Truth of the matter is that we don’t need to make or buy crafts in order to survive. However, by purchasing a craft item from a show like the American Craft Exposition, you’re helping American artists make a livable wage and supporting ovarian cancer research.

Jewelry by Kathy Saitelbach

Craft is a profession that requires skilled work and specialized knowledge. Indeed, it can take years until a craft artist becomes a master in their area. In the 17^th century, you would be hard pressed to find two wooden bowls or pieces of jewelry that are the exact same because individuals made a truly livable wage from selling or trading their craft.

So what happened? The industrial revolution happened, that’s what. And at this point in history, goods were standardized and individuals were placed in their respective divisions of labor so that each bowl produced looked no different from the rest and were more affordable for the mass. A consequence of this cheaply produced item is not only the artist being removed from their work, but the low wages of outsourced workers. And suddenly, too, everyone on your block owns the exact same wooden bowl and piece of jewelry.

A Fiber Wearable Piece by Tregea Bevan

As the industrial life created increased anxieties about alienating labor and a distance from the artist and their product, artists around the world gave birth to an Arts and Crafts movement in the late 19^th century that sought to put an end to that division of labor and instead, promote the artist to a craftsman.

Although the Arts and Crafts movement has ended, as defined by history books, it’s continuously being re-hatched, re-worked and re-invented and we feel its presence ever more in today’s society, especially at the American Craft Exposition.

Speaking of crafts made-in-America being re-invented…

Artists – Don’t forget that artists’ applications for the 28^th annual ACE are due on March 2, 2012!

Jewelry by Lilly Fitzgerald

General Public – While we don’t need to buy crafts in order to survive, we can help artists make a livable wage and support ovarian cancer research! Save-the-date and join us for the 28^th annual ACE show August 23 – 26, 2012!

While my interest in craft is varied and crosses all sorts of boundaries, my favorite medium is wood. I’m fascinated by how artists can feel and work with the grain, shaving off a little piece at a time until they have a beautifully sculpted, one-of-a-kind piece that no one else– not a single other person – has in the world.

Crafts themselves, outside of collecting purposes like for home decor, interest me as useful commodities. But unlike massed produced items that roll down assembly lines, craft artists work hard to make their piece original. They also tend to leave part of themselves in their art. 

Artists that exhibit at ACE are proud of their work – and they should be! I can’t help but feel more connected to a piece, such as a wooden bowl, when I know that sweat and soul has gone into it. By purchasing useful art from craft shows like ACE, we’re helping artists make a livable wage while they do work they are passionate about.

And here’s my favorite thing about ACE: Proceeds from the show support ovarian cancer research at NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore).

I can’t wait to show you all what new and exciting things we have planned for this year’s American Craft Exposition. You’ll get to read Q&As from ACE artists to learn more about their background, artist intent and artwork, and you’ll also get to learn how physicians at NorthShore are making great strides in ovarian cancer research.

It’s bound to be a great time and I hope you’ll join me not only at the show in late August, but also here at the blog! Now that you know all about me, I want to hear whatyour interests in American-made crafts are!

ACE is a unique craft exposition in which attendees can meet the artists who live behind their craft while also supporting promising medical research in breast and ovarian cancer at NorthShore through their admission donation.

ACE features hand-crafted work in 12 mediums: baskets, ceramics, fiber decorative, fiber wearable, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper and wood. This year’s show will be held at the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion Northwestern University, 2311 N. Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, beginning with a preview party on August 23, and continuing throughout August 24 – 26, 2012.

Artists who wish to apply can click here to fill out an application and learn more information. The jury only accepts around 150 craft artists. Better act fast, though. The deadline to apply is March 2, 2012, right around the corner.

For information, please call (847) 570-5095 or email ACE@northshore.org.

The wonderful thing about ACE is that guests have  many opportunities to meet artists and learn about their art, instead of simply viewing art.  Throughout the summer, we sponsored talks with including Thomas Mann, and shared with you stories from the emerging artists.

We are happy to share with you that the booth chats are back this year!  Get to know the artists and how they make their art! Michael Schunke, Cliff Lee, Jennifer Heller Zurich and Darlys Ewoldt will give free, informative booth chats throughout the weekend so don’t forget to get your discounted 3-day pass tickets online at https://www.northshore.org/apps/auxFound/EventDetails.aspx?EventId=44
]]> http://americancraftexposition.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/booth-talks-ace-2011-is-5-days-away/feed/ 0 americancraftexposition http://americancraftexposition.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/ace-is-14-days-away/ http://americancraftexposition.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/ace-is-14-days-away/#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:23:52 +0000 americancraftexposition http://americancraftexposition.wordpress.com/?p=247 Continue reading →]]> Hello Everyone!

ACE 2011 is just 14 days away, and we are getting exciting! There’s a lot going on this year that ACE fans will not want to miss – a Fashion Show, Booth Talks, a fabulous Preview Party, and of course, the Show!

The ACE Runway is set for Saturday, the 27th at 2pm. Survivors from ovarian cancer groups in the community and ACE volunteers will serve as models to show off all the fantastic fiber wearable’s and accessories available for purchase. Be sure to join us as we support our local ovarian cancer survivors and volunteers in action!

Booth Talks are also back this year featuring some of our finest ACE artists. Free, informative presentations will be given by: Cliff Lee, Ceramics; Darlys Ewoldt, Metal; Jennifer Heller Zurick, Baskets; and Michael Schunke, Glass. Click here for more information!

The Collectors’ Hour and the Benefit Preview Party are set for August 25th, from 5:30-6:30pm and from 6:30-9:00pm. You will not want to miss this opportunity to enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and of course – the chance to get a first look at all the one-of-a-kind piece’s at this year’s show!

If you haven’t already purchased your tickets, click here now for more details: https://www.northshore.org/apps/auxFound/EventDetails.aspx?EventId=44

Preview Party and ACE Pass: $125
ACE Pass purchased online before August 22^nd: $12
ACE Pass purchased after August 22^nd: $15

“My education in the science of human anatomy and movement gives me a unique perspective of the human body, which helps me to be a different and a better designer” says Wu.  When discussing her line, Wu says she aims to “save hand knitting techniques and tradition in an industrial era through original multi-functional modern designs combined with eco-friendly natural fibers”.

Her academic studies were followed by internships at companies such as Luisina Beccaria and BLESS, which led her to compete in the Qi Pai Cup Costume Creation National Contest during Beijing’s International Fashion Week in 2007.

Since 2007, Wu’s work has been featured in countless trade shows, TV shows, museum stores and magazines including VISION, Trend Setter, Premiere Classe Show, Pinker, Trend Talk, and Project Runway. She was included in the Museum of Contemporary Art’s 40th Anniversary special accessory exhibition and was a semifinalist in the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation 2009 National Competition.

In 2011, Ping left her position at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California and relocated to New York City where she will be featuring her accessory line in a new Nordstrom concept store called Treasure and Bond, in the Soho district this fall.

It’s time for another ACE artist interview recap!

Crystal Neubauer

I recently had the opportunity to get to know Crystal Neubauer, and here are the highlights of the Q& A with this amazingly unique and creative artist. After reading, please be sure to check out her website at www.crystalneubauer.com!

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? Where did you grow up? What first inspired you to pursue art?

I’m from Champaign, Illinois and spent many years between that community and the Bloomington/Normal area before moving up to Grayslake, a far north suburb of Chicago. I was a painfully shy girl in grade school — except when it came to anything having to do with art. I remember events such as winning an all school contest for designing the cover of a PTA program and being invited by an artistically nurturing teacher to perform skits spontaneously in front of the class which allowed me to come out of my shell. I felt connected and understood. My mother was a crafter; I spent many hours at her side painting ceramics, learning macramé and creating handmade Christmas ornaments. These were the seeds that over the years grew into my desire to become an artist.

Where did you receive your art education? Where did you develop and hone your artistic technical skills? 

I was privileged to receive a scholarship to the University High School where I was able to take many art classes that wouldn’t have been available to me if I had gone to the public high school. At that point in my life I had hopes of attending the School of The Art Institute of Chicago, but these dreams were derailed by a young pregnancy and early marriage. Not until after my three children got older, I got divorced and then remarried and had also established a career as a Project Manager in the printing industry, did the dream begin to stir again. I began taking classes at the local community college with a focus on art and psychology with the intent of pursuing an Art Therapy degree. I have come to realize, though, that my current desire is to focus fully on working as an artist and developing my craft to the fullest degree that I am able.

What intrigues you about your medium? How did you come up with it?

I’ve always been a collector of sorts — picking up odds and ends from the ground, salvaging materials that have been deemed trash with the intent of refurbishing, and frequenting flea markets and estate sales looking for treasure. After marrying my husband and becoming a full time step-mom to his four children on top of mom to my own three, I was looking for a way to leave my full time job and still contribute financially to the family. So, I began to sell the items I collected on eBay. This led me to a community of mixed media artists who were purchasing my items to use in their work and I began to recognize just what it was that I found so appealing about these discarded items — I could see beauty in them and wanted to bring it out in a new way. I’ve experimented with many mediums including assemblage, painting, and encaustics, but collage is the medium that resonates with me the most. I always find a way to incorporate it into whichever medium with which I happen to be experimenting.

Often times the process for me is a spiritual one. I work intuitively and have trained myself to tune in to what I am hearing inside as I work. I often feel that my time creating art connects me to God – it’s the time I use for prayer and worship. I will turn off all distractions in the studio, work in total silence and pay attention to the words, thoughts, phrases or even music that I hear in my head during this time. There is a deeper meaning and message I feel can be derived from “hearing” what my work has to say. One ongoing series called “Uttering’s” comes from this process. Each work then is a wordless prayer or blessing that is passed along to the viewer. 

I work in the abstract and try to leave as much to the interpretation of the viewer as possible, although many times there is a message that is very obvious and personal to me. As a collage artist I can intentionally lead with the elements that I combine, but working from an intuitive process, I tend to not even notice the connections between elements until I’ve stepped back myself and viewed the completed work. It is often after the work is complete that I am able to see the deeper meaning and will know what the title of the work will be. Likewise, the viewing experience becomes an intuitive one and I will often see a person reacting on a visceral level — what an honor to be a witness and the vehicle to this type of personal experience!

Have you done other art shows? If so, what was your experience?

I’ve mainly focused on building my reputation as an artist online and have only recently began to seek opportunities to show and sell my work in person and through galleries. I have been in a handful of juried shows from about 2008 to present, with the earlier shows focusing more on my assemblage work. This past December I was selected as an emerging artist for the Etsy Pavilion at the One Of A Kind Show in Chicago, where I focused mainly on my collage and encaustic work. The experience was extremely positive and affirming and motivated me to begin to pursue more opportunities to get my work out there.

I’ve attended the show several years in a row as a viewer and have been so impressed with the quality and scope of art that is shown there. My goal was to try to reach the level of craftsmanship necessary to participate in the next 5 years. I spontaneously (or maybe intuitively) decided to apply as an emerging artist this year without expectation other then the experience of trying. I am so excited to have this experience from the perspective of a participant this year and to be able to glean from the more experienced artists I will be meeting!

This visit is co-sponsored by the American Craft Exposition (ACE).Simpson’s glass-works will be on display and for sale during the annual American Craft Exposition. I will be there to tell you all about it! Hope to see you there!

“What I put in my art is my soul, what I have in my soul.”

– Liumilda Sherrer

 The story of Liudmila Sherrer is one of many that reminds us that art has no language barriers. A graduate from an architectural academy in Russia, Liumilda immigrated to Atlanta, Georgia in 2006. She brought with her a wealth of art inspiration and creativity.

Geometric patterns and interesting color scheme makes this a wearing piece of art.

Liumilda has been painting and drawing since she was a four-year-old and remembers her early introduction to her love of fabric and textiles. “I remember in Russia, during kindergarten,” she says, “there were demonstrations in making felt boots, actual normal boots.”

She rediscovered felting in 2007 and attributes her love for felting to her teenage dream of owning a clothing store. “I never had the chance, but I tried different media to make clothing and when I discovered felting I couldn’t stop.”  With a true passion for the craft, Liumilda enjoys challenges in felting and wants to create wearable art that is unique.

Essential to felting, she describes, is wool, heat, moisture, and a lot of physical labor.  Sherrer makes scarves that are very thin and give the wearer “textile pleasure”.  Embedded silk and geometric patterns are her hallmark.  She says she wants “to make wearable art, combine comfort and design that is good to touch and drapes very well.”

This lariat is simple in color, yet elegant and complex in form.

Sherrer finds inspiration from everything around her, but she also likes to use photos she takes from her travels as ideas for color combinations.  When not traveling or making art in her own home studio, she lives in Atlanta with her husband and dog.

Her first show was the American Craft Council in Baltimore, MD where she remembers everyone commenting that her work was “so beautiful.”  She looks forward to ACE 2011 and hopes her art will find new homes.

Embedded are various silks. Notice the geometric lines, folds and shapes--that make this a flowing piece.