So anyway, what did I do this weekend? Well, here's the thing. I don't know about you guys, but for me, the environment I'm making art in matters. And my environment, my apartment, was getting unbearable (plus I accidentally stepped on a mirror and broke it and no one wants to walk on powdered glass ground into the carpet). It was to the point where it was actually making my anxiety problems flair up again (OK, so that's probably also having one month left of school ever and feeling behind in literally everything, but the mess wasn't helping). Don't believe me? I documented it.
And yeah, I made them tiny. Sue me, there are limits to my sharing.
So I cleaned. It was necessary for my mental health. And now it's all clean and shiny!
OK, so it's not perfectly clean. But it's about a million times better. I can get out of bed in the morning without tripping over shit!
I did get to some art related stuff though. Just not studio stuff. I'm about 2 weeks behind on my art history research paper. Meaning I'm supposed to have a complete bibliography and abstract done and I'm still researching. So I worked on that a bit. Still not as far as I should be, but at least I'm getting a better idea of the direction my paper is going in. As anyone reading this blog knows, I'm working with sewing and embroidery in my work. So that was my basic topic going in. I've been reading about the origins of the feminist fiber art movement. The basis for the valuing of 'high art' like painting over 'low art', or crafts, like sewing, was that sewing was woman's work. The reclamation of fiber arts as legitimate art was a way for women to assert that the traditionally feminine had value.
I've been wondering, the past couple of days, how male artists who use fiber and sewing play into this. On the one hand, the goal of feminism is equality. So the breaking down of gender barriers is a good thing. On the other hand, does that mean that art using fiber and traditionally crafty processes can only be legitimate if men do it?
Stay tuned for more...
