Touchstone Center for Crafts invites you to the Free Your Mind Artist Talk with me, Theda Sandiford. Join us on d Tuesday, September 24 at 6 p.m. for an enlightening experience, available both in-person and on Zoom.
Exploring Free Your Mind
Free Your Mind project is a public textile art installation that collects, showcases, and liberates personal narratives about microaggressions. This project not only highlights these experiences but also provides a platform for healing and awareness through art.
Event Features
Direct from the Artist: Hear Theda Sandiford discuss the creative journey and the impactful stories behind Free Your Mind.
Engage in Dialogue: Participate in a thought-provoking conversation about the role of art in addressing social issues.
Flexibility in Attendance: Join the talk from anywhere by registering in advance for the Zoom session on September 24.
Be Part of the Experience
Join us for this meaningful event that blends art with powerful storytelling. Register for the Zoom talk on September 24 and prepare to be inspired.
“Beyond: Tapestry Expanded” is now open at the Richard E. Peeler Art Center at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN! This exhibition, running until December 8, 2024, is an exploration of contemporary tapestry and textile art, pushing the boundaries of this age-old medium into new realms of creativity and expression. My work Blackity Black Blanket Ladders has been included in the exhibition.
What to Expect at the Exhibition
“Beyond: Tapestry Expanded” features a diverse range of artists who are reimagining tapestry through innovative materials, techniques, and concepts. From large-scale woven installations to mixed-media pieces that blend textiles with unexpected elements, the works in this exhibition challenge traditional notions of what tapestry can be. The show is not just about weaving threads; it’s about weaving ideas, histories, and contemporary issues into the fabric of art.
Visitors can expect to see works that explore themes such as identity, memory, social justice, and the environment. Each piece tells a unique story, inviting viewers to engage in a deeper conversation about the role of textile art in today’s world.
A Curatorial Vision Realized
“Beyond: Tapestry Expanded” would not have been possible without the vision and dedication of Erica Warren, the exhibition’s curator. Erica has spent countless hours thoughtfully curating this show, writing an insightful essay for the accompanying catalog, designing the exhibition layout, and installing the works. Her efforts have created a truly immersive experience for visitors, offering a fresh perspective on what tapestry can be. Thank you for your hard work on all of this.
The exhibition also benefited from the expertise of jurors Jade Yumang and Alexa Griffith Winton, who juried my work into the show. They have also contributed their own essays to the catalog, adding depth and context to the exhibition.
To explore these essays and learn more about all the artists and their work, you can order a copy of the catalog here.
Plan Your Visit
I encourage everyone to visit the gallery and participate in the Curatorial Talk by Erica Warren on Tuesday, September 10, at 4:30 pm Eastern. This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from the curator about her vision for the exhibition, the selection process, and the themes explored in the works on display. Come experience “Beyond: Tapestry Expanded” in person at the Richard E. Peeler Art Center, located at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN.
Blackity Black Blanket, ladders and emotional baggage cart, ladders only
I’m excited to announce that the Emotional Baggage Cart Parade will be part of Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2024: CARE Festival, happening from October 18-20, 2024, along 14th Street in Manhattan! Curated by Patricia Miranda and Christopher Kaczmarek, this year’s festival brings together 76 incredible artists and collectives to explore and celebrate the concept of “CARE” in all its forms.
Art in Odd Places is a unique festival where art breaks out of traditional spaces and takes over the streets, and I am thrilled to be one of the participating artists this year. This year’s theme, CARE, invites us to pause and reflect on questions like: Who do we give care to? What is worthy of our care? When can care be too much? And can we extend our care beyond ourselves, our families, and even beyond our species?
For my piece, the Emotional Baggage Cart Parade, I’m inviting everyone to come together and confront the psychological burdens we carry daily. By transforming ordinary shopping carts into mobile art installations, this parade offers a powerful metaphor for the emotional baggage we all carry. The goal is to create a communal space where participants can symbolically release these burdens, fostering empathy, connection, and healing. I’m eager to share this experience with you all!
A Preview of the Festival
Let me give you a sneak peek at some of the other powerful works you’ll encounter at the AiOP 2024 CARE Festival:
Fungal Entanglement by the Lichen Likers is a wearable fabric sculpture activated by performance, encouraging us to care for the non-human citizens of New York City. Join them for an embodied experience that opens up new ways to connect with the environment we all share.
COAST/LINES by Earthworks, featuring Catherine Chen and Cristina Bartley Dominguez, is a moving performance that addresses the tensions and burdens of our changing landscapes by slowly transporting a boulder sculpture through the city.
Coneheads by Giannina Gomez offers a playful yet poignant take on public health and safety in our chaotic urban environment, helping those in need and reminding everyone to stay alert.
you are here by Deirdre Macleod presents an alternative way of navigating and knowing a city through a slow, careful act of drawing and mapping the fragments of 14th Street at a 1:1 scale. It’s a meditative experience that makes us think about what it means to truly see and understand a place.
WASH!: rituals for healing at the laundry line by the WasherWoman Collective is a community installation and story-sharing experience that invites us to witness and honor the contributions of our foremothers, moving through grief towards a future reimagined.
Urban Animist Intervention Ritual Hex by Creatures From The Hole Poetry & Film Collective//Autocracy will roam 14th Street, activating urban “inanimates” and engaging the public in their whimsical and revolutionary “puppet” interventions.
These are just a few of the fantastic works that will be featured at AiOP 2024 CARE. This festival will challenge, inspire, and move us as we think deeply about what it means to care for ourselves, each other, and our world. Full details of all projects, along with the locations and timing of performances, will be released in mid-September, so stay tuned!
Join Us!
Mark your calendars for October 18-20, 2024, and come experience the art, creativity, and deep reflections on care that AiOP 2024 CARE has to offer. I can’t wait to share the streets of Manhattan with all of you in this incredible festival of public art!
See you there, and let’s join together in a chorus of care!
I am thrilled to share that I will be presenting Free Your Mind at two upcoming prestigious events this November!
American Folklore Society Annual Conference
Dates: November 6-9 Location: Albuquerque, NM
Attendees of the American Folklore Society Annual Conference will have an opportunity to participate in Free Your Mind interactive exhibition and explore their own implicit biases and release any microaggressions. I am looking forward to opportunity to connect with folklorists to share insights and expanding my understanding diverse American folklore.
2024 Textile Society of America Symposium: “Shifts and Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles”
Dates: November 12-17 Location: Zoom
The second presentation will be at the 2024 Textile Society of America Symposium, titled “Shifts and Strands: Rethinking the Possibilities and Potentials of Textiles.” During this virtual event, I’ll be discussing how Free Your Mind uses textiles and memory to convey emotions, and create healing, thereby pushing the boundaries of traditional textile art.
I look forward to engaging with participants and sharing the journey of Free Your Mind with a broader audience.
Stay tuned for more updates as I prepare for these exciting events!
I sort of play around with this concept when think of titles for artwork. Only I use my poems and scribbles from my sketch book as the source material.
I’m excited to share that I will be in NY/NJ/PA from August 24 through September 29. My journey begins in New York and New Jersey, where I’ll be spending time looking after my parents, catching up with friends, and soaking up inspiration at The Armory Show.
After that, I’m heading back to Pennsylvania for a second two-week residency at the Touchstone Center for Crafts in the beautiful Allegany Mountains. During this time, my cell and Wi-Fi service will be limited, offering a blissful retreat from the digital world.
If you’d like to connect while I’m stateside, please send me a direct message. I’d love to schedule some time to catch up!
Looking forward to this inspiring and invigorating journey.
