Megan Whitmarsh

Last updated

Megan Whitmarsh (born 1972 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is an American artist living in Los Angeles, California. Whitmarsh received an MFA from the University of New Orleans and a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, both in painting. Working predominantly with textiles, Whitmarsh uses hand-stitched embroidery to fabricate replicas of personal and cultural ephemera. Her embroidered canvases and soft sculptures reference contemporary pop culture and the 1970s and '80s eras of her childhood.

Her most recent body of work, Fabricated Revisions, consists of "imagined, handmade revisions" [1] of past covers of prominent art magazines, featuring female artists who were overlooked at the time. About this body of work, Whitmarsh notes, "The way that I am interested in feminism is the way I am interested in many things. It's something peripheral to my view that influences my vision rather than being a focus. I am interested in watching the process of feminism rather than trying to locate it. I don't believe I could locate it… The artists I find compelling are mostly women and I decided to pay tribute to this personal fact. Many of these works are from a fictionalized past. From 1970-1980, Artforum devoted 5 of its 99 covers to women artists." [2]

Whitmarsh has shown her work internationally, including solo exhibitions at New Image Art, [3] Jack Hanley (NY), [4] Elaine Levy Project (Brussels), [5] Kling & Bang Gallery (Reykjavik), Krets Galleri (Malmo), [6] and Katherine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects (Toronto), among others. Her work has been included in group shows at the Zürich Museum of Design, Wolfsonian Museum (at Art Basel Miami Beach), [7] [8] Galerie Libraire (Hong Kong), White Columns [9] and Gavin Brown's Enterprise as part of the Drunk vs. Stoned show.

In 1996 Whitmarsh began creating merchandise under the moniker "Tiny Industries", self-publishing Snow Monkey comic books, producing puppet shows and 6mm stop action short films as well as making hand-embroidered wallets and bags. Since 2006, Tiny Industries has been on hiatus due to the demands of Whitmarsh's fine art career.

In 2010, Whitmarsh was commissioned by Amy Sedaris to do the embroidery for "Simple Times, Crafts for Poor People". [10] She was also commissioned by David Byrne to embroider the cover artwork of his "Ride Rise Roar" tour DVD. [11] Todd Oldham has used two of her drawings for paint-by-numbers sets in his Kid Made Modern line of craft and art projects for children. [12]

In 2018 Hammer Museum curators announced that Whitmarsh would be one of the 32 artists included in the fourth edition of the Made in LA biennial, scheduled from June 3 to September 2, 2018. [13]

Between 1998 and 2000, Whitmarsh played keyboard as a founding member of the instrumental band The Hong Kong, with Harold Griffin, Matt Salata, and Aaron Carroll.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross-stitch</span> Form of counted-thread embroidery.

Cross-stitch is a form of sewing and a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. The stitcher counts the threads on a piece of evenweave fabric in each direction so that the stitches are of uniform size and appearance. This form of cross-stitch is also called counted cross-stitch in order to distinguish it from other forms of cross-stitch. Sometimes cross-stitch is done on designs printed on the fabric ; the stitcher simply stitches over the printed pattern. Cross-stitch is often executed on easily countable fabric called aida cloth whose weave creates a plainly visible grid of squares with holes for the needle at each corner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embroidery</span> Art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn

Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on caps, hats, coats, overlays, blankets, dress shirts, denim, dresses, stockings, scarfs, and golf shirts. Embroidery is available in a wide variety of thread or yarn colour. It is often used to personalize gifts or clothing items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Macbeth</span> British artist

Ann Macbeth was a British embroiderer, designer, teacher and author, a member of the Glasgow Movement and an associate of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. She was also an active suffragette and designed banners for suffragists and suffragettes movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May Morris</span> An English artisan, embroidery designer

Mary "May" Morris was an English artisan, embroidery designer, jeweller, socialist, and editor. She was the younger daughter of the Pre-Raphaelite artist and designer William Morris and his wife and artists' model, Jane Morris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phulkari</span> Folk embroidery of the Punjab

Phulkari refers to the folk embroidery of the Punjab. Although Phulkari means floral work, the designs include not only flowers but also cover motifs and geometrical shapes. The main characteristics of Phulkari embroidery are use of darn stitch on the wrong side of coarse cotton cloth with coloured silken thread. Punjabi women create innumerable alluring and interesting designs and patterns by their skilful manipulation of the darn stitch. According to Kehal (2009), a cloth where only a few flowers are embroidered is called a Phulkari. The other types are distinct varieties. The traditional varieties of Phulkaris are large items of cloth and include Chope, Tilpatr, Neelak and Bagh. Sometimes, the Bagh is given separate categorization of its own as on other varieties of a Phulkari, parts of the cloth is visible, whereas in a Bagh, the embroidery covers the entire garment so that the base cloth is not visible. Further, in contemporary modern designs, simple and sparsely embroidered dupattas, odhinis, and shawls, made for everyday use, are referred to as phulkaris, whereas clothing items that cover the entire body, made for special and ceremonial occasions such as weddings are called baghs. The Phulkari continues to be an integral part of Punjabi weddings to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghada Amer</span> Egyptian American artist (born 1963)

Ghada Amer is a contemporary artist, much of her work deals with issues of gender and sexuality. Her most notable body of work involves highly layered embroidered paintings of women's bodies referencing pornographic imagery.

Nava Lubelski is a contemporary artist who works and lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

Clayton Patterson is a Canadian-born artist, photographer, videographer and folk historian. Since moving to New York City in 1979, his work has focused almost exclusively on documenting the art, life and times of the Lower East Side in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessie Newbery</span> Scottish artist (1864–1948)

Jessie Newbery was a Scottish artist and embroiderer. She was one of the artists known as the Glasgow Girls. Newbery also created the Department of Embroidery at the Glasgow School of Art where she was able to establish needlework as a form of unique artistic design. She married the director of the Glasgow School of Art, Francis Newbery, in 1889.

François Lesage was a French couture embroiderer. Lesage was globally known in the art of embroidery and worked for the largest fashion and haute couture houses. His atelier is now part of Chanel through the company's subsidiary, Paraffection.

Barbara Lee Smith is an American mixed media artist, writer, educator, and curator. She creates large scale landscapes and abstract works using a three step process of painting, collage, and machine stitching.

The 62 Group of Textile Artists is an international group of professional textile artists founded in the United Kingdom in 1962. The group is a Constituted Artists Co-operative, focussed on exhibiting the work of its members in the UK and overseas. Membership of the group is achieved through a selection process. The 62 Group requires members to submit work to a selection panel of their peers for every exhibition "If members fail to submit, or are rejected for three successive exhibitions, then membership is forfeited...a policy which ensures that the group consistently produces exciting work." The increased profile of textile art and its evolution in the latter part of the 20th century "has to a great extent been dictated by members of the 62 Group."

Elizabeth Wardle (1834–1902) was an English embroiderer. In 1857 she married the silk dyer Thomas Wardle, a distant cousin. Thomas was later knighted for his services to the silk industry.

Jenny Hart is an American artist known for her work in embroidery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret C. Whiting</span>

Margaret C. Whiting (1860-1946), was born in Chester, Massachusetts but lived much of her adult life in Deerfield, Massachusetts. She trained as an artist, and published an illustrated book with Ellen Miller on wild flowers. She ad Miller co-founded the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework, where she contributed her skills as a designer and teacher, and provided leadership for the organization. She won a gold medal for her needlework from the 1915 Worlds Fair in San Francisco for its design and color.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audrey Walker</span> English textile artist (1928–2020)

Audrey Walker was an accomplished textile artist, embroiderer and teacher, who was active from the 1970s and 1990s in United Kingdom. Walker became known for developing an innovative style of embroidery based on fine threads applied by machine and by hand, to create striking figurative wall-hung works of art. Walker described her work as evolving from fairly fluid ideas, and the process as being akin to drawing with fabrics.

Leek Embroidery Society was established in 1879 in Leek, Staffordshire. It was known for producing both domestic and ecclesiastical embroidery work, which was granted prestigious awards for its fineness and high quality. The Society also developed a form of embroidery using tussar silk and aimed to promote art embroidery and fine needlework which would be shown in many international exhibitions. The establishment of the Leek Embroidery Society also led to the founding of the Leek School of Art Embroidery.

Alicja (Alice) Kozłowska is a contemporary Polish mixed media and textile artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balochi needlework</span> Balochi handicraft

Balochi needlework is a type of handicraft made by the Baloch people. It is considered a heritage art, has been recognized by UNESCO, and it sells internationally.

Grace Christie (1872–1953) was an English embroiderer, teacher and historian of embroidery who published a comprehensive work on opus anglicanum in 1938, documenting every known example. "She is regarded as one of the most influential people in the early twentieth century with respect to the development of embroidery and embroidery studies in Britain and elsewhere."

References

  1. ↑ Roberta Smith (March 13, 2014). "Eric Doeringer: 'Paintings & Sculpture' and Megan Whitmarsh: 'Fabricated Revisions'". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ "Megan Whitmarsh: Fabricated Revisions". Mulherin + Pollard. February 21, 2014. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Megan Whitmarsh: Here Comes Purple". New Image Art. 2012-09-22. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03.
  4. ↑ "Megan Whitmarsh: Revolution is a Circle". Jack Hanley Gallery. 2012-06-08. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03.
  5. ↑ "Megan Whitmarsh: Pink Trash". Elaine Levy Project. 2006-06-08.
  6. ↑ "NEON JUNK av Megan Whitmarsh". Krets Galleri. 2013-09-07.
  7. ↑ Oldham, Todd (2009). "Art Basel 2009". TOS-BLOG.
  8. ↑ Viladas, Pilar (2009-12-04). "Design Miami 2009 | The Wrap-Up". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ "White Room: The Early Show". White Columns. 2005-10-28.
  10. ↑ McCroy, Winnie (2010-11-01). "Simple Times, Crafts for Poor People". Edge Boston.
  11. ↑ "Ride, Rise, Roar - Credits". davidbyrne.com. 2010.
  12. ↑ "We Love Megan Whitmarsh". Kid Made Modern. 2013-01-17. Archived from the original on 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  13. ↑ "Looking forward: Made in LA biennial / ArtReview". artreview.com. 2018-03-13. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.