African American Fiber Art Exhibition

16th Annual Exhibition Sister Girl Friends (and Brothers, Too)

colorful fiber art with two women's faces and African patterns

Location

North Charleston City Hall, 1st & 2nd floors
2500 City Hall Lane
North Charleston, SC 29406
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Viewing times:
May 3-June 18, 2023; 8:00am-7:00pm daily

Lecture & Exhibition Tour:
Thursday, May 4, 2023, Noon-2pm

Public Reception:
Thursday, May 4, 2023, 5-7pm

Description

African American fiber artists from across the nation are invited to participate in the 16th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition Sister Girl Friends (and Brothers, too), a component of the 2023 North Charleston Arts Fest.

Curator: Torreah “Cookie” Washington

Inspired by the Isadora James quote,“A sister friend is a gift to the heart, a friend to thespirit, a golden thread to the meaning a life,”this year’s theme looks to celebrate friendships between sisters (and brothers, too), both familialand those chosen along the way. The challenge forthis year’s exhibit is for artists to create a fiber artpiece that explores the special bond between sister girlfriends and the strength that can be drawn from these cherished relationships. Sister girlfriendssupport, defend, encourage, trust, and advocatefor one another. They show up in every way.

“It means everything to be able to have support and hopefully be open enough to talk about things that another sister has gone through so that she can help me out. I think it’s all about trusting. If you can trust a sister friend to be open and speak your truth, she can possibly come right back to you with something that can help you through the scenario. Sister friends have ‘sweet, crazy conversations full of half sentences, daydreams and misunderstandings more thrilling than understanding could ever be.’” Toni Morrison

“Honor the friendships that allow you to pick up from where you last left off, regardless of how long it’s been since you connected. The friendships thatsurvive hiatuses, silences, and space. Those are the connections that never die.” – Billy Chapata
Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique opportunity offers African American fiber artists a showcase to exhibit their original and innovative designs. Following the close of the exhibition, up to 20 works will be selected to tour the state of South Carolina through the SC State Museum’s 2023/2024 Traveling Exhibitions Program.

How to Enter

This exhibition opportunity is open to African American artists residing in the United States,ages 18 and older, working in the medium of fiber.The $30 entry fee allows artists to submit up to four entries. Two entries per artist may be selected by the curator. Artwork DOES NOT have to be complete at time of entry. Artists may enter works in progress. Dimensions of hanging piece(s) must be NO LESS than 25” and NO MORE than 40″ wide. Dolls and other works meant to be displayed on a pedestal may not exceed 18”x18”x18”. THE ENTRY PERIOD FOR THIS EXHIBITION IS NOW CLOSED (Deadline: March 13, 2023).

15th Annual Exhibition From Chaos to Beloved Community: Envisioning Social Justice

colorful quilted artwork with five figures arm in arm

Location

North Charleston City Hall, 1st & 2nd floors
2500 City Hall Lane
North Charleston, SC 29406
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Viewing times:
May 4-June 17, 2022; 8:00am-7:00pm daily

Lecture & Exhibition Tour:
Thursday, May 5, 2022, Noon-2pm

Public Reception:
Thursday, May 5, 2022, 5-8pm

Description

This annual juried exhibition features works in fiber created by 25 African American artists from 11 states. The challenge for the 15th installment of the exhibit was for artists tocreate fiber art pieces that show what an inclusive future looks like; pieces that envision a society free fromthe bondage of oppression—both physical and social. True Social Justice imagines a future void of racist and bigoted thought and the structures that violently oppress minorities and marginalized communities.Featured works visualize a future where better conditions exist for all generations of people through the use of technology, art, literature, and more. When a narrative is embedded with those visuals it takes on amore powerful connective tissue. THAT is full social justice. Curated by award-winning and nationally exhibiting textile artist, Torreah “Cookie” Washington, this unique exhibition offers African Americanfiber artists an opportunity to showcase their original and innovative designs executed in a variety oftraditional and non-traditional fiber techniques. 

Following the close of the show, up to 20 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2022/2023 Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across SC may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the artists.

About the Curator

We are pleased to welcome back Torreah “Cookie” Washington as the curator for this annual exhibition. Cookie is an award-winning master art quilter and curator. She was born in Rabat, Morocco, and has traveled extensively, creating with textiles for more than a quarter of a century. A fourth generation textile artist, Cookie’s mother, grandmother, and great grandmother were all experienced quilters, fashion designers, and master tailors. Cookie has lived in the South Carolina Lowcountry  for 30 years and is excited by the now thriving arts community. Her current passion is fiber art muralism that celebrates the Divine Feminine and the contributions of her African ancestral heritage.

2022 Participating Artists

  • Alita Aldridge (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Linda Asbury (Stone Mountain, GA)
  • Carolyn Brackat (Conway, SC)
  • Lenora Brown (North Charleston, SC)
  • Ora Clay (Oakland, CA)
  • Andrea Monilola Curtis-Foster (Columbia, SC)
  • Gabrielle Fitzgerald (Savannah, GA)
  • Renee Fleuranges-Valdes (North Charleston, SC)
  • Teri Green (Fairfield, CA)
  • Marilyn Hamilton Jackson (Springfield, NY)
  • Janette Holland (Stafford, VA)
  • Terri M. Jenkins (Cayce, SC)
  • Patricia J. Kelly (Lemon Grove, CA)
  • Aisha Lumumba (Atlanta, GA)
  • Linda F. Martin (Hartford, CT)
  • Veronica Mays (Portsmouth, RI)
  • Tanya Montegut (Virginia Beach, VA)
  • Joyce Morrow Jones (Cleveland, OH)
  • Evelyn Oliver Knight (Waterbury, CT)
  • Michelle Sillimon (Richmond, TX)
  • Lillie Singleton (Walterboro, SC)
  • Gwen Triay Samuels (Albuquerque, NM)
  • Rosalind Spann (Waterbury, CT)
  • Torreah “Cookie” Washington (Goose Creek, SC)
  • Tony Williams (Cleveland, OH)
  • Portia York (Charlotte, NC)