Soft/Cover surveys the many surprising ways artists have used fabric and screenprinting to create objects that relate to the body. Paying particular attention to fashion and garment culture as well as how textiles can be used to create architectural spaces and interventions, the exhibition includes new and rarely shown works from The Fabric Workshop and Museum’s collection—each created by Artists-in-Residence in collaboration with FWM’s Studio team.
The premise of Soft/Cover stems from an investigation into some of the Workshop’s earliest residencies in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when celebrated artists such as Richard Tuttle, Lynda Benglis, Roy Lichtenstein, Vito Acconci, Louise Nevelson and many others benefited from intensive, three-week opportunities to explore the possibilities of screenprinting. Founded in 1977, FWM has been dedicated for nearly five decades to helping artists experiment, often introducing them to textiles and the process of silkscreen on fabric. With a heavy emphasis on new materials and techniques, this creative journey has been known to change the direction of an artist’s practice. As an outcome of their time with the FWM Studio, these resident artists created wearable objects from everyday workwear to costumes, suits, jackets, dresses, and dazzling pants. Expanding beyond garments but remaining focused on the body, they also designed upholstery, bedding, umbrellas, furniture, room dividers, large-scale installations, and even a tent.
Delighted by this archive and inspired to see how an invitation to screenprint would impact the creative process of artists working today, curators Katy Donoghue and DJ Hellerman invited eight artists of varying disciplines to make work specifically for this exhibition: Julia Chiang, Brendan Fernandes, John Killacky, Aimee Koran, Mildred Beltré Martinez, Borna Sammak, Jenny Walton, and Armando Veve. Working closely with our team of studio artists and using our screenprinting studio, this cohort has created new garments, furniture, shelters, and more. True to the Workshop’s history, these residencies have opened pathways for the artists’ ideas, introducing new materials and forms to their expanding practice.
