Tampa Artist Captures Victimization Of Women In Embroidery

TAMPA, FL — "Dartboard Target," a hand embroidery on canvas, received the first-place prize in Contemporary Fiber in Florida 2020, a juried exhibition of fiber art at Florida CraftArt.

In her series, "Target," Nneka Jones, a fine art major at the University of Tampa, hand embroidered portraits of young girls and incorporated symbolism and materials to raise awareness of social issues affecting women.

Jones, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, said her series is meant to highlight victimized, “targeted” individuals, and to encourage conversation around the idea of who is a “victim” in certain societies. Jones considers the intensely physical embroidery process as integral to her art making.

Her artwork is among the fiber works of more than 40 artists from around the state on exhibit through Aug. 22.

Contemporary Fiber in Florida 2020 showcases innovative approaches to traditional fiber techniques, including weaving, surface design, wearable art, basketry, beading and textile dyeing.

The exhibit has been extended, by appointment in the gallery or on view on FloridaCraftArt.org, until Aug. 22.

The entirety of Contemporary Fiber in Florida 2020 may be viewed online, and all pieces featured in the exhibition are available for purchase.

Visitors can flip through the digital exhibition book, browse artworks and view exhibition videos, including a walkthrough of the show with the curator as well as video artist statements from featured artists.

This show was curated by Cindy Bartosek, a West Palm Beach-based artist and educator. Bartosek specializes in tapestry weaving, botanical eco-printing and photography, as well as photographic printing on fiber.

“It was an honor and a pleasure to curate this exhibition celebrating the evolving field of fiber art and the remarkable creativity and innovation of Florida artists who are pushing the boundaries of their chosen media,” Bartosek said. “More than 170 pieces were considered for the exhibition and 67 pieces by 40 artists were selected. They highlight the diversity of the genre today, expressing a wide range of ideas, inspiration and personal stories, giving a modern sensibility to ancient techniques and time-honored traditions.”

The exhibition was judged by the curator of the Leepa Ratner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs, Christine Renc-Carter.

Best of Show was awarded to Delray Beach artist Amy Gross for her multimedia wall installation titled “Silver Bees (h.miserabilis) Adapting.”

Jones' embroidered portrait, “Dartboard Target,” won first place.

Sarasota-based Cassia Kite received second place for her genre-crossing embroidery that translates into a musical score, “Bearcat Stadium Soundstitching.”

Third place went to Leeann Kroetsch from Tampa for her “Inspirational White Dress,” which is a wearable piece inspired by a Japanese basin featured in the permanent collection of the Appleton Museum.

Liliana Crespi from Port St. Lucie was awarded Curator’s Choice for her hand-woven tapestry titled “Mangroves.”

Honorable mentions were given to Amber Quimby (St. Petersburg) for “The Wish,” Stephen Sidelinger (Venice) for his embroidered “Seven Deadly Sins Books,” Carole Hetzel and Feliciano Ledy (Tavares) for “Brendan Basket #435,” Jane Jennings (Port Orange) for “Movin’ On,” Susan Vazquez (Delray Beach) for “Blue Green Algae,” Dawn Waters (Gulfport) for “Woolie Willie,” and Bobbi Baugh (Deland) for “Because That’s Where it All Begins.”

Artists selected for this exhibition are taking their traditional knowledge of fiber craft and bounding vibrantly into an incredible range of works that speak far beyond visuals.

For Port St. Lucie-based Esta Rubin, moving from traditional printmaking into quilting was a creative journey after becoming legally blind. Rubin said her pieces are textured, tactile art quilts that are a “pathway to use her artistic vision.” In “Dan Mask,” Rubin explores the rich history of mask-making by the Dan peoples of Liberia.

The strenuous nature of fiber processes is highlighted in Bobbi Baugh’s quilted works that are made with hand-printed fabrics. In her home studio in Deland, Baugh builds up high detail on fabric by monoprinting, painting, photo transfer and resist. These fabrics are collaged together and turned into art quilts. The highly textured and colorful pieces explore dreamscapes, memory, and serve as a method of storytelling.

The artists featured in Contemporary Fiber in Florida 2020 are breathing a new life into these age-old techniques, Bartosek said.

"Fiber and textile traditions are universal and cross-cultural, and they are and always have been an integral element to our way of life," she said. "These labor-intensive, physical pieces cross boundaries and join the worlds of conceptuality, spirituality and craft by highlighting the element of the handmade. This exhibition is an exploration into a medium that is often misunderstood and is a beautiful representation of how vibrant the world of fiber is for artists in Florida."

The Contemporary Fiber in Florida 2020 exhibition and programming are sponsored by Jeannine Hascall, the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Foundation, Viirtue, the city of St. Petersburg, VISIT FLORIDA and the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs.

Florida CraftArt is located at 501 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg. Admission is free and by appointment only. Appointments are available Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m, and may be made by calling the gallery at 727-821-7391 or by emailing Liz@FloridaCraftArt.org.

Upcoming events include:

Friday, Aug. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Workshop: Imagery on Fiber with Cindy Bartosek, FCA member: $65 Nonmember: $85
Saturday, Aug. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Workshop: African Hearts with Kianga Jinaki, FCA member: $45 Nonmember: $65
Saturday, Aug. 22 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Workshop: Needle-Felted Frog with Gin Blische, FCA member: $40 Nonmember: $60
Saturday, Aug. 22 from 4 to 5 p.m. Artists’ Talks
Saturday, Aug 22 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Closing Reception, People’s Choice Award and meet the artists and curator.

Exhibiting artists:

Bobbi Baugh, Deland
Kim Borowy, Tequesta
Bonnie Bruner, Lake Worth
Marilyn Conklin, Punta Gorda
Suzanne Conners, Stuart
Liliana Crespi, Port St. Lucie
Kathryn Erickson, St. Petersburg
Muffy Clark Gill, Naples
Marlene Glickman, Clearwater
Linda Golden, Bloomfield Hills
Amy Gross, Delray Beach
Amy Hemphill Dove, St. Augustine
Carole Hetzel, Tavares
Andrea Huffman, Sunrise
Jane Jennings, Port Orange
Kianga Jinaki, Riviera Beach
Nneka Jones, Tampa
Irene Katz, Lake Worth
Gillian Kennedy Wright, Lake Park
Cassia Kite, Sarasota
Carolyn Kossar, Tampa
Leeann Kroetsch, Tampa
Karol Kusmaul, Inverness
Mary Jane Lord, Tallahassee
Ellen Nepustil, Bradenton
Ramona Pelley, Winter Park
Alice Pickett, Gulfport
Meg Pierce, Sarasota
Rebecca Levine Quigley, Sarasota
Amber Quimby, St. Petersburg
Esta Rubin, Port St. Lucie
Stephen Sidelinger, Venice
Jim Smith, Tampa
Andy Brunhammer, Tampa
Mei Ling St. Leger, Clearwater
Susan Vazquez, Delray Beach
Dawn Waters, Gulfport
Malle Whitaker, Palm Beach
Gin Blische, Lake Clarke Shores
Susan Lumsden, Brooksville
Emely Stehle, Clearwater