AMY MEISSNER
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A history of misunderstanding.

3/4/2016

10 Comments

 
Amy Meissner, textile artist | Inheritance | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
"Inheritance," (38" x 34") Abandoned needlepoint, vintage doilies, cotton velvet, silk organza, wool. Hand embroidered, machine pieced, 2016.

"Inheritance" is currently on exhibit at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts in Princeton, New Jersey. It's one of four works I shipped for the fiber art invitational "Every Fiber of My Being," curated by Diana Weymar and including work from Maira Kalman, Cassie Jones, Caroline Lathan-Stiefel, Danielle Hogan and Katie Truk. Let's just say I'm blown away to be in such company. Check them out.

This post is a brief exploration of the visual dynamic and thought process behind the making of "Inheritance," which I started in the summer of 2015, abandoned for many months, then completed in the winter of 2016.

Plus, I'll explore some misunderstandings.

​Like this one: old, dated, even poorly made items of unknown origin and/or maker aren't worth salvaging.

Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding

Here's another misunderstanding: imperfections in one's handwork should be ripped out and re-sewn.

Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding

And this is what I do understand, deeply: Sometimes we have to circle around the heart of a problem many times. Sometimes the right words aren't the first to come. Sometimes you have to put work aside and be patient.
​
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Picture
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding

Then one has to figure out how to apply those words to a situation, and this can take a long time, too.
​
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Picture

And then there is the misunderstanding of the words, themselves. Like when your daughter, age 7, has worked out the language on the wall and comes to you all wobbly chinned and eyes flashing, fists at her sides, hissing: "You made that art because of us, didn't you?"

Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding

No. 
​
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding

Well, partly.
​And then one has to clear up the misunderstanding of voice: "I could say this to you, right?"

"You have," she says, wiping her nose.

"Okay. But what if you said it to me?"

Silence.

"What if a man said it to a woman, or to an old woman?"

Silence.

"What if a child said it to an old man?"

And then, "What if I said it to the cat?" she says.

Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding

​There are messes she can't even conceive of. And misunderstandings that lay in her path, hidden, waiting for her to stumble over.
​
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding
Amy Meissner, textile artist | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding

And the fears I have as a mother, the things I possess and need to pass on to my children -- the tangible and intangible parts of myself and my history, the living questions and my own misunderstandings, that Inheritance -- how can all this be best shaped for clarity?

How can my intent and my will be made relevant?

How do you create a work -- a body of work -- that prods at this from all angles while striving for purity and emotional resonance?

And how do you use old fabrics, old skills, in ways that feel contemporary and vital? How does the valueless become valuable?
​
Amy Meissner, textile artist | Inheritance, work in progress | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding

And here's a final misunderstanding: How do you convince people that the needle really is supposed to hang there like that on the finished work? I picked up this piece from the last gallery and some well-meaning art connoisseur -- or a very tidy sewer -- had stabbed it into the canvas. 

Mess. Even the idea of it provokes the muscle's response.

Amy Meissner, textile artist | Inheritance, detail | From the post A history of misunderstanding | www.amymeissner.com/blog/a-history-of-misunderstanding

If you are interested in other posts like this (note that I don't lay out step-by-step how tos because I believe we're all really smart people around here and can figure things out visually) please scroll through the How To or Process categories there in the side bar. Any of the posts in the Histories category will take you to other artistic backstories if you're curious.

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10 Comments
Mo link
3/4/2016 02:03:36 pm

wow! powerful words backing up an amazing body of work

Reply
Amy Meissner link
3/5/2016 08:37:32 am

Thank you Mo. I always appreciate your kind words from far away.
XO Amy

Reply
Vicky aka stichr2 link
3/4/2016 02:22:35 pm

i admit i really like seeing all the layers you work with, but i am content just looking at your finished work too.

but...you used tape, scotch tape[?], to hold the letters down to stitch through? didn't you end up with a gummy needle? genius, in any case.

Reply
Amy Meissner link
3/5/2016 08:44:50 am

Vicky -- No, it's ... ummm ... ancient Chinese secret tape ... oh yes, darn it, I did use Scotch tape then I picked out all the little perforated tape-y bits with tweezers and it didn't gum up my needle (that I recall). It also barely stuck to the needlepoint, which was fine because I wasn't after some kind of razor-edge perfection, I was just after some guidance. Secret's out! Thanks for reading and commenting -- it's always fun to hear from you!
XO Amy

Reply
grace Maestas link
3/5/2016 07:44:31 am

a magnificant post.

thank you

Reply
Amy Meissner link
3/5/2016 08:45:34 am

Aww, thanks Grace.
XO
Amy

Reply
Sue Ann Gleason link
3/6/2016 07:24:42 am

Having just returned from a trip to visit my 90-year-old mother to celebrate her birthday and to unravel some of the memories I have been holding (and not holding) all these years, this post resonates deeply with me today: "the living questions and my own misunderstandings." Of course, your voice is also ringing in my ears as I transcribe the MANY words of our interview. Will be sending that to you shortly for any edits you want to make. The hardest part is cutting it down to 'blog size' and transcribing the spoken word into the written version! xxoo

Reply
Amy Meissner link
3/6/2016 05:47:38 pm

Sue Ann -- I'm so happy to hear from you after your trip as I know you were really preparing emotionally for it when we last spoke. Thank you so much for your time and generosity as an interviewer ... what a fabulous experience! I look forward to seeing (and hearing!) the conversation once it's all ready.
XO
Amy

Reply
Gloria Graham Sollecito
3/13/2016 08:15:19 am

You pose some very relevant questions. I am an artist just beginning to explore the world of stitches. It's inspiring to see that one can be different and question tradition yet still work with a medium that has such a historical presence, particularly for women.

Reply
Amy Meissner link
3/16/2016 03:47:45 pm

Gloria,
Thank you for taking the time to read the blog and comment here. I appreciate your kind words and am excited to hear you're taking up the stitch as a new artistic medium. You go, girl! I hope you'll continue to find inspiration here.
XO
Amy

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    Amy Meissner, textile artist. Photo credit Brian Adams, 2013. www.amymeissner.com

    Amy Meissner

    Artist in Anchorage, Alaska, sometimes blogging about the collision of history, family & art, with the understanding that none exists without the other.

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