Lasting Impression EIP: Fall 2023 SDJ, Out Now!

October 16, 2023

Surface Design Association is excited to announce Lasting Impression: SDA International Exhibition in Print, our Fall 2023 edition of Surface Design Journal. 

“Readers may recognize a familiarity, a closeness or shared intimacy in the works chosen for SDA’s eighth annual International Exhibition in Print. This year we had the privilege of welcoming Lorna Hamilton Brown, a UK-based artist working with social practice and community-based art. A knitter at heart, she brings an international perspective brimming with a contagious appreciation for contemporary fibers. For this year’s EIP, Hamilton Brown challenges artists to leave ‘a lasting impression,’ to make a work of art that will resonate for years to come. It’s a difficult enterprise, trying to tell a story about our present while grappling with the long-term repercussions of Covid-19 and the environmental impacts of climate change.” – Elizabeth Kozlowski, Surface Design Journal

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Here’s a preview of what you’ll discover:

 Innovation In Technique Award Brenda J. Bunten-Schloesser: “I specialize in combining complex techniques that push the boundaries of traditional textile methods. Small pieces of cotton are uniquely placed to create an image. The scraps are affixed to a canvas-wrapped wood panel using an acrylic medium. Each piece is then sealed with a polymer varnish containing an ultraviolet light stabilizer to provide an innovative, unique and long-lasting finish.”

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Modern Meets Traditional Award Juli Smith: “I have always believed that the rainbow exists “in between” those hard edges of black and white. And when one seeks to find what we also call the “gray area,” we find so many wonderful people, and places and ideas. It’s such a vibrant space in which to live. It’s a place that pushes you out of your comfort zone and challenges you to think outside the box. It’s also the space where you can be your true self. This quilt represents the idea that we are often expected (or perhaps taught) to live solely within those black-and-white lines, but when we break free and see the “in between,” the world becomes a spectacular place!”

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Unconventional Materials Award Peggy Wiedemann: “As a contemporary fiber artist, I have a strong preference for natural fibers and materials. The shapes, designs and colors in the materials inspire the artwork. The wonderful thing about using natural materials such as pine needles, Irish linen string, and cordage is that they have a life and character of their own. I sometimes like to combine these natural elements with found objects.”

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Guest Juror Award Diana Baird N’Diaye: “In my process, I employ a range of surface design techniques, including dyeing, printing, embroidery and even hand beadwork. These techniques allow me to experiment and create unique compositions while pushing the boundaries of traditional textile art. In actively seeking to incorporate visions from the past that can inform present and future, I use eco- friendly materials and processes and incorporate reclaimed and repurposed materials into my work to reduce waste and invite a sense of history and sustained authenticity.”

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Art As Fashion / Fashion As Art Award Ja-Young Hwang & Kim Hahn: “By transforming the used masks into unique wearable art pieces, a narrative was created that speaks to the human spirit’s ability to overcome hardship. These masks, gathered from Eastern and Western countries, states, cities, and counties, represent our interconnectedness as a global community confronting a shared challenge. The masks serve as a visible reminder that we are all in this together, reflecting empathy and connection around the world while overcoming borders and cultures.”

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Textiles & Technology Award Judit Eszter Kárpáti & Esteban de la Torre: “Textiles serve as the metaphor that strings together the macrocosm and microcosm, the interwoven reflection of interpersonal relationships, the linking of vertices and edges to create a network, our second skin and the next interface for human-computer interactions. In social sciences literature, a textile vocabulary has been found to be the most accurate and descriptive when trying to express the multisensory character of our lived experience. Michael Serres depicts ‘tissue, textile and fabric’ as ‘excellent.’”

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Material Exploration Award Kalliopi Monoyios: “Plastic touches every aspect of our lives. Everyone, across every socio-economic class, in every country, uses it. It is in clothing, housewares, toys, medical devices, vehicles and infrastructure. It coats our walls, transports our water, encases our food, fills our cavities, even prolongs our lives. It is such a hallmark of our time that geologists have joked that the current geological period, the Anthropocene, should be renamed the Plasticene?”

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This year’s EIP also has 19 Featured Artists included alongside the award winners: Susan Lenz, Barbara Heller, Larissa Miller, Barbara Shapiro, Yunjia Zhang, Lisa Thorpe, Loretta Faveri, Shira Singer, Mel Antuna Hewitt, Bec Wang, Josephine Dakers-Brathwaite, Mindy Goodman, Hannah Sandler, Ashley Fidler, Katayoun Bahrami & Narges Poursadeqi, Ollie Hongji Li, Emily Dvorin, Merill Comeau, and Michele Heather Pollock. Congrats to all our artists spotlighted in this lovely Journal!

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Outstanding Student Awards: Presented annually to students who have demonstrated excellence in fiber arts. This year, the SDA Education Committee selected three awardees to be featured in print: Emily Chase, Xavier Byrdlee and Aaron McMullin. The work of these artists embodied inventive and innovative use of technique, materials and concepts not only in fibers and textiles, but in printmaking, sculpture, and more. It is an honor for the Education Committee to be able to see student work, review it, and learn more about the personal and societal issues they are tackling through their work.

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Grant & Award Winners: Surface Design Association is committed to supporting the efforts of its members to realize their creative goals and positively impact the world of textiles, fibers and surface design. SDA’s grants and awards support members as they demonstrate excellence in the studio, engage in professional development, create exhibition opportunities and events, or engage in practices that positively impact their community. Congratulations to all the recipients!

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To buy a copy of Lasting Impression EIP, go to the SDA Marketplace, or you can check out a free digital sample on our SDA Journal page.