Hou Guan Ting. Cycle I, 2024. Cotton, embroidery, pigment, ink. 12 x 24 inches. Available via Artsy. Cycle II, 2024. Cotton, embroidery, pigment, ink. 12 x 24 inches. Available via Artsy.
Why is fiber your medium of choice?
Fiber carries a deep sense of tradition and connection for me. It’s a medium that reflects the labor, care, and intimacy passed down through generations of women. The tactile nature of working with fabric and thread allows me to engage in a process that feels both meditative and deeply rooted in my family’s legacy. Each stitch becomes a thread that connects me to those who came before me, and through it, I’m honoring an art form that has historically been undervalued.
“A relationship never has a definitive extreme point; instead, it continues in a state of balance, enduring and flowing through time. ”
— Hou Guan Ting
What was your introduction to fiber art?
HGT: From a fabric class I took in university to now, I have been creating with fiber.
EQ: I was introduced to fiber art as a child. My mom bought me a child's sized sewing machine and I would create quilts just like she did. I was accustomed to fiber art as a method for women to create something both beautiful and useful for the home.
ND: My mom would sew our clothes when we were little. I have memories of unfolding and refolding sewing packets with her and the hum of her sewing machine. I always dabbled a little because of her and the passing of her expertise but the apron was my first true introduction to fiber.
LJ: While in my undergrad at the Cooper Union, I specialized in printmaking, investigating the diffusion of images in women’s print media and how this affects the understanding of what being a “woman” entails. Working from collages and found images, I felt more and more constricted by the confines of paper and the rigidity of the material.
While exploring new ways to express these themes, I realized that fiber was a dynamic medium that offered a more tactile and fluid response to my narratives. Textiles, with their inherent softness and flexibility, allowed me to break free from the flatness of paper and engage with material in a way that felt more layered and dimensional—much like the complexities of the identities that I was investigating.
Fiber art not only connected me with the domestic and traditionally feminine realms I was already exploring, but it also opened up new avenues for experimentation. I could integrate stitching, layering, and textures to create works that felt more embodied and alive, deeply resonating with the themes of womanhood and cultural identity I had been working through in printmaking.
Who inspires you?
HGT: Some unnoticed details by the roadside.
EQ: I take inspiration from Miriam Schapiro who, along with Judy Chicago, created "Woman House" in a California college in 1972 to talk about women and the home. I hope my work also helps to spur on new movements with women's art.
ND: I draw inspiration from a variety of women in my life who have all faced their own adversity in very different eras to include my mother, mother-in-law, my daughter, girl friends, and my sister. The vast differences in each woman always pull at me, each with their own hardships and challenges, but at the end of the day, no matter when we "were" we all have some adversities in common. It's a testament to how much time has changed but also how much it truly has not.
LJ: The women who surround me in my daily life inspire me. Throughout my work, I weave our personal stories to create characters that represent the ensemble of our narratives. These women—whether family, friends, or even strangers I’ve crossed paths with—embody resilience, creativity, and strength in their own unique ways. Their everyday acts of courage, vulnerability, and perseverance largely shape the way I approach my own life and work. By drawing from their experiences, I aim to reflect the diversity of women’s lives in my work, capturing the beauty of the collective strength we hold.
“ In telling not only historic but personal stories, we help start this change where all change starts, in the human heart. ”
— Eden Quispe
What was your reaction to this year’s call for submissions? Can you elaborate on why?
HGT: Excited. Last year’s call for submissions left a great impression on me, so I decided to participate this year as well.
EQ: I was excited to be involved and work with women who also are doing what I am doing. I am excited to see the other work on display and work cohesively as a whole to help to give women a powerful voice.
ND: As a female artist, whose art focuses so much on the resilience of the ever changing and evolving female psyche, I was genuinely thrilled to see the call for art with focus on the power of women, specifically uniting to press change. I feel the freeze could have the same impact as other major fiber creatives, uniting and creating awareness, such as the AIDS memorial quilt.
LJ: I was honored to be asked to participate in this year’s call for submissions. For the most part, I always find textile-centered exhibitions to be feminine-focused spaces charged with political statements from intimate perspectives. This year’s theme resonated with me deeply. From the beginning, I felt inspired to create a piece linking Lysistrata, an ancient text centered around women calling for peace, with contemporary dialogues about violence and conflict. It gave me the opportunity to merge historical and present-day issues, using fiber as a medium to explore these intersections.
Tell us about your piece for We Got the Power, and what it means to you.
HGT: In many seemingly extreme opposing relationships, there are numerous blurred boundaries, much like the Möbius strip. A relationship never has a definitive extreme point; instead, it continues in a state of balance, enduring and flowing through time.
EQ: 1. In “Peace-makers,” three women are holding up Susana Blackwell, who was called in the news a “mail order bride” when she was brutally murdered by her husband. These three women Velma Veloria, Dr. Sutapa Basu, and Emma Catague, worked diligently to bring in legislation that would call her situation what it really was: human trafficking.
2. In “Deaplified” the same three women are depicted within two caryatids on the side of a group of women who all were abused after immigrating to the United States through marriage. These three women Susana Remerata Blackwell, Helen Clemente and Anastasia King were all three abused and two killed at the hands of their husbands who had brought them to the United States in order to take advantage of their weakness as immigrants. It was not until Anastasia King, a Russian woman of lighter complexion, was murdered by her husband, the news went national. In the work, the depiction of King dumps honey on the heads of the voices that were so biased at the time.
3. The work “Millions of Forgotten” is inspired by the first woman cabinet secretary of the United States, Frances Perkins. Perkins fought for rights of immigrant workers in FDR's new deal and was heavily criticized for her stubbornness as “That Perkins Woman.”
ND: "A Woman's Weight" is a deeply personal and evocative piece, rendered on an apron, an everyday object imbued with layers of symbolism. This artwork serves as both a canvas and a metaphor, exploring the multifaceted experiences of women. The apron, traditionally a symbol of domesticity, care, and nurturing, becomes a narrative space where the invisible weights borne by women are made visible. Through mixed media, incorporating textiles, paint, and symbolism, the apron transforms into a tapestry of stories; a testament to resilience, strength, and the often unacknowledged labor of women and the personal struggles that define womanhood.
LJ: The inspiration for textile piece for “Women Pulling at The Threads of Social Discourse” stems from two dialogue exchanges in the play Lysistrata, both being in the scene where the group of women confront the men, disputing back and forth after pouring water over the mens’ heads. The patchwork collage presents the image of a group of 7 strong women confronting the men who oppose their actions of resistance. The number 7 is known to be associated with the Greek deity Athena, a goddess of war and a city protectress.
As the woman from the front of the group pours water on the representative of the male crowd, the water envelopes him like a veil. Visually the liquid acts as a haze, attempting to douse the men with the ideals and vision of the women. Like the Magistrate mocking Lysistrata for her veil, the women have diffused their wisdom and influence, covering the men like a veil.
“The apron, once a uniform of silent service, now speaks of the emotional, physical, and societal burdens that women carry, often silently and invisibly ”
— Nicole Durham
What does your piece respond to, both in the context of the play and in society?
HGT: I respond to the conflict and war between men and women in the play, resembling an eternal cycle where leaning towards either side makes it impossible to continue, much like our society, which never has a correct answer and is constantly changing like flowing water.
EQ: 1. In “Peace-makers,” the three women put Lysistrata's words into action that women do a better job than men at ceasing violence and bringing peace as they “untangle” dark situations and find peace for those in situations of violence...
2. In “Deaplified” I took the words of the old women “Watered, perhaps you'll bloom again” and played with the idea of bees-as-old-women quenching the flame that the media, biased towards white victims, brought. They hoped that it would “bloom again” into something better.
3. In the work “Millions of Forgotten” I tie in burning torches from Lysistrata of the old men to the factory fire that spurred Perkins to alter legislation under FDR’s New Deal. Perkins had a passion for rights of immigrant workers and put into action the first child labor laws. In this work she is the old woman extinguishing the flame of abuse.
ND: "A Woman's Weight" is the current/modern day conflict, struggle and contest; The Agon. Women are still dealing with weights now while unraveling convention. Even in 2024 we're still faced with very core issues and disproportion in gender equality, reproductive rights, workplace discrimination, compounded discrimination for women of color, intersectional feminism, and gender-based violence.
LJ: In the play, the women are gathering water because the men are threatening to burn them. Together, they are united by the presence of water, which in my image is shown as a transparent blue fabric laid underneath their feet. The women figures are detailed with multiple colors of monoprinted fabric while the men’s figures are in shades of grey, as if they are shadows. Underneath the women’s feet, there is a weaving motif that links and supports them, relating to the way Lysistrata speaks about navigating conflict as if she is unwinding her skein of yarn. These threads running underneath their feet become less dense as they extend towards the group of men.
My textile collage aims to present the collectivity and unity between the women while they fight for their perspective of peace to be considered.
How do you hope viewers will respond to your piece?
HGT: I hope the viewers can focus on the textures and colors I used, with their gaze moving along the circular form.
EQ: Most people associate fabric with warmth and personal memories, and this gives an "in" with the viewer, often even despite the use of dark subject matter.
I hope that viewers feel warmth and hope through the stories, despite their dark beginnings.
ND: In "A Woman's Weight," I aim to challenge and expand the viewer's perception of femininity and domestic roles. The apron, once a uniform of silent service, now speaks of the emotional, physical, and societal burdens that women carry, often silently and invisibly. By bringing these weights to the forefront, the piece invites reflection and dialogue about gender roles, societal expectations, and the personal struggles that define womanhood.
LJ: I hope that viewers will appreciate the visual details and craft of the piece while understanding the reference to Lysistrata and how these ancient dialogues resonate with our current societal challenges. By focusing on the spirit of collaboration and solidarity among women, I want the piece to inspire reflection on how collective action leads to progress. I would like viewers to walk away feeling empowered by the reminder that unity, particularly among women, can spark meaningful change in our communities and beyond.
“Our strength comes from being together in numbers and understanding how communicating our experiences directly contributes to that strength.”
— Lauren Januhowski
Do you believe that women do have the power to effect change? How?
HGT: I believe this world is gradually changing previous ways of thinking. Through these works, I want to show everyone that nothing is absolutely right or unchanging, and the power of women is rising.
EQ: The women I depict created change despite difficulty and abuse. They were resilient within it and rose above trials. I have been a witness to women in my own life rising out of situations of pain and abuse as Lysistrata does in order to implement times of peace. In telling not only historic but personal stories, we help start this change where all change starts, in the human heart.
ND: Absolutely. I feel that women alone can foster empathy, understanding, and ultimately, a greater appreciation for the diverse experiences that shape our world. Women, in our transformed state, stand as a powerful symbol of endurance, creativity, and our united presence has the power to impact every facet of life.
LJ: I absolutely believe that women have the power to effect change through collectivity and sharing. Our strength comes from being together in numbers and understanding how communicating our experiences directly contributes to that strength.
