Katonah Museum of Art’s “Wall to Wall” Explores Contemporary Art With Carpets
Katonah Museum of Art (KMA)’s Wall to Wall: Carpets by Artists exhibition examines the advancement of contemporary art practices through one of history’s most ancient mediums: the artist carpet. The exhibition, on view through October 1, features seventeen international artists who demonstrate how and why the carpet continues to be a prominent medium in today’s art realm. Although the carpet is occasionally viewed as an artless item of décor, for present artists it is a source of inspiration because of its illuminating creative components, from color and material to composition and production. The wide range of carpets, organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and curator Dr. Cornelia Lauf, are hung like paintings on the walls and subtly reveal the collaboration between art, culture, manufacturing and geopolitics. These interwoven relationships expose developments in traditional artisanal techniques throughout the world.
In conjunction with the exhibition, KMA will offer a series of events that will provide guests with an in-depth look at Wall to Wall and its exhibiting artists. Through October 1, visitors are invited to the KMA’s learning center for a hands-on weaving workshop, where they will contribute to a large weaving installation. Artist Lindsay Carone’s “Twisting Textiles” workshop will instruct participants on how to combine recycled materials and diverse craft techniques to create textured artworks (September 17). Petra Singh, founder of the New York-based rug company Equator Productions, will lead a gallery talk on the carpet-making process and the exhibiting works in Wall to Wall that were produced by her company (September 9). “Stroller Tours” and “Senior Socials” will take families and seniors on exclusive tours led by expert docents (September 15). Audiences can also join KMA’s “Picture and Prose Book Club” for a curator-led tour of Wall to Wall and a discussion on Marta Morazzoni’s novel The Invention of Truth, a story about 300 women who embroidered the 11th century textile masterpiece, The Bayeux Tapestry (September 18). For more info, visit: katonahmuseum.org.
Photo caption: The Path from Shallow Love to Deeper Love by Ken Lum, 2015, wool, 118 x 79 inches. (photo courtesy of the artist, Equator Productions, and GoldenRuler // photo credit: Jerry Birchfield). (c) MOCA Cleveland 2016
A version of this article first appeared in the September 2017 issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.
