San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles

It is truly amazing that during this time of sheltering in place, we can still expand our creative network through virtual channels. Meet artist Deborah Zlotsky, a (new-to-us) artist who creates colorful and uplifting works in paint and repurposed textiles.

What drew you to the fiber art medium over others? 

I’m a painter who fell in love with vintage scarves a handful of years ago. In my paintings, I accumulate and connect visual fragments that don’t necessarily go together. In the scarf and knit tapestries, I can create a similar kind of lopsided logic and visual fluidity between parts. During COVID time, I started using vintage afghans and throws, adding crocheted passages to both disrupt and connect to create something new. Sewing and crocheting are similar to painting: all allow me to work responsively to adjust and manipulate existing relationships. On a sensory level, I love the way the vintage scarves feel in my hands—silky, delicate, and so light—and the way the vintage knit pieces actually warm me as I work with them in my lap.

Originally, these found textiles created beauty, comfort, and ornamentation for the home and body. All connect to the story of American womanhood over the past century—its ambiguities, distinctiveness, and power, the latter often self-made despite discrimination and adversity. I respond to the way each vintage textiles has a distinctive visual and tactile identity, cultural and historical residue, and an actual history, the specifics of which can only be imagined. Often these textiles are stained, ripped or frayed. 

For me, the designs and colors are exquisite; but I am more interested in the way combining the textiles creates a complex hybridity of beauty, imperfections, and the passage of time. Repurposing items to create new works is a way to reevaluate the aesthetic poignancy of everyday craft impulses, historically undervalued by the art world. Recycling items also brings notice to systems in place that devalue, reuse and grow old.  

What has surprised you about your art practice since the Shelter in Place order?  

There were many surprises. The uncertainty and isolation of quarantining let me dig deeply into my practice without the usual interruptions despite my apprehension about what was happening in the world. I had created the scarf tapestries for a few years, but I had long wanted to work with vintage knit pieces to continue to make “soft paintings” in another medium. Because teaching full-time and painting usually take up most of my time, I kept putting off figuring out how to do that. But between sheltering-in-place and a Guggenheim year off from teaching at RISD, I had time to teach myself to crochet by watching YouTube videos and trying out simple stitches.  Crocheting, I quickly realized, is the most efficient way for me to connect together and add to old knitwork.   

I shopped for vintage knit pieces on Etsy and Ebay and then ordered yarn on-line. What surprised me was the slightly eerie ease of getting information and materials. I was struck by the eccentric system I became a part of, a system fueled by a combination of hidden communities, desire, and entrepreneurialism that seems a little different from the more solitary activities and traditional procurement processes of my painting practice. Yet, it was truly interesting to engage in  conversations with Ebay and Etsy sellers. Friends and acquaintances gave me scarves once they saw the tapestries and many of them shared stories about their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts who wore the scarves they gave me. 

The process of obtaining the materials for this new series of works connected it with this cultural moment (as well as my binge watching of all 6 seasons of Bosch while I worked, something that would have never happened if I had been painting). 

Another surprise was the door that opened to the meditative power of crocheting, which gave me a sense of calm during this scary-crazy period. The last surprise was the relevance of the knit tapestries. In the context of COVID-19, they activate ideas about hominess, coziness, beautifying, and comfort as well as the need for warmth and care. 

Describe the main differences of your 'old' studio to your 'Shelter in Place' studio.

Until March, I painted in my studio which is a single car garage-sized space off of our single car garage and sewed in a room in our basement that originally was the “rec room” of our 1960s ranch house. During sheltering-in-place, I worked in more places: in the garage to work on spray-painted paintings using antique doilies to create patterns and overlay; in the living room to crochet; in the back yard with my iPad to work on digital images, and back to the basement room to sew and lay out scarves and knit pieces on the floor and on a series of folding tables.  I felt like I was moving around the house and its outdoor space to find the most conducive light, working surface, and air flow for the activity at hand. 

What non-art related activity do you do to invigorate your body/ mind? 

I’ve always needed to spend at least a short amount of time outdoors each day. Ideally, I find time to take a walk in the woods near my house—to breathe fresh air and experience the play of air and light. The freedom to move in space and light parallels the freedom to improvise with color and shape in my work somehow. 

What are you looking forward to doing again once Shelter in Place is over? 

Travel. I had to return early from a residency at Bogliasco Foundation in Italy in March because of COVID 19 and a residency in Spain scheduled from May was canceled. Bogliasco is beautiful, and my studio was nestled in an olive grove with a view of the Ligurian Sea. I felt so lucky every single moment of my stay at the foundation. Being a residency fellow in another country is an amazing way to experience the people, geography, history, and culture of a particular place. When a vaccine is available and air travel is possible, I’m hoping to travel to Spain for a “redo.”  

What advice would you give to other creatives at this moment in time? 

Unlike painting which requires a dedicated studio space, sewing, crocheting and working digitally on my iPad have helped me feel productive at home. Expanding my practice to include these new mediums has also helped me identify the essential parts of my thinking and making that transcend my more developed painting and drawing practice. Feeling clearer always feels good.

Here at San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, they are showcasing the Know Your Meme show! That really caught my attention because the generation we are living in today revolves around memes and jokes that appear on the internet. One meme that caught my eye is called the “Male Textile Artist Starter Pack” by Hannah Epstein. I’ve seen these “starter packs” all over social media such as Twitter and Instagram. These starter packs consist of 4 or 6 things that describe a person. For example, if it were to be a basketball player, they would showcase basketball shoes, basketball, headband, and so on. In this artwork, they have “100% acrylic”, “the bad boy of textiles”, “mom’s knitting needles”, and “museum curator”. In a sense it’s supposed to be funny. This piece is very creative because the artist incorporates today’s generation and fits into the theme of this museum, quilts and textiles.

The San Jose Museum Quilt and Textiles recently installed new exhibitions. One of the exhibitions I will be talking about is the Mayan Traje: A Tradition in Translation. The exhibition is divided into three parts the first part mainly focuses on the early to mid-20th century, the second part shows how a textile in the 1980s would be different from the 1930s, the last part is about the process of hand-weaving and how new materials are incorporated in the textile. There is mannequin on display wearing the traditional Mayan clothing which consists of a huipil, a faja, and a corte. On the wall, many different pattern, shape, color, and texture of huipil are also displayed around the Turner and Gilliland gallery. There is also Spanish translation on the labels for the Mayan Traje exhibition. The Mayan Traje exhibition is a collaboration with the Friends of the Ixchel Museum. The exhibition is up until October 13, 2019, if you get a chance please stop by the museum and check it out.

A few years ago, as part of my high school French class, I went to watch Opera San Jose’s production of Carmen. I loved the performance, especially the beautiful music. However, one of the details that stood out to me the most was the stunning black-and-white gown the title character wore in the last act of the opera. Although it’s been a while, I still remember how much of an impact that costume had on the atmosphere of the scene, drawing attention to Carmen and the changes her life had gone through. This memory is just one of the reasons I am so excited for our upcoming exhibition, La Vie de Bohème. 

Beginning on July 21st, this exhibition will showcase props, drawings, and costumes from Opera SJ’s 2017 production of La Bohème, which tells the story of a group of poor young Parisians whose lives become tragically intertwined. On top of seeing the costumes themselves, I can’t wait to learn more about the process of costuming and the thought that goes into the clothes each character wears. Costume design, an art in and of itself, is often underappreciated as a foundational aspect of performance. Through SJMQT’s collaboration with Opera SJ, this exhibition will be able to spark interest in all the work that goes into the characters we see onstage.

6/25/2019

As the largest piece in her exhibition, Denise Labadie’s 2011 quilt “Monastic Ruin at Glendalough” immediately caught my eye. At first glance, the beautifully rendered textures and details made me feel as though I could walk right through the stone-cut doorways into another world. Upon further contemplation, though, the quilt evoked feelings in me that physically being at the site of the monastery would not have. The impossibility of actually traveling through the portals endows what lies beyond them with fascinating uncertainty. When I look at the quilt, I ask myself what kind of air I would be breathing if I were to live in this scene, how the hazy green-and-brown background would resolve before my eyes, how the sun on a different horizon would warm my skin.

Paradoxically, the frozen scene Labadie so skillfully depicts made me think of time. How can a quilt depicting a site that exists in the present-day world take me centuries into the past? If I actually stepped through those openings, would I feel more transported in space, or in time? My money is on the latter. Staring at the quilt, I think about what kind of footsteps once marked those ancient floors, and whose lives passed under the stone arches. 

Being an Intern at San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles is amazing! Sometimes it is hard to tell how I feel about the internship because many details in this fantastic place have already been rooted in my mind. The more time I spend on this internship, the more I like. Personally I believe everyone who obsessive about modern art will like this museum, where the audience can focus on the modern fiber artworks and enjoy the creative and aesthetic atmosphere.

Through many times of doing installations, I know how to measure the size and position of each artwork by showing them in the best way to the audience. Also, many friendly and experienced volunteers come regularly to help us hang the artworks and manage to show the best sight by measuring lights, distance and heights. After finishing these installations, the engagors often feel satisfied with the result.

When I prepared the activities on May the Fourth Day, I did not realize that many children would come to enjoy them. Their active engagement provided me a closer connection to the museum, in which I could use my creativity to exhibit a different level of possibility to the audience. Some people came for different activities and some of them came accidentally. How to surprise those who have some kind of expectation and those who do not really know about the museum becomes a question all the time.

I will hold the hope that SJMQT will be better in the future and surprise me in some way.

JUNE 5 – JULY 14, 2019

PORCELLA GALLERY

Opening Reception June 9, 2019, 3 – 5 pm

The best way to get into Labadie’s show is to stand far and breathe the fresh air created by the structures. Labadie has the talent of making contemporary art quilt portraits of Celtic megalithic stones and monoliths, and more recent monastic ruins. Even though these stonescapes are old and cold, timelessness can be told through these stone circles, standing stones, dolmens, burial tombs, abandoned churches, forgotten cemeteries, and lost-in-history portals and passageways. Compared to the real existence of these cold and hard stonescapes, Labadie uses large quilts as a tool to convey the feeling of soft and warm, providing an opposite emotion towards these ancient constructions.

As I go through my internship with San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles it has become apparent to me that working in a gallery setting and with people who take pride in their work is something that I never knew mattered to me. Being in this creative environment has shown me how much work goes into maintaining a particular show. I have gained an appreciation for the staff here at SJMQT. This amazing team of individuals has reinforced my goal of one day opening my own gallery and continuing to showcase amazing artwork from creative artists. I look forward to seeing where this journey at The San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles takes me.  

During my internship with the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, I have found my career goals being reaffirmed. Throughout my education, I have gained an appreciation for the work that goes into museum work. I have researched museum tourism, worked as a curation facility technician and at this moment furthered my education by pursuing Graduate School to become a museum curator. These goals led me to seek an internship with the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. Although, I did not have a background in textiles I saw that the museum’s creation of exhibitions did not just show how beautiful quilts are. Instead, they focus on examining broader issues within the world such as the roles of women throughout history to the usage of water. As I continued my internship, I found that I enjoyed the work involved in creating an exhibition.

Star Wars Day at SJMQT

Free, pay what you can!

Dress up as your favorite Star Wars character, and come to SJMQT where you can create Darth Vader snowflakes and Yoda pompoms.

Saturday, May 4, 2019

11:00 AM  3:00 PM

Storm Trooper to take pictures with from 11-2pm

San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles

At SJMQT, we are very passionate about promoting and celebrating the creators, craft and history of quilts and textiles. However, with International Women’s Day strolling just around the corner (March 8th, 2019), I would like to take a moment with this post to talk about domestic violence. Despite domestic violence being something that could happen to anybody (regardless of gender) domestic violence is enacted upon women much more often. In the United States alone, every nine seconds a woman is the victim of domestic abuse. Some obvious signs of domestic violence are partners who: are extremely jealous and controlling, use intimidations and threats or guilt to take control, perform sexual acts upon their partner without consent, abuse economic advantages over their partner, and the cherry on top: do not acknowledge that they are enacting domestic violence on their partner. However, the most insidious form of domestic violence is emotional abuse because it is the abuse that is not seen as clearly as the others.

Emotional abuse is constant criticism and name calling, attacking their self esteem, making them question their own judgement, manipulation, and using guilt tactics- essentially breaking down their spirit into submission. Furthermore, emotional abuse is extremely detrimental because it increases its sufferers risk for illness such as: depression, anxiety, PTSD, drug and alcohol dependency, lower self esteem, etc. When domestic violence takes the form of emotional abuse, not even your own mind is safe. Domestic violence does not care about age, sex, race, sexual orientation or even what tax bracket you belong too. However, there is always hope. There are many programs and agencies that are dedicated solely to helping and supporting women who are or have been victims of domestic violence. One of these programs being Quilts as Women’s Shelter.

Reiterating what is to be found on the SJMQT’s website under Outreach, Quilts as Women's Shelter is a program originally launched by the SJMQT in partnership with Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence and the Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association (SCVQA) back in July 2009.

“This program serves women and children whose lives have been changed by domestic violence. This popular program is designed to provide participants with new skills and the sense of accomplishment and confidence that comes from the creative process and successfully exercising new skills. Quilts as Women's Shelter is a curriculum-based program that teaches participants the basics of design, color theory and quilt making. At the end of an eight-week session, each has participant designed and constructed her own quilt. Originally begun as a program for women, the teens and tweens who participated by offering translation services have asked to participate and the program was expanded to include them as well.”

I cannot stress enough how restorative I believe that this program could be for women, especially ones who have been through the hardships of emotional abuse. Referring back to my point that emotional abuse could lead to numerous psychological afflictions, I think this program is very grounding and also has pivotal tenet in reinstating a sense of self in it’s participants through a newfound understanding of their own creative process. The quilts women create during the class’s two hour sessions will serve as constant reminder of a sense of accomplishment and pride in oneself that they could create something so beautiful and comforting, with just simple strips of fabric.  

If you’d like to become a possible volunteer for this amazing program you could find more information through Next Door Solutions. That's http://www.nextdoor.org/

or though the SJMQT’s website on our outreach page which is https://www.sjquiltmuseum.org/outreach

Water makes up 71 percent of the Earth and more than half of the human body. All living things need water to thrive and life is lost when this priceless resource is abused. San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles upcoming exhibition H2OH! presents beautiful works of art that shows water’s beauty, power, and the consequences when this vital resource is misused.

Please join us from April 20, 2019 - July 14, 2019

The Marbaum Collection: Variations in Techniques

Showing select quilts from a large collection of 87 quilts donated to the San Jose Museum of Textiles during its 40th anniversary, the Marbaum collection is now going to be presented to the public for the first time. This collection of quilts gathered by Marvin and Hilary Fletcher from 80 different artists provides the viewer with a remarkable history of quilting from the 1980s to the present. Additionally, by working with the organization quilt national the Fletchers’ helped advance quilting as an art form. The Marbaum collection is a remarkable resource of textile art for all people interested in the art of quilting to discover. Gathered by two people with a clear love for quilting as an art form, this collection will be traveling internationally before coming home to the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles in 2020.

Please join us in viewing this immense quilt collection