ACN 25th Anniversary - Part 1: 2000-2010
2025 is a very exciting year for the Art Cloth Network (ArtClothNetwork.com). Way back at the turn of the millennium, attendees at a Jane Dunnewold Complex Cloth workshop in Texas realized that the bond that had formed between them was too strong to walk away from. Out of their shared love of fiber, and what they hoped to gain from deepening their supportive connection, ACN was born. To this day, we can see the influence of Dunnewold’s forward-looking experimentation and her skill at building community. There are still 4 of the original members active in the Art Cloth Network!
The first decade is the toughest to encapsulate. Early pieces the group created were often directly influenced by Dunnewold’s work with Complex Cloth - multiple processes applied to one length of fabric: dyeing, printing, and gilding, for example. The work went from panels - one long piece of fabric (usually silk) and a few garments, to multiple layers and new creative techniques. Over time, the popularity of art quilting and new surface design techniques and materials started to impact the output of ACN artists.
Some original members left, new ones joined. The group of inspired friends shifted to a highly organized, internationally recognized organization. This was due to professional level organizational skills in addition to the evolving art making. By-laws, juried membership, and exhibitions with a full catalog and an accomplished juror are some of the innovations which were put in place during that first decade. A public face was added with a blog (artclothnetwork.blogspot.com) , website (ArtClothNetwork.com) Facebook page (facebook.com/artclothnetwork) and Instagram account (instagram.com/artclothnetwork). Articles were written and photos were taken. Well… some photos were taken. No one carried a quality camera in their pocket during this period, and it was expensive to hire a professional photographer. Photoshop was just creeping into the skill set of the art world!
As a result, the quality of the photos in the ACN archives from the first decade vary greatly. Here you can see work by several current members who joined ACN during the first 10 years. Dates and attributions might be a bit foggy (we can be sure that members will note corrections and/or additional info they may have). Dive in and enjoy a fewimages from the first decade of the Art Cloth Network!!
M-E Latino
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