Join Intertwine Arts for an online talk wherein artists we admire describe their textile influences. We will examine two artists’ fiber art, as well as discuss the intersections and divergences of their craft and experiences. Featuring Stephanie McGovern and Naomi Lawrence, they will explore how they create organic forms in fiber, talk about the rise of crochet as a finer art form, as well as the many dimensions of public and site-specific art.

Register to receive a link to the Zoom meeting and a captioned recording of the program.

Suggested Donation: $10

About Stephanie McGovern

Stephanie McGovern (b. 1990, Petaluma, CA) is an interdisciplinary and performance artist working in sculpture, textiles (embroidery, weaving, crochet & sewing), video, sound, painting and performance.

“Through my practice I am looking to push the boundaries of what we expect, and perceive as a weaving, blurring the lines between textile and sculpture. The materials I use in my woven flat works are a combination of trimmings from upcycling centers, or inherited objects given to me from friends or family. I’m particularly drawn to materials that could be coded as “female,” such as bra trimmings, lace, jewelry, lingerie or porcelain tea sets. I enjoy breaking away from the traditional woven structure, by over-packing my weft shots with heaps of yarn, or objects that you wouldn’t expect to find in a woven textile. Through this process of collecting and assembling, I’m looking to explore the subjective meaning that everyday objects in Western society communicate to us regarding the female experience. I find that reframing objects of consumption, or bringing raw materials together in mass, tell me something about the way women are expected to live, behave or present themselves.”

Originally from the Bay area, she received her BA in studio art and textiles from San Francisco State University (2013) and her MFA in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City (2022). Her visual and performance work has been showcased in venues between New York, San Francisco, Miami and Greece, including UNTITLED Art Fair, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, the Park Avenue Armory, The Locker Room, A.I.R Gallery, Satellite Art Show, the Mudhouse Art Exhibition Space, SVA Chelsea Gallery, SVA Gramercy Gallery, House of Yes, the 2019 & 2023 Chashama Gala, The Cell Theatre, Textile Arts Center, The Living Gallery, West Chelsea Arts Building, The Roll Up Gallery, Root Division, SFSU Fine Arts Gallery, Martin Wong Gallery & Renegade Craft Fair.

About Naomi Lawrence

Naomi Lawrence is a NYC Fiber Artist based in East Harlem. She works with acrylic yarn to create oversized 2-Dimensional crochet flowers, trees and wildlife. The site-specific installations are sewn onto chain-link fences in parks and public spaces.

Originally from England, UK, the first installation she created in 2014, Blue Iris endeared her to the East Harlem community that she now calls home. Her installations take a few months to create but are generally approved by the city to stay in place for up to one year. They are often washed and refurbished to be reinstalled in various locations such as school playgrounds. Public engagement is a primary goal of each installation. The works become part of the urban landscape. The audience is made up of people who live, work, and pass by the sites in their daily lives and also to a growing number of people who visit the neighborhood specifically to participate in the curated art walks and to learn about the creative neighborhoods that Harlem is well known for.

Lawrence studied Floral Design at the University of the Arts in London, 2007 and worked as a Florist before immigrating to the U.S. She has been knitting since 1999 and crocheting since 2009. In 2010 social media introduced Naomi to street art known as yarnbombing but her work quickly became in demand by arts organizations and city agencies. Naomi’s work is freeform crochet and does not follow a pattern. She works with photographs so that she can reproduce subtle changes in color found in nature.