Our 7th annual exhibition Women Pulling at the Threads of Social Discourse: Don't Be Absurd asked the 117 participating artists - more than ever before! - to reflect on Absurdist works by Beckett, Kafka, Camus, Saramago, and de Beauvoir. Through the works created for Don't Be Absurd our artists explored how they connected, interpreted, and presented absurdity within the constraints of a circular shape and fiber art.
Join us for our first Q&A roundup features CAMP artists Rima Day and Margaret Roleke, alongside artists Beth Toledo, Anji Woodley, Janet Mueller, and Andrea Jablonski.
Is this your first time being in The Women Pulling at The Threads of Social Discourse exhibition series? If yes, what drew you in? If not, how many have you been in - and what are your thoughts over the different editions?
Rima Day: I participated last year. It was a rectangle and this year is a circle. The change of the shape is a dramatic. I approached very differently.
Margaret Roleke: I participated in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. I started sewing and working with cloth due to this exhibit. The show forces me to create in a way I am not used to and my results surprise me. I now have an upcoming residency at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn which possibly would not have happened if I had not started sewing.
Beth Toledo: Yes, I was drawn in because of the title and the social discourse piece.
Anji Woodley: First time. I loved the open call. I’m new in the “threads” world but have made numerous artworks incorporating fabrics and installation based work with huge panels.
Janet Mueller: I have participated in three editions so far, "This Is Not a Doll's House," "We Got the Power" and this year's "Don't Be Absurd."
Andrea Jablonski: Yes. I was intrigued by the subject matter. I enjoy creating objects for specific themes or sites.
Each edition of this fiber series asks artists to respond to particular literary classics, who did you select for this year and why?
RD: Beauvoir. I never read her novel and it sounded interesting.
MR: [My] piece reflects dehumanization, control, and existential struggle, aligning with The Metamorphosis, The Stranger, and Blindness. The torn, stitched fabric represents transformation and societal constraints, while embedded shotgun shells and gold chains symbolize violence and systemic oppression. Fragmented embroidery evokes alienation, blindness, and the absurdity of imposed meaning.
BT: In Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa’s transformation makes him suddenly unrecognizable to those around him, and his worth is overlooked despite all he has given. I see echoes of this in my colleague, a Black Haitian woman with an accent, who often faces racism at work that reduces her to stereotypes rather than recognizing her talent and dedication. Like Gregor, she is present and capable, yet the way others perceive her creates an isolating barrier. Her experience reminds me how easily a workplace can strip someone of their humanity when bias goes unchecked.
AW: Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis; the extraordinary change the character makes to fit in not for others but for himself. The oscillating changes the nuances that he and we all experience when morphing through changes into something different from the current or present self. A deep rest of the character you're playing before you move into a new iteration of self.
JM: The Plague by Albert Camus; The book delivers a message that one must do what one can to defend oneself against evil.
AJ: Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis; My piece asks the viewer to question our abilities to dehumanize and devalue human beings but to elevate and venerate inanimate objects. The more “valuable stuff” we have, the more valuable we become. The way objects are presented can affect their meaning. For example - icons. Even a small shred of material from a "holy" person can be venerated when presented in a special case or surrounded by precious materials. Andy Warhol took the simple soup can and made it a multi million dollar artwork recognized worldwide. I take everyday objects and materials and explore how to present them so they are elevated in form and meaning. Yes. I was intrigued by the subject matter. I enjoy creating objects for specific themes or sites.
What do you feel about the shape constraint?
RD: I never made a circular shaped work so it was great challenge. I am sure it will be amazing to see so so many circular works together!
MR: It's great because I often create rondo pieces.
BT: It was really hard for me. I tried 3 times to create as sketched, but in the end I had to let the art dictate the design.
AW: I like the circular idea. Something constant, it also embodies and facilitates movement. I think that’s why as a whole I decided to make a piece that would ultimately work as two pieces going through change. The turning of the wheel.
JM: In a show with many different artists' works, artwork of the same size or shape make for a beautifully
curated exhibition. For the theme of absurdity, a circle shape is perfect.
AJ: A pleasant challenge.
At the gallery, we are always interested in knowing how the actual process of making the work affects you - please explain, if you can, what is on your mind while making your piece?
RD: I was trying not to make one color of thread stand out yet make the color visible here and there. I wanted them to blend. Going back and forth with thread, I felt like it was like our lives that you meet (and or) part with so many people.
MR: It is very intuitive... the piece happens and I react to each stage.
BT: Creating this piece became a way for me to sit with history and the ways white privilege decides whose lives and voices are valued. I kept taking it apart, reworking it, and changing it until the materials finally felt like they were saying what I needed them to. In that process, I felt the weight of what is taken—not just from bodies, but from spaces, cultures, and the world around us. The artwork ended up changing me as much as I changed it, helping me feel and understand the story I was trying to tell.
AW: When the audience will interact with you. Sustainability. How can I make this whole being conscious of the material I use. Where is it from. How will it move in space or not move.
JM: The plague and rats are the perfect metaphors for the broken state of our country and corrupt people in power. I chose this book to encourage people to defend our democracy.
However, as I was creating the piece, my brother told he had many serious health problems.
I used the creative process to send positive energy so that he may return to the life he loves. I made the stuffed figure of a patient resting on a stretcher. Everyday I would reach for this small sculpture and bring it close to my heart. My brother's oncologist, like Dr. Rieux in the book, works incredibly long hours, is extremely compassionate and creative in his treatment. I placed the doctor figure near my imaginary loved-one and sent them my blessings. The woman sculpture represents a girlfriend who is experiencing challenging health issues. She had introduced me to Ganesh, a protector from obstacles. I painted a Ganesh with all its symbolism, and placed it by the small woman sculpture. I had ordered the circular piece in various fabrics, one at a time. When I was satisfied with the printed fabric, I assembled "In the Mind of Albert Camus".
Albert Camus relays many messages through his writing, but the one that influenced me the most was the quote I had printed on the piece. Speaking as the doctor of patients suffering from the plague, Camus wrote "...one must do what one can to cease being plague-stricken..."
One must do what one can, always.
AJ: That really depends on the work. Usually I enjoy the focus that working on one piece provides. As a muralist and fabricator I am often moving from project to project and working with deadlines. Though this has instilled a sense of time management and focus in my personal practice - it is nice to dedicate time to one or two pieces. I am a visually driven person so I am always aware of the aesthetics of a piece and how it works in its environment.
What inspires you?
RD: Human body, human connection, shapes in nature, and art history.
MR: Life.
BT: I am inspired by the natural world and the textures, colors, and materials that surround me. I love reusing and repurposing objects, letting their history and story become part of my work. Children inspire me too—the way they see the world without hate or boundaries, and the honesty in their art, where imperfection is part of the beauty, reminds me to create freely and authentically.
AW: Phew. Do we have an essay section? I think life in general really. How we move through it. The interesting questions we ask will yield interesting answers and the answers aren’t always obvious.
It may be (for example from a recent, oyster-eating escape) the pattern of the flesh of an oyster. I am Inspired by thoughts, memory, energy, nature, relationships to those topics too.
JM: Personal situations and current social and political issues.
AJ: My cultural roots, other artists (I am always seeing shows and exploring museums), craft, insider art, new materials and technologies.
Can you let us know about three fiber artists who have helped shape your work?
RD: Maria Lai, Chiharu Shiota.
MR: None.
BT: Kate Zazzara, Kandy Lopez, Saoirse Byrne.
AW: Molly Gambradella most recently. Who you represent, Michaela Martello -- I’ve only remarked on fiber art but was first drawn to making a massive 10x20" immersive installation recently incorporating lighting and sound and long naturally dyed fabric panels (I'd love to show you all sometime).
JM: Aurora Molina, Hou Guan-Ting, Olga de Amaral.
AJ: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Lenore Tawney, Judith Scott.