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
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.
I'm pleased to share my finished artwork for the James Webb Space Telescope Artist Project, Luminosity.
Luminosity, detail 1
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 golden mirror. Back in the studio, I worked on creating a large art quilt. I've documented the visit and the work in progress here on my blog. To read all the posts, click on the James Webb Space Telescope tab in the header, or go here.
Luminosity, detail 2
My official statement for this artwork: Hexagons are a perennial motif in quilts. I began stitching the silk hexagons representing the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope on site at NASA Goddard. Cyanotype dates from the 1840s as a pioneering photography process; these and the colored 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 needle felted center panel is made with minimally processed wool and silk fibers and modern mylar strands. It is my depiction of the early luminosity, going back 13.5 billion years, which the telescope will be able to detect.
Luminosity, detail 3
The work includes hand-stitched silk hexagons, needlefelting with wool, silk, and mylar, hand beadwork with semi-precious stones, cyanotypes and solar dye prints on cotton, digital prints on cotton, silk and cotton patchwork, stitching. The size is 60"h x 74"w.
Luminosity, detail 4
All of the artwork for this project will be on display at the NASA Goddard Visitor Center this spring. I will have dates and details to pass along soon.
I'm documenting the work I'm doing, making an art quilt made in responseto my visit last November to the James Webb Space Telescope at the NASA Goddard Space Center. If you missed it earlier, you can read about it in Part 1,Part 2, and Artwork in Progress. The center portion of the quilt is a panel depicting my interpretation of what the telescope will be able to detect and record. It will look back in time almost to the Big Bang, so the possibilities for discovery are immense. I used a needlefelting technique with yarn and wool roving to create galaxy swirls, and a mix of fiber techniques to make various nebula, which I then enhanced with semi-precious stones. It was an enormous lot of fun and I'm excited about the results.
For the borders of the background quilt, I took my fisheye photo of the telescope in the clean room, edited it, and had it printed on cotton yardage. A side note--I've never done a self portrait, was never really interested in doing so, but I was inordinately pleased when I realized that I can see myself, dressed in black and holding my cell phone in front of my face, reflected on the right in the mirror.
This quilt has grown large--60" h x 74" wide--and I needed a piece of cloth for the back of it. I took a chance on a mild-ish winter day and went outside to paint some swirls and stars and let them develop character as they dried on the driveway. When the work is done and hanging the back is not evident. but I see it a lot as I'm doing the quilting and it makes me happy to make it special. You can see how well the stitching is coming along in this view of it.
So, what with the cyanotype from the last post, the golden silk hexagons, the needlefelted galaxies, and the digital fisheye prints, it would seem there are a lot of disparate elements at play here. But making order of chaos is what I do, so please trust that it is all coming together. I have a few details to finish up, and I'll need to do the photography, and then will be able to reveal the whole work (hopefully) soon. Stay tuned!
Also! Plans are being firmed up for an exhibit of all the #JWSTArt artworks at the Visitors Center at NASA Goddard beginning in March. I am even more excited about seeing all the other work as I am about finishing mine.
I've started on the art quilt I am constructing in response to my amazing visit last month to the James Webb Space Telescope at the NASA Goddard Space Center. If you missed it earlier, you can read all about it in Part 1 and Part 2.
I finished hand stitching the silk hexagons that comprise my "mirror". It was very satisfying work.
I chose one of the photos I took at the Artist Event, edited it, and switched it to a greyscale, negative image. I printed it out on an acetate sheet in preparation for printmaking on fabric.
I often work with the cyanotype process. It was developed in the mid 1800's as one of the first photographic processes. Anna Atkins used it for scientific illustration of botanical specimens, a technological marvel of its time. I liked the idea of using this older technology in my work about cutting-edge technology, as a way of expressing the continuity of scientific progress.
Here I began by coating cotton fabric with the cyanotype chemical solution and letting it dry in darkroom conditions. I masked the fabric with the acetate transparency sheet, then exposed it to sunlight (UV light) for a timed exposure. After exposure, I rinsed the fabric to develop the Prussian blue color on the print.
I also used the same image to make prints with a UV developed dye in several different colors.
This was a "don't try this at home, kids" type of situation. Ideally I do my printmaking in the summer months, when the sunshine is reliable and the temperatures are warm. Working in November with the sun low in the sky and cooler temperatures was challenging, but this was not my first time at this particular rodeo, and I lucked out on some decent weather. I caught a few sunny hours mid-day to enjoy a frenzy of printmaking:
And I was happy with the results. These prints will be individually layered and stitched as a step towards assembling the larger work.
Stay tuned! And as always, thanks for reading and commenting.
In Part 1, I posted about the experience of attending the James Webb Space Telescope Artist Event and shared my pictures of the event and my tour of the facility. Here I will share how I approached the event artistically and the beginnings of the work I intend to make in response.
The main feature of the telescope I wanted to focus on is the most obvious one, the beautiful gold plated mirrors. The hexagon is a universal shape in nature and in antiquity, with countless examples ranging from the structure of beehives to mosaic tile patterns. It's a structurally strong shape, hence its use in the telescope. Relevant to my vocation as a fiber artist, hexagons are a perennial theme in quilt designs, and are currently very trendy, turning up in everything from traditional Grandmother's Flower Garden quilts to more innovative and cutting edge work.
Working in fiber for a plein air or live paint event is a bit different for a fiber artist than for a painter. My work is time consuming, and partially dependent on the machinery in my studio. So I can't show up for an event with a blank canvas, or blank fabric, and hope to accomplish anything significant in a few hours. I've prepped for plein air events by preparing a foundation for needlefelting with wool roving, and that's worked out well, but it produces softly edged designs. Here I wanted a more hard edged, manufactured look.
I prepped by cutting a bunch of 2 inch hexagons out of pellon, a slightly stiff synthetic non-woven material. I covered them with gold silk and basted it down on the back side. The silk is from Mysore, India, brought back from adventures abroad. In my opinion it is the finest silk in the world, handwoven on human operated looms. The warp is black silk, and the woof is gold threads, producing "shot" silk that shimmers in different ways when viewed from different angles.
I also flirted with the idea of crocheting galaxy forms from cotton and wool threads, and prepped for that as well. I didn't end up using that idea on site, but I may return to it.
At the event, I found myself a spot on the floor next to the viewing window, and looked at the telescope while listening to the speakers explain the mission and technology involved. I began hand stitching the hexagons together to mimic the forms of the mirrors on the telescope.
It was a very chaotic--in the best possible way--scene. Lot of new people, new information, a crowded room, and a stunning and almost visually overwhelming technological marvel to look at in close proximity. I kept myself grounded, literally and figuratively, by doing what I often do, centering in the meditative aspects of doing repetitive work with my hands.
Also currently trending in the fiberart/textile world is the idea of slow stitching. It's akin to the slow food movement; the idea that in a world that requires a quick response time in most of our activities, we benefit from slowing down and focusing on meaningful activity. I've instinctively done this from a very young age, so muscle memory largely controls my movements and my stitching proceeds almost on its own accord.
I got nine hexagons connected before stopping to go on the tour of the facility. It's significant to me that the work was actually begun on site. I am still working through my photos and impressions of the event, and considering how to proceed.
