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.
Our sixth Q&A roundup features CAMP artists Ana Garces Kiley, Amy Putman, and Nancy Tobin, alongside arists Angela Franklin, Brenda Kuong, and Dana Donaty.
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?
Ana Garces Kiley: Yes, this is my first time. I had just e-met Melanie and she mentioned the show details and encouraged me to apply. I would have honestly missed the deadline had she not been so positive and enthusiastic about this particular show. So, her energy drew me to apply.
Amy Putman: This is my second exhibition in the series and I wish I had been in all of them. I love the concept and challenges of how to respond.
Nancy Tobin: This is my second year. I find the prompt and exhibition format intriguing. It's interesting to see the variety of takes within the same parameters.
Angela Franklin: Yes, I was really attracted to the topic. I love reading and research when it is related to creating my work. I was really interested in exploring the concept of Absurdism as it could relate to my work.
Brenda Kuong: This is the second time I have participated in a collective exhibition at your gallery. I am very happy. It is a great opportunity for me. I consider it a great opportunity for the exhibition of women textile artists.
Dana Donaty: This is my second time, and each experience has invited me to open up my practice to a prompt—always a challenge and a chance to think differently.
Each edition of this fiber series asks artists to respond to particular literary classics, who did you select for this year and why?
AGK: In Simone de Beauvoir’s All Men Are Mortal, it is Regina’s primal scream that lingers. While it may seem a scream of fear and futility, it is also a defiant negation of the effervescent as meaningless. It isn’t a far cry from the way many of us feel a sense of impending doom after the last election. The scream began with a kiss. In this piece, I’ve captured the kiss shared between Regina and Raymond, immortalizing it in the way that only art can do. But the bond between them is a fly-stain, a fleeting moment. And yet it is this precise moment, the vulnerability and truthfulness of a kiss, that embodies hope and gives us strength in tough times. The immediacy and connection that a kiss can provide are what oftentimes give meaning to our transient existence.
AP: I am inspired by Kafka, The Metamorphosis which examines the breakdown of time, identity and meaning when there's a collapse of logic and direction, and when the future no longer unfolds as directed. Cuckoo Clock with its numbers going backward was a way to communicate what I see happening in our society, how our rights, especially women's rights, are being taken away. We are going
back in time. I am inspired by Simone de Beauvoir’s All Men Are Mortal, which explores how mortality gives meaning to what we inherit. "Inheritance 1" and "Inheritance 2", was a collaboration with my mom, a weaver, who gave me her weaving samples calling them "my inheritance". I also inherited a brain aneurysm from her so these pieces were a way to literally stitch together my two inheritances, material and mortal. I thought about my mom a lot while stitching them together, showing her often how they were coming along. I feel grateful to have had this collaboration.
NT: Kafka's Metamorphosis chose me to reveal the absurdity of my own relationship to work and identity.
AF: My proposal for the Don’t be Absurd exhibit draws inspiration from The Stranger by Albert Camus and the new series I am working on titled, Speak to Me of Generational Wealth. This series is related to my observations on contemporary views of "generational wealth" while The Stranger reflects the theme that life only ends with death and is not that significant. The absurd aspect of this work was born when I traveled to Los Angeles, where I observed the absurdity of a society that adorns dogs with the physical and emotional support often not afforded to seniors. I realize there are many instances and ailments where families can not support their elders at home, and there are wonderful nursing homes, but as a caregiver I have witnessed too many elders merely deposited in spaces where death happens with the same level of indifference as Mersault had for his mother's death. This work titled, "Poochie is Okay, but What About Big Mama?" asks the viewer to question who is Big Mama is and how she is living? In the African American community, most families have a Big Mama. Mama is the birth mother, while Big Mama is the grandmother. Her house is bountiful with peach cobblers, pound cakes, collard greens, the best macaroni and cheese, and more. Big Mama was often where you went after school and spent most of your summer vacation. Is she well?
BK: Consider the literary works of Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, and Jean-Paul Sartre; summarize an idea of their literary components and create my artistic piece, taking into account all those details and associating them with my reality and context.
DD: The Energetic Heart series began as a personal response to Simone de Beauvoir’s All Men are Mortal, which highlights the paradox that life’s immense value and magic come from its temporality—a truth that became especially meaningful to me during recent serious health challenges. During these times, I longed for a different kind of magic— not one tied to the fleeting nature of life, but one grounded in
comfort, presence, and joy in the here and now. In search of this, I leaned into heart coherence meditation, breathwork, and shamanic practices— approaches that not only supported me personally but also reshaped my practice, opening new pathways toward strength, playfulness, and reflection.
At the same time, I was exploring the mind-body connection and the concept of energetic heart coherence—the quietly joyful and loving state where the heart’s rhythms align. Science has shown this energy can radiate beyond the body, subtly uplifting both the surrounding environment and those nearby—what many of us simply recognize as a “vibe.” Through the softness of tufting, each piece becomes a warm, fuzzy meditation on energy—deeply felt yet unseen—affirming life’s delicate, everyday radiance while transforming the existential paradox of mortality into an experience of connection and belonging.
What do you feel about the shape constraint?
AGK: I love the circle, it appears often in my work. In that sense, it didn't feel like a constraint at all. I am attracted to the profound simplicity of the circle. Its symbolism of eternity and how it can be a portal, like a black hole, attracts me very much.
AP: I liked the challenge. It's a problem to solve which makes it fun and interesting!
NT: I appreciate the challenge to work small.
AF: I loved the shape and did not find it to be a constraint. For me, being expected to work within a square is the constraint, so moving within a circle and having subtle moments to break out of the circle are wonderful.
BK: I felt comfortable with the format.
DD: The shape felt less like a limitation and more like an affirmation of what I was already drawn to. The circle carries deep resonance for me—symbolizes wholeness, interconnectedness, and transformation. As Diane Mariechild wrote, ‘A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture, and transform.’”
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?
AGK: Love is always on my mind while working. Love and all of its facets but mainly the connection between creator and creation. I try to listen, to be open and engage in this dialogue between the materials and my hand/brain/heart.
AP: My process is time consuming. There are always problems to solve. I disappear in to the work it becomes a form of mediation.
NT: I feel like I am creating a dish for a fancy potluck. I'm thinking about what dishes others are making and imagining how delicious they will be. I'm wondering if I should cram more ingredients into the dish or season it with a light hand. The irony of overworking an artwork about overworking doesn't escape me.
AF: People are often surprised to know that I often have the title or some semblance of the title in mind when I start a piece. From there, I create a black and white design and normally go into a color design. Then I create the piece to scale. From there, I start to amass the fabrics and found objects I want to incorporate into the work. After this, I start cutting and stitching, but still leave some room to change fabric colors if necessary. As I work, I am looking for the piece to tell a unified story based on color, design, image, etc. I need the piece to engage the viewer.
BK: I consider having a well-defined concept first, I study my characters, the composition and the narrative language. After that, I lay out the idea on the support and finish defining it. After all this, I develop my embroidery and painting technique permanently for its completion.
DD: While creating these works, I begin with heart coherence meditation and carry that intention throughout the process. I listen to binaural beats, allowing my mind to calm and remain present as I make each piece.
What inspires you?
AGK: Wow! Huge question. I am inspired by literature which made the premise for this show very likable and doable. I have to say good art in all its forms, poetry, dance, music, film, etc., inspires me.
AP: I'm inspired by the news and figuring out ways to express my ideas about the issues I think about. I'm inspired by the materials I work with especially found objects with history.
NT: The satisfaction that comes from working with my hands and connecting through humor drives me.
AF: By nature, I am a storyteller born into a family of “word wizards.” Nurtured by the Southern US euphemisms and shared folklore, this upbringing has inspired my works as narrative tales that explore and give testimony to people of the African Diaspora. I have lived and worked in Senegal, Nigeria, the UAE, and the Marshall Islands, and with each nation, I witnessed shared experiences and philosophies among cultures. My works reflect these lived experiences and are often my statements about the world around me.
BK: The history and politics of my country, Peru.
DD: This is always evolving, but right now I’m inspired by the mind-body connection and our ability to recognize and act on our own power to effect change—especially ideas about living into love.
Can you let us know about three fiber artists who have helped shape your work?
AGK: Polke's use of transparency, Ghada Amer, and my mom.
AP: Eileen Goldman (my mom), Sheila Hicks and Lenore Tawney.
NT: Eva Hesse, Joseph Beuys, Ernesto Neto.
AF: Faith Ringgold-allowed me to see the importance of storytelling with textiles and also combining mixed media. Barbara Pietila introduced me to textiles and story quilts. Carole Gary Staples-supportive of other artists, strong design and technical skills.
BK: Felipe Coaquira - Peru / Francy Quirita - Peru / Eden Quispe - USA
DD: While each of these artists are exploring different themes, all of their works carry a profound sense of feminine joy—Trish Anderson, Anna Perach, Kelly Boehmer, and Jen Clay.