Why is fiber your medium of choice?
Nancy Tobin: I have been drawn to handmade textiles since childhood and have been collecting and selling vintage for the past 25 years in my boutique. The aged garments are imbued with an energy that communicates much about their maker. The ability to translate my own story into soft materials is a natural extension of my passion.
Sooo-z Mastropietro: Knit fabric Pont de Roma or double knits.
Barbara Ringer: It’s not usually; but I’ll utilize any and all materials available to me to create the end result.
Kim Moore: I use different mediums depending on the project. Fiber infuses a different meaning than does oil paint or ceramics. It truly depends on the ideas and thoughts I am working on.
Aida Tejada: Fiber's flexibility, texture, and historical depth make it an exciting, boundary-pushing medium for art. Additionally, I work exclusively with reclaimed fabric as a response to our society's overconsumption.
“Old Cooter Energy is the windshield wiper for a female, youth-obsessed culture.”
— Nancy Tobin
What was your introduction to fiber art?
NT: My world shifted in college when I saw Joseph Beuys' The Pack. His felt rolls validated my impulse to use textiles that, up to that point, had only been discouraged as being too feminine and second-rate.
SM: I began sewing at age 7 and integrated garment construction with the manipulation of fabric.
BR: The challenge of creating 3D work for CAMP gallery’s open calls.
KM: I do not remember when I learned to sew. I know in early elementary I was already doing needle point. I sewed my first dresses with patterns when I was 8. In 4th grade, I learned to knit from my friend's mom, and at some point, I picked up crochet, but I don't remember who taught me. It was most likely my paternal grandmother; I remember crocheting thick mittens in 3rd grade (no pattern). Mrs. McCauley from next door helped with both knitting and crochet. In middle and high school, I sewed my own clothes, knitted many sweaters, made a quilt, had a loom. I began painting on silk after my 2 year old painted the rental apartment walls with my oil paints. Fiber arts are easy to pick up when little ones are napping, and put down when they are not. Looking back, I think all my fiber art teachers were women.
AT: I’ve been working with fiber since I was 7 years old. Embroidery and crochet were the only two activities offered at my school in the Dominican Republic. For thirteen years, it was the only "craft class" I had.
Who inspires you?
BR: Gloria Steinem – young and old.
KM: People who are determined to make the world better.
AT: Louise Bourgeois, Ibrahim Mahama, Sonia Gomes, Renato Dib.
“ The subtlety of temptation has more power than the force of brutality. ”
— Sooo-z Mastropietro
What was your reaction to this year’s call for submissions? Can you elaborate on why?
NT: I always answer the call to a matriarchal society, which begins with giving women equal space in which women are the subject and not the object. You can make me the object only after you have made me the subject. Wink
SM: The subtlety of temptation has more power than the force of brutality. I work with women during a special time, birth. It is a time of vulnerability and empowerment. A woman can control her environment, process, and decisions which ultimately affects her outcome. Birth, originating from a place of desire, yields a pretty significant outcome -this is true power.
BR: At first I was stymied, not sure what I thought of the play, or who I could really say inspired me throughout my life, outside of certain phases. When I thought of Gloria Steinem, I realized she has been an icon, an activist, and a role model I’ve been aware of my entire life. It was easy after that.
KM: I was really interested in this call because Lysistrata was required reading for Freshman seminar at Bard College, so I was already familiar with the story. I then watched Chi-rac because I'd never seen it before. Leymah Gbowee was mentioned in the movie, so I looked her up on Wikipedia. Then I got her autobiography from the library, and started reading it. She mentioned that she'd been inspired by "The Politics of Jesus" so naturally, I went on Thriftbooks and got a copy.
AT: I was excited by the idea of responding to a theater piece, especially one that feels so contemporary. It offers many aspects that can serve as inspiration.
Tell us about your piece for We Got the Power, and what it means to you.
SM: "Sheath Shifter" captures the cleverness of a woman as she steers a situation to fulfill her own satisfaction and serve punitive ramifications towards her counterpart. A woman has more control with a gesture of refusal over a hoard of determined sex-seeking men. Brute force does not equal progress.
BR: Reading up on Steinem I started to see her as my own personal goddess: she met challenge after challenge with resilience, determination, and empathy. I recall collecting slogan buttons as a kid – it somehow made me feel connected to people, to a point of view. For this piece, finding protest buttons about women was both exciting and sobering: same issues, same fights. Lots of progress, lots of resistance.
KM: The women have linked arms, blocking the men from leaving, forcing them to sign a peace agreement. The women had little power, but by joining together, their strength was magnified. In the image, they are unstoppable, and impenetrable, they have joined as one body.
AT: This time, I decided to push the boundaries of fiber by combining reclaimed jute coffee sacks with biotextile. The biotextile is a blend of coffee grounds, orange peels, and gelatin, resembling leather. This intentional choice allows the materials to speak for themselves, reflecting the theme of otherness. They represent the underrepresented and often invisible women who work tirelessly every day to sustain their family, and the consumerist comfort.
“For this piece, finding protest buttons about women was both exciting and sobering: same issues, same fights. Lots of progress, lots of resistance. ”
— Barbara Ringer
What does your piece respond to, both in the context of the play and in society?
SM: The female character is blocking the advances of men as punishment for their fighting. Through her action, she is denying them the one thing they desire second to battle. In reality, we are all driven by reward. People's actions can be manipulated by potential outcomes.
BR: Gloria Steinem was a leader at the forefront of the 20th century feminist movement. Lysistrata also called on women to unite and effect change. “Women have two choices: Either she’s a feminist or a masochist.”
KM: The women of WIPNET had attempted a sex strike, but it was not really successful. I'd imagine it could only work in a society where men and women had equal rights. It did succeed in getting press attention. However, it was with the women's refusal to give up that peace was achieved.
AT: Today, many groups of women around the world no longer need to organize massive strikes to bring about societal change. Even though they often remain invisible, there exists a tacit agreement among them, passed down from generation to generation.
In this piece, I have chosen to honor the women involved in coffee production. They are the primary workers in harvesting and other crucial stages of production, while also managing the education of children and taking on the full burden of household chores. To me, they are superwomen. Their labor sustains not only their families but entire communities.
Kim Moore. Leymah Gbowee and the Women of WIPNET, 2024. Cotton fabric, thread, embroidery floss, interfacing. 12 x 24 inches. Available via Artsy. Dr. R. Tells the Choruses A Truth, 2024. Cotton fabric, thread, embroidery floss, interfacing. 12 x 24 inches. Available via Artsy.
How do you hope viewers will respond to your piece?
SM: "Sheath Shifter" plainly demonstrates in bas relief through my medium, the female form on the left gracefully blocking her vaginal opening to the pile of penises raging toward her. The piece shows layers, action, and emotion.
BR: I would love viewers to become curious and learn about Gloria – to be inspired by what she accomplished and how she’s lived her life.
KM: I hope they will see that strength and numbers and a will to succeed bring success. I hope they will also vote accordingly.
AT: I hope the viewer will observe and touch the materials while appreciating the powerful symbolism that emerges from the imagery.
“ We are half the world. We can stand up to tyranny and make the world a better place for everyone. ”
— Kim Moore
Do you believe that women do have the power to effect change? How?
SM: Absolutely, and we're doing it every day. Change lies within the space between the ears, not the space between the legs.
BR: Gloria Steinem said, “The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day; a movement is only people moving.” and “When unique voices are united in a common cause, they make history.”
KM: Yes. It has happened over and over. We are half the world. We can stand up to tyranny and make the world a better place for everyone.
AT: Women have an incredible power to everyday affect their surroundings and produce positive effects in society. They have always been powerful. They are responsible to educate and empower the next generation. They have the power to produce changes without the need to take firearms. Women have the super power of resilience, compassion, and peace.
