The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) will feature the work of a Detroit-based fiber artist in its newest installation in the Michigan Artist Series.
The exhibit, titled “Carole Harris: Bright Moments,” will be on display from Thursday, March 17, to Saturday, June 18, at the art museum, at 101 Monroe Center St. NW in downtown Grand Rapids.
Harris creates mixed media quilts with fabrics, paper and other materials. Her textiles and techniques are sourced from across the U.S., Africa, Asia and the Caribbean with visual strategies from modern abstract art and her own intuition and experience.
“Working with cloth is clearly a joyful experience for Carole,” said GRAM Assistant Curator Jennifer Wcisel. “She loves fabric and has amassed a considerable collection of materials in her studio. She improvises as she works, layering her materials together with no preconceived ideas or plans. The works on view at GRAM in ‘Carole Harris: Bright Moments’ are a collaboration between Carole and her materials. She lets the fabric guide her journey to the finished quilt.”
Visitors will learn about Harris’ inspirations, processes, materials and themes such as architecture, music, color and the urban environment through video, images and didactics.
“Three layers, that’s what makes a quilt — a bottom, a middle batting and a top,” Harris said. “Stitch those three together, and you’ve got a quilt. Now what you do with it after, that is where the real creativity comes in.”
Harris learned to embroider and sew from her mother. She made her first quilt in 1968 and began exploring the artistic possibilities of fabric and thread.
“My work relies on improvisation,” she said. “I am fascinated by the rhythms and energy created when I combine multiple patterns and textures. I let the material and colors lead me on a rhythmic journey.”
The museum will host two other events during the Harris exhibit. The Saturday Studio Session: Creative Quilting will be from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, March 26, and The Artist Talk: Bright Moments will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 26.
More information is here.
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