To counter the dehumanizing isolation of incarceration, artist Jesse Krimes (b, 1982) works collaboratively with incarcerated individuals to create artworks from old clothing and textiles that evoke memories of home. Krimes developed his own practice while serving a six-year sentence. In Blackwater(2021), Krimes regards the tentacled animal as “a panoptic state of surveillance” and alludes to the eugenic and white supremacist ideas in America zoology. The title, Blackwater, refers to a prison in Florida.
This intricately pattern painting, Blue Burst Fan (1979), playfully brings together the traditions of decorative and fine arts. Miriam Shapiro (1923 – 2015) cultivated this approach as a key figure of the Pattern and Decoration movement, drawing on myriad textiles ranging from those related to her Russian Jewish heritage to Japanese Kimonos. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Miriam Schapiro, Blue Burst Fan→
Fashion has always been political, but sometimes it’s also pure celebration. Back in 2009, Nigerian-American designer Lola Faturoti found the perfect way to honor the historic election of President Barack Obama: she created a commemorative dress that was as vibrant and hopeful as the man himself. Continue reading Eye On Design: Lola Faturoti’s Barack Obama Commemorative Dress→
Innovation is at every turn in this day and age. You only have to look at the iPhone 6 compared to this year’s iPhone 16, for example, to see just how far computer technology has come. Then, there are other major advancements, such as those in the medical industry: AI-powered CT scanners are now a thing, for example.
