From smart dresses to beading on Vans, this Friday Fibers Roundup has a great mix of articles on how traditional fashion is remixed. 1) This video shows how Native American fashion designer, Charlene Holy Bear blends Vans (the popular skate sneaker) with her heritage of hand-beading. 2) “Researchers Build a Smart Dress to show how …

Surface Design Association is excited to announce “Family Matters” our Winter 2018 International Exhibition in Print. Juried by The Jealous Curator (Danielle Krysa) and Elizabeth Kozlowski, this exciting edition features artists from 6 countries including Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, and 15 states in the US. As Elizabeth states in her Editorial, “Each …

What an amazing year it’s been for Surface Design Association! We welcomed our new Journal Editor, Elizabeth Kozlowski (what an amazing job she’s done!), published 4 stunning Journals, and had multiple exhibitions throughout the country. Let’s take a look back at all the wonderful artist opportunities that happened in 2018: “Pattern” Spring 2018 edition of …

The holidays are fast-approaching and what better gift to give than a book on textiles? Surface Design Association presents our countdown spotlighting some of our favorite books that came out in 2018–perfect for any fibers fan. Whether you’re into contemporary approaches, technical skills, project ideas, or historical readings, this list has got you covered! “Weaving: …

This batch of articles for Friday Fibers Roundup draws from our current Journal theme of “Haptic” to give you articles on craft, material history, and color traditions. 1) “The Artificial Divide Between Fine Art and Textiles is a Gendered Issue” by Amber Butchart highlights the changing perceptions of fabrics throughout art history, in reaction to …

In 1962 the first international tapestry exhibition, of the post-war era, was launched in Lausanne, Switzerland. The venue became a catalyst for international dialog in new fiber works and helped envision new concepts in the craft and art of fiber and redefined the craft lexicon as “fiber art.” This event ushered to the world stage …

between systems and grounds is a collaboration between composer, Paula Matthusen and visual artist, Olivia Valentine. The work is a nomadic, durational performance and installation which combines the textile-based practice of bobbin lace with real-time, electronic sound processing. An album of real-time and time-compressed recordings of the project, released by Carrier Records, serves as a …

Northeast members of Surface Design Association met at the Fuller Craft Museum on October 27, 2018 for a day of networking, sharing work and inspirational books, the opening of Context: Language, Media, and Meaning—a juried exhibition of work by SDA members from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island—and Words Matter, a presentation by Stuart Kestenbaum. With …

From galleries to runways, theory to hobby, and everywhere in-between, quilts have seen a huge rise in the everyday lexicon. This Friday Fibers Roundup features a great variety of what people are doing with the concept of quilting. 1) Sonja Dahl’s latest solo exhibition Recounting Fragments is on display now (until the end of November) …

Surface Design Association is excited to announce “Haptic”, our Fall 2018 edition of Surface Design Journal! This Journal explores the meaning of touch in relationship to fibers and the techniques that define our field. As Elizabeth Kozlowski, SDJ Journal Editor, states in her Editorial, “For many of us—through repetitive practice and exploration—techniques such as knitting, …