Judi Krew
Judi Krew
Dance with Dementia, Dance with Dementia, 2023, Judi Krew
netting, muslin, assorted textiles of all kinds 60" H x 48" W x 48" L
This garment is for display only. The body form has no neck or head area (the emptiness of dementia) and is also on rollers so she can “dance”. The piece is designed as a modified ballet costume (perhaps a bit of Swan Lake for a swan song?) comprised of: the artist’s 1984 wedding rehearsal dress; hoop slip reinforced with hula hoops; overskirt made from a bedsheet that was wrapped around her mother’s bridal gown (to preserve it) circa 1958; and the front panel of a real dance costume. The back sequin panel, feather boa trim, costume jewelry, and netting overlay are materials favored by the artist over time. The front panel poem was written by the artist. Attached are the original sewing tools of the artist’s grandmother (Annabel Romig Cahill) and her husband’s grandmother (Anna Drotloff). The 49 miniature dresses pay homage to the full sized wearable and small scale sculptural Hoard Couture series of garments. Each mini-dress represents one to three pieces from the collection by the use of specific materials. For example, the napkin dress represents garments in the Daily Doodle Series. These small pieces are made as memories and more able to be stored once the artist passes away and the full scale series is eventually disposed of. When fully assembled, this dancer’s dress serves as a retrospective of the artist’s years making Hoard Couture and a lifetime of playing with art materials. Poem availiable upon request.
Judi Krew
Maybe I can’t tell you…a conversation about childhood mental health, 2021
remnant textiles, wire, felt, embroidery floss, thread 36" H x 20" W x 20" L
This small scale sculptural dress brings awareness to childhood mental health. The skirt of dark and ragged textiles is embroidered with 24 symptoms to watch for in children. The edges are uneven and raw on purpose and transition from darker tones towards the bottom to just a bit lighter on the top. The bodice is embroidered with the title, and two arms reach over and embrace the figure, both detailed with statistics of note. A third arm made from wire wraps around the body. This hand references the 1960s era groundbreaking psychological research of Harry Harlow involving a baby monkey and its bonding issues with different “mothers”.
Judi Krew
Coat of Sheer Empowerment, 2022
Seam binding, muslin, remnant sheer fabrics, cotton fabrics, embroidery floss, thread. 72" H x 96" L x 84" W
Words of aspiration, affirmation and encouragement are part of this oversized coat. These are words we do not show or share often enough. These are words that should billow out over the world. Layer upon layer of sheer fabric remnants (rescued from the discard bin of my favorite Chicago warehouse) and others left over from earlier projects, represent the way we are all made of multiple layers of feelings, emotions and experiences. Some words are easy to see and others need a bit of encouragement but do eventually emerge forth. An almost graffiti-esque feeling is created by using cursive writing and amorphic shapes to produce different colors and textures on the muslin base. Except for the top shoulder and arms seams of the jacket portion, all else is entirely hand-stitched. The hat is also hand-stitched with the word “Empower” around the crown portion. This element was needed to visually balance the weight of the coat. No two words are the same color. No floss colors are repeated. No closure is used allowing the garment to flow wild and free. The under layer is to hide the backside of the stitching, create a finished edge on the front and also help keep the train portion supported and open.
