Sheila Hicks: Weaving as Metaphor

About this book

This intriguing book examines the small woven and wrought works artist Sheila Hicks has produced for the past fifty years. With their distinctive colors thoughtful compositions and narrative these miniature creations reveal the emergence and continuity of the artists approach to her work. Internationally recognized for her mastery of a textile vocabulary of extremely different scalessculpture tapestry site specific commissions for public spaces environments of recuperated clothing and uniforms and moreHicks has thoughtfully crafted miniatures throughout her nomadic career. The palm-sized works present a record of her remarkable and personal journeys. Focusing on some one hundred miniatures from public and private collections the book demonstrates the breadth of Hickss concerns: her persistent inquiry into the mysteries of color her playful yet reverential subversions of weaving traditions her surprising range of materials and her exploration of new technology. From initial experiments based on pre-Columbian weaving structures to a 2005 sculptural project using ninety colors of synthetic filaments these small works offer a unique opportunity to access and examine the artists conceptual and technical forays. The volume includes informative essays by Arthur C. Danto Joan Simon and Nina Stritzler-Levine as well as illustrations of the artists working tools related drawings photographs and chronology. Published in association with the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts Design and Culture Exhibition Schedule: Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts Design and Culture (July 13 October 8 2006)