Beyond Adornment: A Celebration of Tradition - The University of Texas at Arlington

<center><i>Traditions that bond us are stronger than what divides us.</i></center>

<font color="#87352E"><center><i>Beyond Adornment: A Celebration of Tradition</i></center></font>

Curator's Statement:

Years ago, in our families, doilies were widely used. They were used to decorate and cover various objects, such as tables, sofas, beds and household appliances such as televisions, refrigerators and washing machines. The doilies made by our grandmothers, mothers, and sisters came in a variety of sizes and colors.

Brandi Simpson addressed minority women of Albania with a letter where she invited them to work together to revitalize this tradition, while sharing different family stories and memories with each other.

Brandi is an artist who creates glass sculptures and often uses unconventional materials. Her art explores the female experience and how we are seen by others - shaping how we see ourselves. Simpson is interested in community art making and the tradition of crafting circles among women, leading to her exploration of doily making. This is a tradition that has been passed down by generations of women in her family. According to Brandi, the fact that we take great care to create these delicate works, to decorate and protect the furniture or the environment where they are used, is fascinating.

The centerpiece of this exhibition is a figure of a woman made with doilies and wire structure, and two record players with glass records that have doilies engraved on them. One of the records plays the sound of a heart beating. The exhibition "Beyond adornment: A celebration of tradition", by the American artist from Texas, Brandi Simpson, brings back these doilies in a different form, not only as materials or works that serve for decorations, but to also emphasize the role of women as a central figure in their creation. These works were realized by the artist's family and by the women of the national minorities in Albania during the workshops organized by Brandi. This exhibition not only revitalizes the stories and the memories they carry, but also shows common elements that unite different nationalities and cultures.

-Sead Kazanxhiu

<font color="#87352E"><center>History and Handicrafts</center></font>

Traditional craftsmanship [such as handicrafts] is perhaps the most tangible manifestation of intangible cultural heritage…Rather than focusing on preserving craft objects, safeguarding attempts should instead concentrate on encouraging artisans to continue to produce craft and to pass their skills and knowledge onto others, particularly within their own communities.” - UNESCO

Cultural heritage…includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants.

When we come together to share the traditions of handicrafts, we pass on more than just a skill. Oral histories exist within each stitch and knot. By preserving and fostering handicrafts, we are opening a portal between generations. We become stewards of our cultural heritage. Historically, crafting circles have allowed women the opportunity to educate and disseminate information with one another freely, and without suspicion.

<center><font color="#87352E">Events</center></font>

While in Albania, I hosted three events with Romani women, and an additional event with members representing each of Albania’s National Minorities. We came together to learn how to make doilies and shared stories of how this tradition had been passed down through our families. The energy in these workshops was palpable. They were filled with laughter, learning, reminiscing, and bonding.

<font color="#87352E"><center>San Antonio Event</center></font>

We held a workshop in San Antionio where we learned a simple crochet stitch. We worked together with only one continuous skein of yarn. As we sat around the table learning this new skill and sharing stories and laughter, we were brought physically closer to one another with every link. This experience brought a room full of strangers together both physically and emotionally.

<font color="#87352E"><center>Exhibition</center></font>

View the Exhibition Book here:

Beyond Adornment Book

<center><font color="#87352E">Press Releases</font></center>

College of Liberal Arts Press Release

<font color="#87352E"><center>About the Artist</center>

Bio

Brandi Simpson is a Texas-based, mixed-media artist and art educator, whose practice is deeply rooted in the female experience and the social roles of women. Brandi earned her BFA in Studio Arts with an emphasis on Sculpture from the University of Texas Arlington and is currently pursuing her MFA in Glass Studies from UTA. Brandi's work often explores how experiences shape how we value and perceive ourselves and our bodies.

Artist statement

I am a mixed-media artist, whose practice is deeply rooted in the female experience and the social roles of women. I am very process-driven in my creative practice. My research often explores the shared traditions of community-based craft-making that have been passed down for generations. Historically, crafting circles have allowed women the opportunity to educate and disseminate information with one another freely.

I often utilize highly personal found or discarded objects to explore my own background and insecurities. My choice of working with materials that have been cast aside offers a commentary on the historical disenfranchisement of women. I experiment with texture and pattern to create a narrative about superficial perception versus the dysmorphic internalization of the traumas of the shared female experience.

<center><font color="#87352E">Acknowledgments</font></center>

This exhibition was funded and supported by:

Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies
UTA Libraries
UTA Art & Art History Department
Parking Art Gallery
Komiteti Per Pakicat Kombetare
Roma Women Rights Center

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