Mirage - vertical quilted striped wall hanging

Mirage 55″ x 32″ Cindy Grisdela

I’m pleased to announce that my “Mirage” wall hanging has been chosen to be part of an exhibit under the Art in Embassies program run by the US State Department!

The exhibit will be mounted in the public rooms of the residence of the US Ambassador to Timor Leste in Indonesia, and will run for approximately 2 1/2 years while that ambassador is in residence there. The focus of the exhibit is American fiber art and will include a variety of pieces by US artists. According to the exhibit curator, fiber plays an important role in the culture of Timor Leste, or East Timor, and this exhibit will provide an opportunity to share American textiles there.

I’m excited to be part of this program and to have the opportunity to share my work.

“Mirage” is part of a series I created that explores color interactions using batik fabrics. Many batiks are made in Indonesia, and the name “batik” refers to the process of dying fabric using wax as a repellent. Once the initial color is added to the fabric, the wax is dissolved and may be replaced in a different area to create another pattern or design with another color. The fabrics created in this way often have strong, vibrant colors, which I enjoy working with to create graphic abstract designs. “Mirage” was created with irregular strips of batik fabrics in warm autumn colors. I sewed the strips into sets, then cut the sets into triangles and resewed them in an offset composition. I was intrigued by the way the colors seemed to shift, appearing and reappearing depending on their relative positions–that’s how I came up with the name.

The Art in Embassies program has been in existence since 1963, and currently oversees 200 venues in 189 countries. Click on this link to read more about this exciting program. The exhibit my work is in will be installed in the spring of 2015.

 

 

1 Comment

  1. Dorry on December 30, 2014 at 8:59 pm

    This is very exciting news from you Cindy. Congratulations!