, the last day is July 2nd.
UPDATE: Due to popular demand, the exhibit has been extended into May!
What a great experience! Here's my chronicle of attending The James Webb Space Telescope: Art + Science 2017 opening reception. It's open, and free, at the NASA Goddard Visitor Center through April 16. This is my work in the show, Luminosity. If you are new here, you can track back the project and my part in it by clicking on the James Webb in the top header, or clicking here.
Because the Center had been undergoing renovations, mounting the exhibit happened on a quick timeline. I decided to deliver my artwork in person the day before, and I was very glad I did.
I had previously expressed my concerns on displaying my work in a way that made it obvious that it shouldn't be handled. It's been my experience that textile art in general, and my work in particular, is so tactile and inviting that people who wouldn't dream of touching a painting will almost unconsciously reach out to touch a quilt. When I arrived, the staff was busy building a structure to accomplish that goal and simultaneously show it off to the best advantage. I got to help design and screw together what was basically a giant erector set. You can see how happy I am with the results!
I also had a bit of time to look around the rest of the renovated Center and appreciate the interactive science exhibits.
The next afternoon, I was back for a scheduled media event. This also gave me a lot of time to talk with the other artists, admire their work, and talk shop about motivation and process. Once again, very happy!
Luminosity, as befits its name, looks different in all the changing light conditions in the center. (The glass is UV protected, so no worries there.) Just outside the window is this cool rocket model.
Finally the big night arrived!
Sue Reno with Luminosity. Image credit Ophelia Chambliss
Everyone looked great--there was a lot of gold/space themed attire.
Here's some snapshots of the artwork. For better, and accredited, images, along with detail shots and artist's statements, visit this NASA site.
Even the cupcakes were appropriate to the theme.
It was both gratifying and humbling to see how many of the people who have worked on the James Webb Space Telescope came out in support for the opening. I had conversations with scientists, engineers, and administrators whose involvement spanned the long term. It truly was a meeting of Art + Science.
Part way into the evening several people spoke, including Maggie Masetti. The art event was her brainchild, and she deserves many accolades for its design and execution. She has been a grand cheerleader and an advocate for the artists, and always accessible as we worked on our art and had questions. Thanks Maggie!
As you can tell from the artwork, one of the strengths of the project was the diversity of the artists invited. Hannah Larrabee wrote three poems. which she had letterpress printed.
Here's Hanna reading The Three Body Problem. (Edit--this may be too long for viewing on some mobile devices/connections.)
John Garvey performed his very catchy song about the Telescope. You can view his video on You Tube:
While everyone was gathered there was a call for a group photo. That's photographer Jolearra Tishiteya, who did a great job of herding us all together.
I'm glad so many artists were able to attend--we missed those who couldn't.
Sue Reno, Luminosity, photo credit Ophelia Chambliss
I am so glad I took a leap and applied for this opportunity. Personally, it stretched my skills, and gave me a new lens on the world that will be impacting my work for a long time. Professionally, I enjoyed meeting artists from many different disciplines and talking about our similarities and differences. As a citizen and a patriot, I am inordinately proud to have done my small bit to promote awareness of the JWST, and by extension, the science and technology that comprise the basis of my worldview and which I am happy to help support with my tax dollars.
