Please Join Us For The Two Moons Exhibit Series Opening Reception
Friday, October 7, 5:30 pm to 8 pm
at FUSION 700-708 1st St., NW – Downtown ABQ
Part of the Two Moons exhibit series curated by artist Martin Terry, this contemporary exhibition – PROTEST, See Something, Say Something – will focus on a select group of artists whose works speak to a social consciousness. Included are fiber arts, sculpture, painting, graphite, mixed media, written word, video, song, and other new and innovative means of communicating social commentary. Work in a wide range of styles matches the breadth of subjects addressed, including racism, sexism, economic inequality, climate change, violence, political upheaval, war, disease, and hatred.
IN THE STUDIO TALKS ON HIATUS AFTER THIS EVENT! DON’T MISS VALERIE CAREW AND KAREN MILLER CHATTING!
Join Toronto artist Valerie Carew as she discusses how she animates household objects such as rugs using photography and performance and how she uses the craft of hand-hooking to express relationships with the natural world.
Engagement with land is a big motivation in Valerie’s artwork. She makes textile wearables and engages with natural environments using immersive role-play. Valerie is interested in exploring the “what ifs” in art making; she tries to use the language of rug fabrication and textile craft to communicate memories and human experience. Her family history and relationships with land are rooted in the settler cultures of Newfoundland and New Brunswick, Canada. Hand hooking rugs is part of the fabric of these cultures. Traditional aspects of rug making, such as material reuse, storytelling, and folklore are referenced and re-configured in her contemporary practice.
About Valerie Carew: Valerie Carew, she/her (Toronto, Ontario) is an interdisciplinary artist who explores human/land relationships through performance, body based sculpture, installation, painting, and fibre craft practice. Immersive role-play and biomimicry are combined with sculptural rug making to express experiences with land and identity. Valerie’s sculptural works are designed for interplay and physical contact with the human body. She incorporates nostalgia, myth-making, and material transformation to imagine new futures defined by a greater connection to the wild.
The Zoom link for this presentation will be emailed to you the day before the talk (or after you purchase your ticket, if you purchase on the day of the event). If you don’t receive it, you can contact the organizer at info@karendmillerstudio.com.
Tickets will be on sale until 10 am the day of the event. After that time you will no longer be able to purchase tickets.
Please note that the time of the talk is 1:00 pm EASTERN.
FAQ’s
* Will this talk be recorded for viewing later?
Unfortunately, no. Due to the logistics involved, we decided some time ago to keep these events live. Hopefully if you can’t make it to this talk, you’ll be able to make it to a future talk.
* It’s the day of the talk and I’m having trouble finding or using the link for the talk. How can I find help?
It is very advisable to LOG INTO THE EVENT A FEW MINUTES EARLY to be sure that you have no trouble with the link, and if you are having trouble the organizer can help you out. You can email or message the event organizer up until one hour before the talk on the day of the talk for help. ONCE THE EVENT STARTS, however, messages and emails are not able to be monitored.
* I’m finding it distracting during the talk seeing all of the other participants on my screen. What can I do?
During the event the organizer will put the screen setting on “spotlight view” so that the presenter is the focus on your screen. Depending on your device, you may still see audience members on your screen and changing your setting from “gallery view” to “speaker view” should help with that.
* What Time Zone is the time of the talk in?
The time indicated on all ‘In the Studio’ talks is the EASTERN (EST) time zone. If you live in a different time zone, be sure to check what time you should tune in to ensure you don’t miss the talk.
*I can no longer make it to the talk. Or, I missed the talk. Can I get a refund?
Unfortunately no- the price of the ticket is so low that it is not cost-effective to refund those amounts. If you are unable to make it to the talk and you already have a ticket, or you forget to attend, please do contact me at info@karendmillerstudio.com. I always offer a ticket to the next talk to make up for it. All of the artist speakers receive a portion of the ticket proceeds so we very much appreciate your contribution to supporting artists!
If you’re a fiber arts teacher of any kind, you’re in luck. In the Studio (Online) has just put out an Instructor Call for Entry for our next two online Workshop Weeks (WW). The dates are:
Workshop Week 5 October 23-30, 2022
Workshop Week 6 February 18-23, 2023
The original teachers of In the Studio (Online) include: Susan Feller, Karen Miller, Meryl Cook, Beth Miller, and myself. In order to keep our class offerings fresh, before WW2 we began looking for others to join us. We’ve had workshops in: rug hooking with alternative fibers; braiding; finishing your art; combining paints and hooking; design; felting wool sachets; weaving; Chakra color play; pet portraits; needle punch rug hooking; abstract work; landscapes; watercolors;and so on. We are NOT looking for all hooking classes; rather we’d like to see most any type of fiber art and creativity workshops (that work well online) in addition to subject matter and skills that can inform our hooking and other art practices.
While we began WW to fill a need during Covid lock-downs, we’ve found that they remain popular and that our students want us to continue. Workshops Weeks have allowed students to take classes without the expenses of travel. As well, students get the chance to work with teachers and artists who might otherwise be unavailable to them. Workshop Week 4 happened in mid-winter. There were nine classes. Eighty students participated with many taking more than one workshop.
(If you search using the words “Workshop Week” here on site, you can see what classes we’ve provided in the past.)
Our first In the Studio Workshop Week poster.
If you think you might be interested in joining our group of teachers for WW 5 and/or 6, we invite you to submit a proposal. If you have any questions about the coming or past events, please email me at Laura@highonhooking.com. We’ll be accepting proposals until May 15. You can find the prospectus below. We look forward to hearing from you.
Teacher Proposals for In the Studio
Workshop Weeks 5 and 6
Deadline: May 15, 2022
In the Studio (Online) announces that its next two workshop weeks will be held:
Workshop Week 5 October 23-30, 2022
Workshop Week 6 February 18-23, 2023
As the last two years have shown, affordable, online instruction is here to stay. In the Studio’s online Workshop Weeks (WWs) have allowed students the chance to take classes without the expense of travel. The students are also able to work with teachers and artists who might otherwise be unavailable to them.
Starting with 2021’s WW2, we began to bring in additional instructors who could offer something – not necessarily rug hooking or even a textile art – beyond the expertise of the original In the Studio artists. We look for complimentary/ancillary/supporting arts and skills.
We are now planning WW5 and 6 and again looking to diversify our workshop offerings. We are specifically looking for teachers who conform to our overarching tenet:
Art by artists responding to contemporary events in the world. We invite you to reflect on these responses and consider creating your own art that reacts to our current times.
FYI WW1 attracted 36 students in five classes. Eighty participated in WW4’s nine workshops. Many took advantage of our non-overlapping schedule to take multiple classes. They “come from” the US, Canada, and even Europe.
PLEASE READ BEFORE APPLYING
Workshop sessions typically last 2-4 hours but are set by individual instructors.
Workshops are standardized to begin at 1:00 PM or 6:00 PM Eastern.
Fees for all classes are: $50 US for one-session classes and $75 US for two-session classes. Teachers may set additional costs for kits, other materials, etc.
Teachers are responsible for collecting payment from their students and keeping in contact with them regarding classes and other WW information.
Teachers are required to submit their class lists to the WW administrator.
All teachers are required to promote all WW classes in their social media, newsletters, etc. Promotion by every teacher is what makes the week successful. Each teacher will also be required to take over In the Studio’s Instagram account for a day in the weeks leading up to WW5 and/or 6.
There are two additional bonus events (a social gathering midweek evening and a panel discussion) that teachers are expected to attend (dates to be determined).
Teachers must have their own Zoom account to use to hold their class.
New for WW5 and 6! An administrative fee of $50 US will be collected once a teacher agrees to teach with In the Studio (Online). We’ve realized that there’s a need for one person to coordinate social media announcements and calendars, send out group emails, maintain the mailing list, etc.
Participation in one WW does not guarantee that one will teach in subsequent WWs.
WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE
The benefit of promotion amongst a collection of well-known teachers. Instructors will receive a “brochure” detailing the WW and all classes that should be shared to their networks.
Support from the other teachers in how to run an online class particularly if this is your first time.
The Workshop Week administrator will send out links to all students for bonus events.
TO APPLY
Applicants should indicate if they prefer to teach during WW5 or WW6. If you don’t, we will assume that you are available for either. (We will plan classes for each WW depending on both subject matter and teacher availability.) Because we schedule WW classes so that they don’t overlap, also indicate if you are unavailable on certain days of the week or dates. Let us know too if you have a preference regarding a 1:00 or 6:00 start time. We strive to schedule everyone to their liking.
Provide a detailed class description of the online class you propose to teach. Please include the following: title; length of class; minimum and maximum numbers of students; materials that students will need (will they have to purchase from you?); what will be covered in the class, experience level of students required; and anything else pertinent to the class. Will it require more than one session?
Include a short bio that includes your experience teaching (if any) and any references.
What you see as you enter the Beyond Van Gogh show.
After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime (thank you for that, Covid), Tom and I managed to attend the Beyond Van Gogh “experience” yesterday here in Albuquerque. Actually, we tried to go last week but found the building shut down due to some kind of permitting problem. Interesting, as it opened on March 2, weeks earlier. Given that the general manager told us we could come back any time once they reopened, it was no biggie – to us. For those folks who’d come down from Santa Fe or, worse, out of town or even out of state, it was a pisser since they weren’t issuing ticket refunds. I hope it worked out for them all. The tickets weren’t cheap at $40 per person.
I was a tad skeptical given that one friend had gone a few weeks ago and pronounced it MEH. Worse, Tuesday I read a review on some New Mexican art blog. The guy wasn’t particularly impressed, though he mentioned that when the show hit, it hit. I thought it wise not to mention any of this to Tom before we went in. We’d already spent the money. In the end that was a good strategy, because the start of the whole “experience” lacks. But at least I was prepped for that and could then assuage the husband.
Reading in the conga line…
You walk into the darkened building. They check your ticket, and you get into a conga line that snakes its way through backlit panels covered with lots of writing. Well, it looks like lots of writing, but since it’s in both English and Spanish, it’s less than you think at first glance. BTW, New Mexico has two official languages, so I’m not sure if this is the case in all places.
So, you’re walking very s-l-o-w-l-y while people read all these things about Van Gogh and bits and pieces of his correspondence with his brother Theo. (You’re also very aware that you forgot your mask in the car, hence you’re not getting too close to those in front of or behind you. And you wonder why they don’t mention Theo’s widow Jo who is very much responsible for making Vincent as known as he is today.)
Proof that Tom and I were in Amsterdam back in 2019. The Van Gogh Museum entrance is right behind us.
Tom’s getting a little agitated by the slow walkers and readers, AND you can see that there are at least four or five rows of reading material. Will the whole freaking show be like this? I eventually come clean that I read that review and tell him that it’s supposed to get better. (Please, God, let it be so.)
At this point, I have to say that Tom and I were lucky enough to visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam back in 2019. So, we’re reading about only a few of the things we learned during that visit…where we also saw the actual paintings that Van Gogh did. If you don’t know much about Van Gogh before you go to Beyond VG, you aren’t going to come away a VG scholar. At all.
Van Gogh’s sketches slowly being filled in with color and music.
Finally, we make it to the…”experience.” It’s a really BIG room. Music is playing: soft jazz, a little French something or other, and a couple versions of Don McLean’s Vincent, all stuff I like. Now and again someone speaks in French, but it’s a little garbled given the sound system. Still – it’s French, and I have a French degree, so it’s all GOOD. Then you start taking in the changing walls. There must be dozens of projectors in the ceiling aimed at the walls and the floor. First there are artist sketches, Vincent’s; moments later color starts to fill them in. For about a half-hour we watch his paintings and color wash over us on the floor and the walls to music that I would listen to at home. No, it’s not like the thrill of seeing his actual work in Amsterdam, but it’s entrancing nonetheless. It’s an…”experience.”
There seems to be a crescendo of art, music, and quotes on the walls. Is it over? After Vincent’s self portraits surround us, the sketching we entered to starts again. Clearly, it’s a loop that will play over and over throughout the day. Tom’s ready to leave, and I suppose I am too. The novelty had captivated me, but it wouldn’t for too long especially since I’m not yet comfortable around many people who aren’t masked. (NM’s numbers are quite low right now, thank goodness.)
The exit dumps you into the “shop.” We are NOT impressed. Many of the goods available are of rather shoddy quality and are far more expensive than the things we saw and bought in Amsterdam! I don’t need a t-shirt for $36 or socks for $19. Really. That left a bad taste in our mouths.
Chatting on the way home, I said that, while the conga line might have dimmed our expectations for Beyond Van Gogh, I enjoyed the actual show. Tom admitted that he would spend the $40 over again. Drop me over with a feather! This is not a man who opens his wallet for too many art events. If you’re considering going, I’d say that you should. Don’t expect that you’ll learn too much about Van Gogh, but you will appreciate the show and him a lot more if you do a little research before you get there. Then just…revel in the music and the experience.
The artist himself. My favorite portrait of him.
If you’ve attended Beyond Van Gogh or any of the similar shows they’ve created, what were your impressions?
Example of hooked rug and materials used to make it
WINE AND ART NIGHT – RUG HOOKING INTRODUCTION
Thursday, July 9, 2020, at 8 PM – 9:30 PM EDT
Karen Miller and Laura Salamy are teaming up for a fun night of showing you how to do your own hooked fibre art! Karen will demonstrate how to pull loops with yarn, and Laura will be talking about how to use all sorts of things that you probably already have lying around your house! We want to show you how little you need to get started, how wonderful the technique of rug hooking is for relaxation and for expressing yourself, and that it is the perfect art form to fit into your life when you are busy with work and/or kids!
Grab a glass of wine (or another favourite beverage), and get comfy on your couch at home for this online session. There is no need to have the materials on hand- we will go through all of that with you and you can just watch our demonstration. If you do wish to have materials on hand to try it as we go, though, just send us an email and we will give you a list. But don’t worry- there isn’t much that you need to make art in this way!
This class is a safe place for everyone and all are welcome! No experience is necessary- in fact this session is for those who have never tried hooked fibre art before, but are interested in learning OR those who have tried it before but didn’t love it and really want to love it! You don’t even have to have made any type of art before- this really is for everyone!
Bring your questions- we love questions and will answer them all!
Interested in joining us?
The session will be held Thursday, July 9, at 8pm EASTERN. It will be held over Zoom. If you would like to join us you can reserve a spot through Facebookand we will send you the Zoom link and password. Or you can email me (Karen Miller) at marzipanroad@bell.net or email Laura Salamy at laura@highonhooking.com, and we will send you the Zoom link and password straight to your inbox.
Looking forward to seeing you there and feel free to share this with anyone who is interested in learning new things!
The original teachers of In the Studio (Online) include: 
There seems to be a crescendo of art, music, and quotes on the walls. Is it over? After Vincent’s self portraits surround us, the sketching we entered to starts again. Clearly, it’s a loop that will play over and over throughout the day. Tom’s ready to leave, and I suppose I am too. The novelty had captivated me, but it wouldn’t for too long especially since I’m not yet comfortable around many people who aren’t masked. (NM’s numbers are quite low right now, thank goodness.)
