Schiaparelli + Cocteau Embroidery Collaboration

Flipping through a book of Elsa Schiaparelli's work at Assouline, I was thrilled to come across this embroidery collaboration with Jean Cocteau. This wasn't their only collaborative work together, and Schiaparelli was known for working closely with the surrealists.

I think the most surreal thing I discovered while writing this blog post was that Elsa Schiaparelli was once the mystery guest on "What's My Line":

Sherri Wood's Prayer Banners

Several years ago, I blogged about Sherri Wood's Tattoo Baby Doll project over on Sublime Stitching. I was thrilled to get an email from her just the other day, letting me know what she's been up to since then. She's launched a new blog, DaintyTime, and also let me know about this ongoing project called "Prayer Banner". About this work:

Prayer Banner: REPENT/MERCY/GLORY is a communal mourning project concerning the war in Iraq.


The names of American and Allied soldiers and Iraqi civilians who have died in the war are hand stitched on coffin shaped fragments of red clothing and appliquéd onto a blue blanket to spell the word REPENT. There are two more banners currently in progress, MERCY and GLORY.

Made by members of faith and social justice communities at churches, in homes, art galleries, schools and sites of protest. The banner serves as a civic vehicle for communal mourning. Each stitch is made as an act of prayer and petition for personal and social change.

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Jim Woodring Collaboration

It has been nearly impossible for me to find the time to do any of my embroidery artwork. I have numerous unfinished pieces lingering around. The demands of Sublime Stitching have been huge this past year. But I'm so inspired and ready to return to works like this, my collaboration with Jim Woodring (who's newest book, Weathercraft, just came out).

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Uncommon Project

This piece, "Dirty Face, Crowning Glory" is part of Uncommon Project's "Artist Series" line of user-modifiable, licensed artwork for mobile device cases. This has been the most popular work of mine with them, so I thought you might like it, too.

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Fine Cell Work - UK Prison Needlework Program for Inmates

As I mentioned in my earlier post, former inmate and legendary embroiderer, Ray Materson told me about the UK's Fine Cell Work charity program for inmates. They are employed as needleworkers, often outsourcing their skills to high-end designers and interior decorators. Some inmates spend as much as 40 hours a week stitching. Gone are the days when I used to stitch up to five hours a day...It reminds me of the solitude and freedom from distractions that this kind of work requires.

From their website:

Fine Cell Work is a social enterprise that teaches needlework to prison inmates and sells their products. The prisoners do the work when they are locked in their cells, and the earnings give them hope, skills and independence.

Our mission is to rehabilitate prisoners by giving them the opportunity to earn and save money and the chance to reflect on and rebuild their lives through craft and achievement. Prisoners do Fine Cell Work for an average of 3 years: the benefits can therefore be profound.

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Work Space & Art Work

(click to view larger)

I'm participating in an art show at Domy Books, Austin tonight: photos of artists' work spaces and brief talks about our day jobs and getting by as independent artists. For me, that would be with my company, Sublime Stitching. I will be giving a brief talk after 8pm and photos of my various, hectic workspaces will be included in the show.

WIP - Woodring Update

Amazingly, I found a little corner of time last night to sit down and slowly continue progress on my Jim Woodring collab.

Shelia Pepe Collab - Part 2

Thanks to all of those who attended my talk on Sunday at Testsite. The above video is of us as we knit and made objects from the installation. You can see me embroidering on the knitting I did about two minutes in. It was really interesting to see the web of Sheila's work further dismantled and re-incarnated into other objects. I couldn't help doing more knitting myself after last Sunday and made this necklace:



I think I'm going to add clear sequins to it here and there...Grateful appreciation to Shelia Pepe and the folks at Testsite for inviting me to speak and participate.

Shela Pepe Collab / Jenny Hart Talk: Testsite

Why do I have a craft project on Embroidery As Art? Well, this wristlet is the result of a collaboration with Brooklyn-based artist Shelia Pepe who currently has work on display at Testsite with Elizabeth Dunbar. Shelia's crochet takes on enormous scale and creates a mind-blowing web of needlework. Shelia wants viewers of this show to participate by pulling apart the artwork (how often do you get to do that?) and making something functional from it. So, last Sunday during gallery hours, my dear friend Jessica Vitkus (author: Alternacrafts and creator of these hilarious Craft the Vote projects on Slate) and I hung out, knit (yes, I knit something -but I also embroidered on it!) and chatted under the helpful eye of Toby from Hill Country Weavers.

(image via Brooklyn Museum of Art)

Shelia and the curators at Testsite invited me to give a talk this coming Sunday at noon on the lessening divide between art and craft. Please come and take part in the discussion.

Jenny Hart discussion "Forming the Function: The Role of Functional Media As Art" @ Testsite, Austin, TX Sunday 6/14 1-2pm.

Gary Baseman Chou Altar

(photo via Supertouch)

Oh, how I wish I could have torn myself away and attended the opening of Gary Baseman's solo show in L.A. to worship at the Enlightened Chou altar! Thank goodness there are photos of it. (Thanks Rzl for the tip.)

(photo via Supertouch)

There it is! In the black frame in the lower right hand corner. Yay. Super happy and excited about this collab. You can see details of my embroidered version of Gary's Enlightened Chou on flickr. If you're in LA, Gary's show will be hanging at Corey Helford Gallery through the end of May (Coop's show opens May 29th).

Gary Baseman Collab Complete

Gary Baseman's solo show opens at Corey Helford gallery this weekend, and my piece is finished! Gary asked me to embroider a version of his "Enlightened Chou" as part of an altar surrounding his four-foot version.

"Enlightened Chou" -detail of "creamy goodness" sprouting from his belly.

This is hand embroidery and black sequins on patterned fabric. I wish I could be there to pray at the altar of Gary Baseman this weekend. Thanks, Gary!

Corey Helford Gallery L.A. / Gary Baseman
opening Saturday, May 2nd 2009

Gary Baseman Collab

Gary Baseman invited me to contribute a piece to his upcoming show at Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles. He's building an altar around a four-foot version of his bear-like ChouChou character who has now become Enlightened Chou, spouting creamy goodness from his bellybutton. Here's a sneak peek at my contribution to the altar. More details to come.

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Tiny Jiva

I've made some more progress on the collaboration with Jim Woodring. Here is the tiniest Jiva yet.

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Jim Woodring Collaboration

I've begun a collaboration with comic art genius Jim Woodring, embroidering jivas from Frank.

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