Experience ‘The Routes of Textile Art’ at the World Textile Art 10th Biennial Conference

Miami Dade College (MDC) Hialeah Campus presents ‘The Routes of Textile Art’ World Textile Art 10th Biennial Conference celebrating the 25th Anniversary on Monday, November 7th from 4 – 6:30pm. You are cordially invited to experience a prestigious panel discussion comprised of prominent textile artists, curators, scholars, and cultural managers representing each WTA Textile Biennial participant nation. The panelists will be introduced by Miami Dade College Gallery Director Noor Blazekovic, and the Panel Discussion will be moderated by Yosi Anaya, PhD with an Awards Ceremony sponsored by Irreversible Projects. This incredible event is free and open to the public, register here.

The 10th Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art is being held in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of World Textile Art — WTA, which was established in 1997 in Miami, Florida, by Colombian textile artist Pilar Tobon. The WTA group, commonly referred to as the “textile family,” aims to include textile artists from many backgrounds and cultural traditions. With the accomplishment of nine biennials in eight nations, WTA’s nomadic international biennial is the only such textile art biennial in existence.


The Conference Panel Program

4:00pm Noor Blazekovic – Introduction of Panelists by Miami Dade College Gallery Director

4:15-6:00pm Panel Discussion

6:00-6:30pm Awards Ceremony

7:00pm Jeanne Jaffe Exhibition Guided Tour

8:00pm Cocktail Reception

PANELISTS

SILKE
Creativity/Creatividad
Distinguished Austrian-Argentine artist, Silke has traversed diverse paths through her textile work mostly in silk, in which she explores the symbolic archetypes present in our collective consciousness. She often gives interesting workshops on waking each individual’s creative possibilities. Silke, renowned textile artist with an integrated vision of art, is recognized internationally. Of Austrian origin, she has resided in Argentina since 1949, the country that she represents. She has realized large series of tapestries, interdisciplinary performances, installations where the stage design, theatre, music and poetry become integrated into the presentation of her textile works.

MARÍA ORTEGA
Processes in the Promotion of Fiber Art/Procesos en la Gestión Cultural del Arte de las Fibras
María Ortega presents a tour through different exhibition projects she has instigated and curated in contemporary textile art, stimulating art institutions and diverse publics to become aware and appreciate the different discourses and potentialities of current fiber art, more visible everyday in the international cultural scene. Multidisciplinary artist, María Ortega combines her professional activities between cultural promotion, curating exhibitions, as Juror. She was the General Director of the VIII International World Textile Art Biennial – Sustainable City 2019, held in 14 venues.

TINA MARAIS
Great Forums of Contemporary Textile Art/Los grandes foros mundiales del Arte Textil Contemporáneo
Having has been selected to almost all the major art forums in the world over the last ten years, Tina Marais presents an overview of the international textile art scene and what these forums signify for fiber artists. Tina Marais is a visual and textile artist established in Montreal, she was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Her works have been exhibited in more than 10 solo exhibitions, and in more than 50 collective exhibitions and as part of biennials in Canada, United States, Portugal, Belgium, China, Ukraine, South Korea, South Africa, Spain, Poland, Slovenia and in Uruguay where she notably received an honorable mention at the “VII World Textile Art Biennale” in Montevideo in 2017.

CECI ARANGO
Working with Unusual Materials/Trabajando con Materiales Insólitos
With a strong conscience for the well-being of the planet, Ceci Arango explores the power of waste and unique materials in her artworks that stretch the boundaries of what one would expect in textile art. Ceci Arango is an industrial designer from the Javeriana University of Bogotá, with Master’s degrees in Design Direction from the Domus Academy in Milan and in Fine and Visual Arts from the National University of Colombia.

CHIARA CORDONI & ELENA REDAELLI
The Importance of Textile Art Publications/La ImportancIa de las Publicaciones de Arte Textil Contemporàneo – el caso de ARTEMORBIDA
Chiara and Elena lay out an overview, scope and impact of ArtMorbida, magazine specialized in Contemporary Textile Art. Chiara Cordoni was born in Rome and as a child had the chance to travel and live abroad for many years; the taste of different cultures, languages, colours, traditions and arts fed her natural curiosity for everything that is art, colour and expression. Elena Redaelli is a textile environmental artist and researcher whose practice is based on textile sculpture and installation created through a deep relationship with place (environmental art) and society (participatory, socially engaged projects).

YOSI ANAYA
The Growth of World Textile Art/Crecimiento y Desarrollo de World Textile Art
Having written extensively about WTA both in the biennial and anniversary catalogues and international publications, Yosi Anaya presents the trail blazed by World Textile Art from its founding to the present date. Yosi Anaya is research-docent, based of the Instituto de Artes Plásticas of Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico, delving into the crossings between the traditional and contemporary arts in society. She has curated diverse exhibitions and authored publications on different perceptions and cultural practices regarding the different voices in textiles, including La Magia de los Hilos: arte y tradición del textil indígena de Veracruz (Universidad Veracruzana 1995 & Editora de Gobierno del Estado, Veracruz 2008).

RINA GITLIN
Blossoming of Textile Art in Miami/Florecimiento del Arte Textil en la Ciudad de Miami
Having curated several exhibitions on Textile art, Rina Gitlin presents the transcendence and growth of textile art in Miami. Rina Gitlin is an independent curator, art historian, and cultural event planner. She holds a Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies from Harvard Extension School and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.

FIONA KIRKWOOD
Some Reflections on the Art Textile Scene in South Africa
A look behind the scenes with Fiona Kirkwood at the cultural use of indigenous textiles, a glimpse at a few of her own works, and those of other contemporary artists who work in textile. Fiona Kirkwood is a Scottish born, South African artist, who lives and works in Durban, South Africa. She is known for the cutting edge manner in which she combines fine art, fibre and textile media and techniques to create highly textured multi-media conceptual works. Fiona’s works reflect her awareness of the spirit of South Africa and the energy and vibrancy of KwaZulu-Natal.

MDC Hialeah Campus Presents ‘The Routes of Textile Art’ World Textile Art 10th Biennial Conference Celebrating the 25th Anniversary on Monday, November 7th from 4 – 6:30pm, this event is free and open to the public, register here. Stories of the Natural and Unnatural World, a solo exhibition by artist Jeanne Jaffe is currently on view at the MDC Hialeah Campus Art Gallery, October 3 – December 5, 2022. Guests to the World Textile Art – 10th Biennial Conference will experience a Guided Tour with the artist at 7pm. MDC Hialeah Campus Cultural Center, 1780 West 49th Street. To request an appointment or for more information, please contact the Hialeah Cultural Center at info-hcc@mdc.edu.