Modern Art, in the American sense of things, is painted. But, recently, museums and critics have been “discovering’ the expressive qualities of art made from other materials. The art was there all along, to be truthful.

Chaine et trame interchangeable (translation: Interchangeable warp and weft)

https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/visual-arts/2019/05/11/dallas-museum-of-art-could-snag-another-sheila-hicks-piece-for-its-collection/

During the summer, The Nasher Museum in Dallas, Texas hosted a breathtaking installation by Sheila Hicks. She did not just appear on the International Art Scene, she was not recently discovered, she has been an influential art-maker for decades. That she lived to be 84 and is still lending a hand in her own installations may have a lot to do with her enduring influence.

She studied painting with Joseph Albers and came into the orbit of his wife, Anni, a textile-designing, loom-wielding artist in her own rights.

Hicks forged her own path, but never lost touch with her teachers. Not only the Albers but also anonymous indigenous  spinners and weavers through out the Americas.

I was thrilled beyond words to be introduced to her during a meeting with the education department in preparation for her exhibit. Yo can see how big my smile is in this photo. 

Why do I love her work? I love her work for its simplicity of concept. The art is about shape and form and space... principles of Art. The materials are not asked to take the place of paint, but rather to be exactly what they are: yarn, rope, threads, fabric, colors, textures. 

I loved being in her presence and  seeing her tearing yellow and pink fabric strips with her crew.