Emergence II

Emergence II

Rebecca Mezoff

44 X 44 inches

hand-dyed wool tapestry

Here she is! Ready for Germany!

Off to Germany

On August 29th I am flying to Germany. I have not been out of the United States since 1997 when I took a trip to Prague. This is a shame, but I am ready to remedy the situation. The Bauhaus project show is coming down in Albuquerque next week and we are taking it to Erfurt, Germany which is Cornelia's home town. It will be shown in St. Michael's church in the city center. The opening is September 5th at 5pm and it will be up through the month of October. The show is called Interwoven Traditions: New Mexico and Bauhaus. We had a wonderful run in Albuquerque at Open Space Gallery and are excited about showing the work in Germany. Thanks to all you fabulous people who came to see the show in Albuquerque! We got so much good feedback and a couple great newspaper articles also.

I plan to enjoy excellent libations (drink beer, or wish I could), eat regional cuisine (stuff myself with bratwurst), and visit many of the towns in Thuringia. I also hope to see the Bauhaus museum in Dessau and visit Bauhaus sites in Weimar. I'd like to go bicycling in the forest and see the Austrian Alps. And I think we might just have time to do those things. I am bringing some tapestries, my walking shoes, a rain jacket, my favorite sweater, and some socks to knit.

Anything else I need?

Randomness

The random blog post title might have come from the Yarn Harlot. She is my favorite fiber blogger and often makes me snort right out loud. Some days you just have to post random things.

Last weekend I spent a few hours helping out my sister and brother-in-law with their house. That is me and my sis on the roof. Never thought I could get up there, but climbing harnesses do help a bunch!

I finished Emergence II. It has not been photographed yet, but will be soon as it is getting a ride to Germany in just over a week. Here is the end of it on the loom with the cartoon behind it.
And here is my new tapestry bumper sticker. Kathe Todd-Hooker is the author of this one! She just finished a book called "So Warped" and I suspect that had something to do with the idea for this sticker. I love it.

Bauhaus lecture at Open Space Gallery

Today we had an event at the Open Space Visitor Center in conjunction with the Bauhaus show. James gave a lecture about the Bauhaus and Cornelia and I did some demonstration about dyeing and weaving. It was fun to hear people's questions both about the Bauhaus and its connection to contemporary art and about the process of weaving tapestry.

Open Space Gallery.

Halcyon Days II, Emergence, Inscription, Contemplative Garden.

tapestry by Rebecca Mezoff

James Koehler giving a lecture on the Bauhaus.

Cornelia Theimer Gardella talking about her dye process.

Halcyon Days II

Cassiopeia

Today is 8.9.10

That is an interesting date. It is also the 11th birthday of my best buddy Cassy. Here are some photos...

2005

2007

2010

Saturday. This now-11-year-old dog hiked 22 miles two days ago. That is twenty-two miles. She hiked the Colorado Trail with me in 2003 when she was 3 years old, all 500 miles of it. She is an amazing pooch. She even loved her visit to the vet today (a special birthday treat). Happy Birthday Cassy!

Rio Grande walking loom (FOR SALE!)

In 2004 I returned to New Mexico to learn traditional Rio Grande-style tapestry weaving at Northern New Mexico College in El Rito. I rented a little adobe apartment there and found a job working in the Mesa Vista public school system. It was good. I loved weaving at the college 2-3 days a week. In the spring of 2005 I took the loom building class from Quentin Wilson and made this 2 harness counterbalance walking loom with the assistance of my parents. Dad insisted on precise measurements, and the loom turned out well.

This photo is in my studio in El Rito. It has been a weaving studio for a long time--the building is right on the road and the walls are 5 feet thick adobe.

My studio in Velarde before the Harrisville Rug loom found a home here.

Until 2009, I wove all my tapestries on this loom. I love standing to weave as it seems easier on my body at times. However, in 2009 I received a couple looms from my grandparents who were moving to an apartment and I no longer have need of this Rio Grande. So I am selling it. I am 5 feet 10 inches tall, so the loom is taller than many of the walking looms you find in NM. It could, however, be shortened if necessary. Let me know if you're interested! The loom comes apart enough that I could fit it in my Volkswagen Golf, though it is easier if you can leave the large pieces together. It has a 40 inch weaving width and comes with an 8 dent reed. $550 OBO.

Here a few more photos I found in Rebecca's archives...
Me weaving in the El Rito studio while my mom reads a magazine by the woodstove.

El Rito studio tour, probably 2006. The pottery is by David Coleman. The weavings I did at Northern NM College.

Dye set up at my studio in El Rito.

Spiraling

This is my statement from the show Interwoven Traditions: New Mexico and Bauhaus in Albuquerque (minus the Germany translation which you'll have to ask Cornelia for if you want it) at Open Space Gallery. A few people have asked me to post it so they could see it again.

Spiraling

i can't tell you who I was yesterday

everything i made this morning changed who yesterday was

today i made a tapestry while wondering about change and seeing

tomorrow's explorations may have different endings... or beginnings

a learning about collaboration

a movement through fear

a gleeful laugh of discovery

lifting a marvelous new color out of the dye pot

holding my breath as i pull a tapestry off the cloth beam at it's cutting off ceremony

i like putting individual threads together to make a crafted object that is also art

But mostly I revel in the journey.

______________________

The Bauhaus Project has been part of a creative three years for me. I have worked closely with other artists and learned about finding new paths together and apart. From the Bauhaus study I have learned about the importance of making things, of starting at the beginning, and of getting your hands dirty in the craft of the thing.

The Bauhaus was a school that challenged the way art was conceived and created. It was a place of people like Walter Gropius, Johannes Itten, Paul Klee, Gunta Stolzl, Josef Albers, Wassily Kandinsky, and Anni Albers. They were giants, and they were just people. They are still challenging me today.