The Field of Fibre - a mystery unravelled

Article Added: 30/10/2008
By Katie Powell

Have you ever given any thought to the field of fibre? Pieces appear in museum collections, we look at them and some may even provoke a reaction. However, do we really ever think about why certain pieces are selected for us to see, question why there aren’t more fibre artists represented in our museum’s collections or even wonder how the field of fibre is viewed in other countries?

The field of fibre in the USA
There certainly appears to be an element of mystery surrounding the field of fibre in the USA. New York City artist, Stanley Bulbach, Ph.D, feels strongly that this field is not being given the exposure and consideration it deserves. I decided to probe a little deeper and spoke to him about his thoughts and findings.

Tell us more about the field of fibre in the U.S.
While the U.S. fibre field has been around for a couple of centuries, in terms of its being formally recognised as a contemporary art and craft, the field really arose in the late 1960s. By the 1980s, the field of fibre was growing quite strongly and in the U.S. already had the largest network of guilds and publications in the world. This rise in interest and participation in fibre in the U.S. was accompanied by the growth of interest in hand spinning. Along with that, animal breeds that had become extinct in the U.S. were suddenly reappearing in speciality flocks and more fibres were suddenly becoming available for spinners, weavers and knitters. However, since the late 1980s, the fibre field in the U.S. has atrophied. Courses in colleges were beginning to cut back and schools started permanently de-accessing their equipment. In general, the fibre artists who had been able to survive economically – albeit modestly – as makers, teachers and writers were no longer able to do so. The fibre community was simply unable to compete successfully enough in the art and craft marketplace to survive in the robust manner it previously had.

Consider the situation of the Handweavers Guild of America, on whose board I served in 1990. Its membership in 1989-90 was 10,469. By 2007 it was down to 7,519, a membership decrease of 28%. Many of our fibre publications have also died out. Our retailers are going out of business. The number of our professional teachers is decreasing. While we are recently advised that there is a resurgence of knitting occurring, this does not seem to provide enough growth to counterbalance the losses our general field has suffered in the long run. This has been devastating to the advertising budgets of our suppliers and thus a problem for our publishers. If the vitality of a field is measured in economics, publications, educational programs, active members, etc, then it is indisputable that the vital signs of the field in the U.S. are suffering significantly in recent decades.”

Why and in what ways has the field of fibre been treated as the 'Ugly Duckling' as you call it by curators and galleries in the U.S.?
Consider ‘Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical’, an exhibition of contemporary American craft that was put together in 1986 by Paul Smith, then-curator of the American Craft Museum. It is one of the few exhibitions of contemporary American craft that is considered to be a landmark in the recording and research of contemporary American craft. The Introduction of its catalogue was penned by an English craft authority, Edward Lucie-Smith, who wrote: “[T]he recent history of craft as it is reflected in print is subject to some unexpected distortions. For example, although ceramics is not the largest field of activity – that honour almost certainly belongs to fibre – in the recent history of American craft ceramics is more fully recorded than work in any other medium.” And to prove Mr. Lucie-Smith absolutely correct, the exhibition was woefully anaemic in fibre work.

In an article I wrote, “A Failure in Accuracy and Reliability: Art Museum Research on Contemporary American Craft”, I queried the museums and curators identified to me as currently researching fibre work. No one was admitting to researching the field currently. After publication, I sent copies to each research organisation cited, but I never received any comment regarding my findings. So not only is the purported research not occurring in the U.S., there’s a total wall of silence around discussing it in a normally inquisitive academic manner. That is clearly treating fibre like the Ugly Duckling of the contemporary American craft art field.

You say that U.S. fibre artists do not tolerate open discussions about the field – why do you think this is?
This is a really tough question for me, particularly since I’m a New Yorker, and we love engaging in discussions and debates! I think in general most people outside the urban centres in the U.S., especially the older people, strive towards consensus rather than disagreement. But insofar as our field having a real crisis in terms of poor economic vitality harming our retailers, teachers, writers and makers, it doesn’t make sense that there is a wall of silence imposed upon our serious issues. Furthermore, I came to this field by means of a doctorate from New York University in Near Eastern Studies. I and every other professional I hang around with have an insatiable curiosity about our fields of study. When someone finds a new text, everyone wants to hear about it.

In the field of fibre, it is the exact opposite. None of the ‘experts’, whom we set up as judges of our work, want to hear about our work. They only look at it if we pay them to look at it, that is, as juried projects. Not only is there this stunning absence of healthy curiosity that a professional normally has about his or her subject matter, but our field in the U.S. also lacks any and all professional courtesy. Whenever I write a query to a professional in my field in the U.S., I get stonewalled. To me this is utterly stunning. If I’m not getting an appropriate response with my credentials in the fibre field, then I believe the complaints of younger colleagues when they express dismay about how they are poorly treated.

But again, all of this can freely happen behind closed doors because there is zero accountability while none of this is formally reported in our media, at our gatherings, or on our principal websites. So I don’t know the answer to your question – I don’t really know why the American fibre field wants to have a wall of silence descend around its economic and professional issues.

In conclusion, in broad strokes, while the American fibre field complains bitterly about lack of appropriate opportunity and professional attention in the art world, it rigidly prevents any open constructive dialogue on how to begin addressing those complaints constructively. It is particularly bizarre since I am on record stating my belief that fibre artists and crafts people are sitting on a gold mine.

The field in the UK
So, is the field of fibre viewed differently by curators and artists in the UK? I decided to find out…

I spoke to UK-based HotHive Textiles member, Louise Oppenheimer, who is a textile artist specialising in weaving. Louise told me, “I have always had a slight problem with defining what I do [weaving] as either an art or a craft. I studied at Maidstone College of Art and graduated with a degree in fine art but most people define weaving as a craft. The conclusion I've come to is that while weaving is appreciated by discerning critics of both art and craft, it has definitely been seen as a poor relation to painting or sculpture. Thankfully changes are afoot and there is a renaissance for all textile art with weaving becoming more popular especially as technology gathers pace. People have begun to appreciate the dedication most textile artists show.”

“I recently sent a weaving to Canberra for an open exhibition at the University of Australia and did pause to wonder how such a far flung place could gather experts from all over the world to deliver talks and lectures on the subject of weaving. I notice too that other countries seem to run successful tapestry exhibitions while we at home struggle for exposure. However I am optimistic and believe in the future of weaving as so many people want to discover how to use their hands creatively in this world of mass production. Support for all the arts has been lacking. With the Arts Council budget always being shaved and now that credit is crunching, I expect the climate for creativity is stormy. Fibre art will suffer along with all the other forms of art but at the same time it has been seen that education must be inclusive and support the notion that we humans function best when stimulated in all sorts of ways. If the impact on the school curriculum can be measured I'm sure it will be proved that fibre art will benefit and I certainly don't agree that textile artists prevent open dialogue – we are a growing force to be reckoned with!”

I was keen to find out what a leading museum such as the Victoria and Albert Museum V&A thought about the subject and so spoke to Dr Lesley Miller, Senior Curator of the Department of Furniture, Textiles and Fashion at the museum.

Does the V&A research fibre art pieces before exhibiting them? Does the museum undertake any research into the field of fibre generally?
We are careful to document what we collect, by recording the views of the artists and the context in which the object was acquired. We have held exhibitions in which the artist's statement was placed alongside the object. We have also had an artist in residence recently whose work is documented on our website via a blog. If we were putting on a big textile art show, we would do as we do for all other major and minor displays – research the pieces we display and also try to put them into historical context. It is part of the Museum's working practice to engage in research and interpretation for our many audiences.

What are the criteria that pieces must meet to be accepted by the museum?
The Museum’s collecting policy states that textiles and fashion acquisitions are selected based on their superlative aesthetic quality, technical construction and interesting provenance. Artistic merit has also always been high on the museum’s agenda when selecting pieces for their collections.

In conclusion…
The field of fibre is a rather difficult subject to fully get to grips with. As with any sort of art, this field is subjective – what one person may like, another might not. At least, it would appear, textile art in the UK is given a fair trial – selection criteria are followed for exhibitions of work and textile artists feel encouraged. It is perhaps true to say that the field of fibre in the UK does not appear to suffer from the ‘ugly duckling’ syndrome that appears to be present in the USA. Who knows? Perhaps one day fibre art will be on an equal footing the world over.

Resources and further information
Stanley Bulbach, Ph.D
www.bulbach.com

Louise Oppenheimer
www.louiseoppenheimer.com

Victoria and Albert Museum, London
www.vam.ac.uk