Sheila Hicks, Labyrinth of Communication, 1990-1991; Linen, silk, wool, cotton, metallic thread; wrapped; Gift made possible by Sheila Hicks and Target Corporation

Is Bigger Better? A Question of Scale in 20th-Century Fiber Art

Saturday, February 10, 2007—Sunday, July 15, 2007
Contemporary Textile Gallery 281
Free Exhibition

In decades following World War II, the preferred contemporary aesthetic favored the bold and unadorned. It was generally accepted that important visual statements were encoded in large objects, whether they were two dimensional or sculptural. Cutting-edge galleries and public museums displayed large paintings and three-dimensional forms. Artists of the period knew that if they wanted their work seen, it must be expressed in a large scale. Nevertheless a number of individuals did not entirely reject the smaller form.

This exhibition examines the large and smaller works of several fiber artists including Sheila Hicks, Olga de Amaral, and Magdalena Abakanowicz, who have produced free standing as well as wall pieces. The objects communicate that the strength of the message isn’t dependent on the size of the object.