Fiber Art

Fiber art is an ancient and traditional art form that has been practiced on a global scale. During the 1960s and 1970s, it witnessed a resurgence of interest in the United States. American artists began exploring different techniques such as weaving, knotting, coiling, pleating, and interlacing. During this time, the women’s movement was also gathering momentum, and activists began commemorating the prominent—but largely anonymous—role women played in producing textile art in the past. It is not surprising that many of the celebrated fiber artists then and now have been women, and this is reflected in the collection of works gathered here.

The fiber sculpture of Gyongy Laky and Janet Kuemmerlein and the tapestries of Annette Kaplan, Marcel Breuer, Jack Youngerman, and Jan Yoors belong to this first wave of fiber contemporary art in the United States. More recent works similarly highlight the materiality and labor of fiber creations, but some artists also examine the conceptual and political possibilities of the art form. Jean Shin’s Dress Code combines swatches of donated fabric from the clothing of naturalized citizens and members of the military to emphasize the contributions of immigrants to America and the sacrifices of veterans who protect citizenship rights for all. In the lobby of the Ronald H. Brown U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York City, Anna Valentina Murch designed a tapestry, Reflections of Landscape, to remind viewers that “nature is not divided by the imaginary lines of nations.” The soft greens and blues of her cotton and wool weave imply nature’s fluidity and disregard for boundaries. Through its quiet insistence, the artwork argues that nations must work together to protect and share these precious natural resources. Fiber artists continue to probe the limitations and possibilities of these tactile and pliable materials, and the works below demonstrate how fiber art remains a growing and dynamic art form.