fiberart – Page 2 – FiberArts Guild of Pittsburgh

Interview with Marie Bergstedt

June 30, 2021

With Fiberart International 2022 coming up we wanted to check on artists who participated in previous exhibitions, see what they are up to now and how participating in the exhibition impacted them. If you are a previous Fiberart International participant and would like to update the community on the happenings in your life, please contact Katie Bulova at bulovakatie@gmail.com

Written by Katie Bulova

Marie Bergstedt is a textile artist living in San Francisco. She works primarily in pictorial narratives sculpted with textiles. Her works tell stories, such as family history, family mystery, and the struggle of her community. Exploring relationships and memories are the key to her work. She uses haberdashery, such as buttons and yarn, to capture the spirit of street musicians and joyful dancers, as well as those pondering serious issues. She is a two-time participant in Fiberart International and has exhibited her works throughout the world.

My work is…….

June 21, 2018May 23, 2018

As fiber artists complete their entry forms for Fiberart International 2019 there is always that blank to fill out for an “Artist Statement.” For some it’s an easy assignment. For others it poses a real challenge. So here is a sample of opening phrases gleaned from catalogs for previous Internationals.

My work is a response to——–

Joanna Donchatz – FI13 artist

My work is a response to my family history and homeplace of Appalachia. The weavings are composed like collages from photographs, text, documents, drawings, and maps. My grandfather’s coal mining experience led me to reflect on its impact. The fractal-like image of the lung is a symbol of his illness and references veins, fingerprints, streams, trees, roots, mountain ranges, cracks, faults, and fractures. They map the destruction both of the landscape and of my grandfather’s health. The traditional quilt motif is an important reoccurring element as a metaphor for the landscape of Appalachia, comfort, and family.

Down Fiberart International Memory Lane

March 28, 2018

One of our long-time members was doing some deep housecleaning recently and came upon a Fiberart International treasure trove from the past—a 20^th century prospectus, invitation, catalog, and review. I was delighted to get my hands on these juicy historical treats. They conjure lost memories and significant milestones in Fiberart International’s history.

Focus On: Beading, one stitch at a time

March 12, 2018August 28, 2015

Welcome to the last entry in our August, 2015 blog series celebrating the final days to enter your artwork for consideration into FI2016! We’re highlighting different artist’s interpretations of fiber art that we’ve loved seeing in past Internationals.

According to textile scholar Elizabeth Wayland Barber (Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years), some of the very oldest evidences of fiber we know about are the strings and sinews that were used to link pieces of bone and stone together: the very first beads.

Textile artists have come a long way from stringing shells together. We’ve developed embroidering, weaving, looming, stitching: all ways of bringing thousands of glittering separate pieces together to create a work of art. Flat or sculptural, as an ornament for fabric or as a dense, shimmering fabric of its own, beadwork is a significant part of the fiberart tradition.