Masked Response

California Fibers last met in person in January, like many art groups, constrained by shelter-in-place and quarantine requirements. We met online in April, our normal meeting day and time, but in little boxes on the screen, some muted, some distracted, some challenged by technology, all glad to see and hear our group. We talked about art and our upcoming exhibits and whether they might even happen, until one member, Lydia Tjioe Hall, suggested we create an online exhibit in our isolation, a response to having to wear a mask, especially as fiber artists. So many other people were unearthing ancient sewing machines and using up all the elastic, or searching through their stash for appropriate materials. It seemed appropriate for each of us to reach deeply into our chosen medium and fashion a response to being masked and in quarantine.

And here they are…

Charlotte Bird, I’d Rather Be Somewhere Calm

Doshi, Ebb and Flow; Silk Organza, Arashi Shibori, Acid Dye

Timeless ebb and flow,

Endless waves of change,

Eternal depth of the sea.

Susan Henry

Polly Jacobs Giacchina, Wire, salvaged metal, and felt

Chari Myers, Covid-19 UV Blaster Periwinkle; wet felted, merino wool, viscose, silk gauze, lights

and Covid-19 UV Blaster Red; wet felted, merino wool, viscose, silk gauze, lights

Kathy Nida, COVID Mask; window screen, wool and cotton embroidery thread

Aneesa Shami, Credit: El Naddaha (deconstructed knit mask) by Aneesa Shami, for Planet City, Director Liam Young, Costume Design Ane Crabtree.

Cameron Taylor-Brown, Unraveled, an antisocial fabric mask; woven, layered and stitched, linen and rayon, 6” h x 7” w

This mask is inspired by a commentator who said that our chaotic national response to Covid is “unraveling our social fabric. “ One could also say that the fault lines of our culture are now unmasked for all to see – even as our citizenry is directed to “mask up.” Unraveled is cobbled together from pieces of handwoven textile, folded and stitched haphazardly, with threads in disarray. And it doesn’t fit well - not much protection would be gained from this mask.

Lydia Tjioe Hall, Face Mask No. 1

and Sneeze

Peggy Wiedemann

Upcoming Project and Works in Progress

While many of our shows are canceled or postponed, most of us are still making work. California Fibers’ members recently met (via video, of course, the new reality), and enjoyed seeing each others’ faces, but also came up with an idea for a group show, online, responding to what is surrounding us. Member Lydia Tjioe-Hall suggested we all work within our personal medium to create something mask-like that was a response to our new reality, whether it's what it feels like to wear a mask, or to NEED to wear a mask, or about the changes in our daily routines due to COVID-19 and Shelter-in-Place orders.

Member Debby Weiss has been making masks and using her leftovers to create art pieces. She has made over 600 masks from scrap fabric.

The piece below is made of scraps from her mask-making activities.

Member Michael F. Rohde has made work related to masks in the past. The piece below is Asora, from a photo he took in Papua New Guinea, during festival time. The Asora group creates masks constructed of mud that cover their entire head. They are often called Mud Men. Rohde comments that this might be the best way to go to the grocery store at the moment.

He has been weaving some large pieces lately from photos of walls he took last Fall in Oaxaca, Mexico. The current tapestry needed 165 colors, all dyed by Rohde himself.

Member Kathy Nida is currently working on a large COVID-19 quilt, as she processes the overwhelming input of virus-related news and manages online teaching. She has finished the drawing and tracing stages, seen here.

And is now spending hours cutting out fusible pattern pieces for the next stage, the fun one with all the fabric and colors.

Stay tuned for more work in progress and updates on the online mask exhibit.