Women's Work: New Takes on Textile Art

July 8 - September 5, 2021

Featuring female artists from around the country working in a variety of mediums, Women’s Work showcases the often under appreciated art of textiles that have traditionally been belittled as “women’s work.” By reclaiming the medium, the female artists in this show subvert its history as a lesser art form and transform it into a tool of self-expression and protest.

The Oxford Dictionary defines “Women’s Work” as “work traditionally and historically undertaken by women, especially tasks of a domestic nature such as cooking, needlework, and child-rearing.” Through a thoughtful interrogation of this phrase, textile art becomes malleable in the boundary-breaking hands of these artists. By utilizing marginalized modes of artistic production, the artists reclaim a visual language that is typically coded as feminine or domestic to spread a message of rebellion, thus regaining the power that was lost once it was designated as “women’s work” - a term that denies its right to be taken seriously.

Focusing on experimentation rather than conventional craft practices, these female artists push beyond tradition with innovative and unexpected approaches. As self-conscious commentaries on the tradition of “Women’s Work,” the artworks expand beyond domestic duties or idle pastimes and make it painfully clear that they have resonance far beyond the confines of the home and belong on gallery walls.

Featured Artists: Morgan Bukovec (Mentor, OH); Griffin Carrick (Fayetteville, NC); Jodi Colella (Somerville, MA); Merill Comeau (Concord, MA); Hannah Ehrlich (Atlanta, GA); Amber Jensen (Minneapolis, MN); Jess Jones (Atlanta, GA); Brooke LeVine (Woodstock, GA); Carmen Mardonez (Los Angeles, CA); Jocelyn Mathewes (Johnson City, TN); Andrea Myers (Columbus, OH); Casey Neumann (New York, NY); Michelle Berg Radford (Taylors, SC); Catherine Reinhart (Ames, IA); Kathy Sirico (New York, NY); Athena Tasiopoulos (Barre, VT); Hanna Washburn (Beacon, NY); Jessica Kitzman (Minneapolis, MN)


PRESS:

"Women's Work at the Reeves House," Cherokee Tribune & Ledger News, July 14, 2021

"Reeves House Opens New Women's Work Exhibit," Marietta Daily Journal, July 14, 2021

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING:

  • Family Day: Macrame
  • Family Day: Bookbinding
  • Family Day: Weaving
  • Family Day: Sewing
  • Tie-in Talk: "La Pola: The Seamstress Spy of Bogota" with Historian Suzanne Litrel
  • Tie-in Talk: "Upcycling Textiles and Supporting Women" with Director of non-profit re:loom
  • Tie-in Talk: "Survivor's Ink: Empowering Survivors of Human Trafficking" 
  • Tie-in Talk: "Curating Confidence: The Power of Personal Style"
  • Tie-in Talk: "Mentoring Female Entrepreneurs"
  • Pop-up Exhibit: "Family Quilt Day"
  • Local Artist Showcase
  • Paint on the Patio
  • Library Storytime