Threaded Currents

Threaded Currents brings together the work of recent apprentices from The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) who are also alumni or current students of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. This exhibition explores the dynamic crosscurrents between traditional fine arts training and contemporary, experimental materials-based practices fostered at FWM.  

The exhibition highlights the large-scale, three screen, repeat-pattern prints created by all artists participating in the FWM apprenticeship program. Most apprentices find themselves working on a new scale, with new materials, and their results often lead the artists to reconceive and expand their practice. In Threaded Currents, artists were invited to display pieces made prior to the apprenticeship program, as well as work created after their FWM experience.  Emphasizing the importance of process in the apprenticeship program, the exhibition also showcases preliminary sketches, drawings completed on mylars used to create the screens, color tests, and objects, such as pillows and soft sculptures created with the printed fabric. 

The dual engagement of these artists—with the historical lineage of fine art practices at PAFA and the experimental ethos of FWM—culminates into a compelling synthesis embodying the core investigation of the exhibition: How classical training in drawing, painting, and sculpture translates into textile-based or process-heavy work; The ways in which mentorship and collaborative studio practice at FWM shape artistic identities; How tradition and innovation collide in the studios of artists building a future for material and conceptual artmaking. 

Join us for the Opening Reception on January 22, 4-6 PM.