The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU is pleased to present “Weaving Data,” featuring the work of Faig Ahmed, April Bey, Jovencio de la Paz, Ahree Lee, Kayla Mattes, Shelley Socolofsky, Joan Truckenbrod, Vo Vo, and Sarah Wertzberger. Weaving is inseparable from the development of computing and software. Tracing the origins of contemporary computing to the invention of the Jacquard loom (1801) and its punch-card system situates textiles and the communities responsible for production in global conversations surrounding technology and media. Yet, despite this fundamental relation, computing and weaving continue to be regarded in opposite terrains and prestige.

“Weaving Data” examines the historical relationships between weaving and computing and explores constructs of ‘low’ vs. ‘high’ hierarchies pervading technology and art. The nine contemporary artists in this exhibition approach and enrich these complex conversations in various ways. Curators Theo Downes-Le Guin and Nancy Downes-Le Guin write: “Through analysis, metaphor, aesthetics, and humor, the artists in this exhibition interrogate and prod at the history and soul of high technology. Some collaborate with the very technologies they critique; others weave by hand, but use data or internet memes as a basis for woven patterns. Regardless of approach, the artworks tell a nuanced story about the nature of technology, a story both messier and more complex than the myth of linear progress from ‘low’ to ‘high.'” During the fourteen-week run of the Weaving Data exhibition, the JSMA at PSU will host a variety of free programs such as: an exhibition tour with the curators, workshops with featured artist Ahree Lee, artist talk with April Bey, and a monthly Story Time + Art Activity for families led by Portland-based artist Latoya Lovely. Information on all exhibition events is available on the JSMA at PSU website: bit.ly/3IN60cj.

“Weaving Data” was organized by the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University. Curation and written content by Theo Downes-Le Guin and Nancy Downes-Le Guin. Exhibition, education, and outreach programs have been made possible by a grant from The Ford Family Foundation. This exhibition is supported by the Oregon Cultural Trust.