Page 3 - 50 Years of Fiber Art: The Fiber Artists of San Antonio Exhibition Catalog

THE EXHIBITION CALL

We called on fiber artists, from our area and across the U.S., to consider each
decade since the 1970s as inspiration for their fiber art work. The ‘70s, ‘80s, 90’s,
2000’s, 2010s were included and the chosen decade was noted on each application.

In the Exhibition Guidelines, we wrote, “Your work might be inspired by fashion or
design, pop culture, music, architecture, notable people, places or events, or a more
personal story about your own experiences in that decade. Consider techniques
(macrame, shibori, eco-dye, for example), ideas (women’s history, marriage equality,
immigration policy) colors (avocado green, purple and mauve, psychedelic), textures
(natural fibers, glitter and shimmer, digital) or other artists (Andy Warhol, Keith
Haring, Basquiat) that reflect your chosen decade.”

Susie Monday,
50th Anniversary Exhibition Chair

Lynn Basa (detail) (2022)

OUR JUROR

Paula Owen, president emerita of Southwest School of Art, began her tenure in
1996. Under her leadership the school’s size, scope, and reputation grew signifi-
cantly, and in 2014 a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program was added. In 2022
Southwest School of Art and University of Texas at San Antonio announced a
merger to create a new and expanded school of art. Owen has served as curator
of numerous exhibitions and on national and regional boards and panels. She is a
published arts writer and co-authored the book, Objects and Meaning: New Per-
spectives on Art and Craft, published by Scarecrow Press. She earned an MFA in
painting and printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University and continues to
show her work in group and solo shows throughout the nation.

50 YEARS OF FIBER ART – JUROR’S STATEMENT

Hearty congratulations to FASA on 50 years of championing fiber art in San Antonio! I was honored to be
asked to select the works and awards and was inspired by the process – thank you! The opportunity to
carefully study so many intriguing works is always both a pleasure and a challenge.

The challenges include assembling an exhibition that reflects the wide range of expression in fiber art today,
while retaining appreciation for craftsmanship, concept, and personal perspective. It is also challenging to
select works from slides, especially such tactile and dimensional works as these. The pleasures, though,
are many. Each work in this exhibition exemplifies what the critic, Donald Kuspit, says is the hallmark of
successful works of art – that they go beyond the viewer’s “horizon of expectation.” I hope you enjoy leaping
over that horizon as much as I have.

Paula Owen,
President Emerita, Southwest School of Art