MIAD Senior Thesis 2022

Blanket Studies:

How Can Something With So Many Holes Keep You Warm?

In my most recent body of work, I explore the conversations that can be had between fiber art and painting. The series How Can Something With So Many Holes Keep You Warm is inspired by familiar textiles that exist in my memories of childhood.

Growing up I was often surrounded by crocheted blankets handmade by my great-grandmothers. The patterns and textures in these textiles became synonymous with domestic memories of family and home. Memories of the women I was named after and am continually told I resemble. My exploration of the crochet technique called the granny stitch connects me to these women through a shared means of creating fabric. This art form has generally been dismissed as a craft or hobby, rather than appreciated for the complex details that exist in its structure. I call attention to the vibrancy of the material by altering the format and setting in which these objects are experienced. I am interested in exploring how mimicking the form of a stretched canvas affects the way that these familiar motifs are perceived.

In this series, I display a folded blanket hand-crocheted by my great-grandmother Delores Furtek, alongside my own fibers work and paintings. Collectively, this series studies the behavior of a blanket and how it takes on new roles when the form is altered.