September First Friday
September 6, 2024, 5-8 pm
Join us September 6th, starting at 5:00 for the opening of Material Progress featuring: Dina Khorchid, Marla McLeod & Diana Weymar. Celebrate with the artists and ShowUp as the the exhibition looks at how we hold the future of our American republic in our hands. Fiber and text-based artworks, paintings and installations invite us to explore together themes of (in)stability of our metaphorical home, the United States, the condition of our democracy, and the issues polarizing us. Multiple opportunities for engagement intend to reinforce for visitors the importance of actively choosing to contribute and participate in the search for a path forward.
With selections from the 5,000+ piece public art project Tiny Pricks Project, Diana Weymar’s signature embroidery style places a multitude of hot-button cultural and current events center-stage. Stitching quotes from daily headlines, this community-focused project and Weymar’s collectible works go far beyond the foibles of the Trump era, to reflect and memorialize the ephemeral, digital society in which we live and grapple with ongoing history-making events.
Dina Khorchid’s large hanging textiles also mirror instability as they combine to create an immersive space for visitors. Offering an opportunity to contemplate the instability of a proxy for home, Khorchid’s symbolically rich works are interpreted based on the visitor’s own unique experience.
Mixed media artist Marla McLeod’s works in Material Progress highlight challenging historical truths and re-envision complex cultural dilemmas. Spanning painted hand-stretched leather, hanging textiles, to a mannequin wrapped in an edited version of the US Declaration of Independence, McLeod asks viewers to look closely to enjoy details and nuance.
For those interested in contributing to the Tiny Pricks Project, pick up materials to contribute to the project at the opening. In recognition of the November election, voter registration cards will also be available, encouraging and reinforcing the necessity of civic action.
Material Progress is opening concurrently with the publication of Diana Weymar’s Crafting a Better World: DIY Projects and Inspiration for Craftivists (HarperCollins). This curated collection of “essays, exclusive profiles of well-known creatives, and projects'' reflects the artist’s deep interest in connection and resistance through creativity.