Suzy Farren Interview

chandler@artstlouis.org (Art Saint Louis) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:45:36 +0000

Art Saint Louis member Suzy Farren discusses her experience and inspiration as an artist working with mixed media.
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Interview with artist David Brackett

chandler@artstlouis.org (Art Saint Louis) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:27:05 +0000

Art Saint Louis Fall 2011 volunteer Janna Añonuevo Langholz spent some of her time at Art Saint Louis interviewing several of the artists featured in our recent “Fiber Focus 2011” exhibition.   Her final interview is with David Brackett, a weaver & tapestry artist based in Lawrence, Kansas where he works as Associate Professor of Textiles in the School of Art at University of Kansas. David earned his MFA in textiles, with honors, from the University of Kansas (1990). He attended the University of Michigan (1979-1985) and studied weaving, fabric design and art history and he also holds a Bachelor in Zoology from University of Michigan (1977). David’s award-winning work has been exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the U.S. and Japan. In addition to two of his pieces being juried by Lia Cook for this year’s “Fiber Focus 2011” at Art Saint Louis, David’s work was previously exhibited at ASL in “Fiber Focus 2005” and “New Works/Nine States” (2006).  

David Brackett. Left Bend, Right Hook (detail). 2009. Cotton, Mill-Woven Original Jacquard Designs, Pieced, Machine Stitched, 62”x71”.

Janna: I read that before you began working with textiles, you received a bachelor’s degree in zoology. How did you make the transition from science to art and how does your background influence your work?

David: I took art courses while earning my bachelor’s degree. I began in Ceramics and worked for the Michigan Artrain after college, where I demonstrated pottery production to school groups around the state. I returned to school later and took a course in Weaving and Fabric Design. After working with dyes, I abandoned my ceramics studio, bought a loom, and returned to school – eventually earning my master’s degree in Textiles.

Janna: When did you begin working with Jacquard weaving?

David: I began teaching at University of Kansas in 2001. We had access to JaqCAD Master, a software package that allows for digital images to be converted into weave structures for jacquard looms. I had training for this software in North Carolina and have had designs woven at several mills over the last ten years.

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Suzy Farren Interview

Interview with artist David Brackett