Debra Disman

Artist

  •

Fiber

Exhibitionista: Brand 49: the Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper

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 I am thrilled to participate in the exhibition: Brand 49, the Brand Associates Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper, happening September 11 – October 30, 2021, represented by a collaborative artist book work created with contemporary  artist Luciana Abait, entitled, “drift“. The piece highlights the effect humans are having on our precious and fragile environment, specifically, the melting of the polar icecaps in Antarctica. 

Brand 49 welcomes Marvella Muro, Director of Artistic Programs and Education at Self Help Graphics and Art (SHG) in Los Angeles, as this year’s juror. From it’s inception in 1973, Self Help Graphics has been nationally known for functioning at the intersection of the arts and social justice. Providing a home that fosters the creativity and development of local artists, it is the pre-eminent center for Latinx printmaking and a resource for young and emerging artists.

Brand 49 is organized by the Associates of Brand Library & Art Center, an all volunteer non-profit that raises funds to support the extensive free and public events at Brand including gallery exhibitions, classical and popular music performances, film screenings, dance performances, and activities for people of all ages.

2021 Los Angeles Open at TAG

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TAG Gallery Proudly Presented
The 2021 Los Angeles Open, 
May 11 — June 5

This year, TAG celebrated local area artists with a dedicated showcase from May 11-June 5 in our Sky Gallery in the upstairs loft at TAG.
I was honored to be included.

Participating artists included:
Mariko Bird, Milan DelVecchio, L. Aviva Diamond, Debra Disman, David Emmett, Taz Essa, Pat Shafer Falkner, Tony Gangitano, Daniela Garcia, Kyoung Han, Andy Hann, Gina Herrera, Tom Lasley, Nancy Goodman Lawrence, Monica Marks, J.D. Mathes, Nelson Munares, Vojislav Radovanovic, Brian Reynolds, Emily Sunez, & Michael Usher.

Each artist had 48 inches of linear wall space to highlight their work. In a novel concept, artists collaborate with TAG’s in-house team of artist curators and staff to build each display.


Textile, fiber, zipper string


“Steppin'”, “Facing Darkness”, “White Zip” on wall, and “BedTime Story” (on pedestal).


“Ellipse” with the work of L. Aviva Diamond.

 

 

 

 

The Fantasticalness of Fiber

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I was honored to participate in FANTASTIC FIBERS 2021 at the Yeiser Art Center.
What a fantastic experience!

“One of  Yeiser Art Center’s most engaging and innovative international exhibitions, FANTASTIC FIBERS is showcasing a wide range of outstanding contemporary works related to the fiber medium.”

HISTORY:
The show began in 1987 as a wearable art show but has evolved over the years to include a compelling mix of traditional and non-traditional works created from natural or synthetic fibers, and work that addresses the subject or medium of fiber.  Paducah becomes a Mecca for quilters and quilt enthusiasts each April as more than 30,000 visitors from across the globe attend AQS QuiltWeek. 

I showed “PROFUSION”  a sculptural Artists’ Book made of book board, mulberry paper, paint, canvas, watercolor paper and hemp cord. It stands upright on a pedestal, shelf, table or another surface parallel to the floor. When opened, it can span up to 24.5″ wide:

JUROR:  Sandra Johnson
“My quilt journey started over 30 years ago and I continue to be inspired by the myriad of fabrics and techniques learned over time. I am a passionate teacher who encourages students to create unique fabric creations, whether the end product is a quilt or garment. Creating what is important to the maker is a joyful experience that I try to pass on in my workshops. Wherever you are in your design process my goal is to inspire your creative “genius” and improve your techniques. 
Hand sewing with my grandmother started it all. From the beginning, the process of transforming fabric into art struck me as magical. Sewing was the foundation that led me into quilting. What started as a hobby turned my passion into an artistic reality.
I love to hand stitch using the traditional Japanese Sashiko and Boro embroidery styles and incorporating them as a decorative feature into my designs. The concrete, repetitive nature of this work frees my imagination provides many opportunities for happy accidents and grace to influence the finished product.
My core materials for quilting are thread and fabric, however, I often employ recycled denim, yarns, dyed fabrics and stamps to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. I hold a B.S. in Clothing, Textiles and Design from Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
Recently, I discovered modern quilting: simple, crayoned patchworks that resonate deeply with my fiber work. Inspired and invigorated by a renewed sense of continuity, and awed by the mystery of how creation occurs, my process allows me to explore visions to enable my creative work to evolve and grow.” 

TOUR THE SHOW!!!!

Exhibitionista: Fantastic Fibers 2021 at the Yeiser Art Center

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I am honored to be showing in FANTASTIC FIBERS 2021 at the Yeiser Art Center.

“One of  Yeiser Art Center’s most engaging and innovative international exhibitions, FANTASTIC FIBERS is showcasing \a wide range of outstanding contemporary works related to the fiber medium.”

HISTORY:
The show began in 1987 as a wearable art show but has evolved over the years to include a compelling mix of traditional and non-traditional works created from natural or synthetic fibers, and work that addresses the subject or medium of fiber.  Paducah becomes a Mecca for quilters and quilt enthusiasts each April as more than 30,000 visitors from across the globe attend AQS QuiltWeek. 

I am showing “PROFUSION”  a sculptural Artists’ Book made of book board, mulberry paper, paint, canvas, watercolor paper and hemp cord. It stands upright on a pedestal, shelf, table or another surface parallel to the floor. When opened, it can span up to 24.5″ wide

 

JUROR:  Sandra Johnson
“My quilt journey started over 30 years ago and I continue to be inspired by the myriad of fabrics and techniques learned over time. I am a passionate teacher who encourages students to create unique fabric creations, whether the end product is a quilt or garment. Creating what is important to the maker is a joyful experience that I try to pass on in my workshops. Wherever you are in your design process my goal is to inspire your creative “genius” and improve your techniques. 
Hand sewing with my grandmother started it all. From the beginning, the process of transforming fabric into art struck me as magical. Sewing was the foundation that led me into quilting. What started as a hobby turned my passion into an artistic reality.
I love to hand stitch using the traditional Japanese Sashiko and Boro embroidery styles and incorporating them as a decorative feature into my designs. The concrete, repetitive nature of this work frees my imagination provides many opportunities for happy accidents and grace to influence the finished product.
My core materials for quilting are thread and fabric, however, I often employ recycled denim, yarns, dyed fabrics and stamps to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. I hold a B.S. in Clothing, Textiles and Design from Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
Recently, I discovered modern quilting: simple, crayoned patchworks that resonate deeply with my fiber work. Inspired and invigorated by a renewed sense of continuity, and awed by the mystery of how creation occurs, my process allows me to explore visions to enable my creative work to evolve and grow.” 

TOUR THE SHOW!!!!

PRAIRIE

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“Prairie”, 2018

Inspired, I guess, by the Midwest landscape I was raised in…once all prairie lands, now leafy and not so leafy suburbs reaching to Chicago.

I began the piece, then realized what it was about, as pure a way of working as I can think of at this moment.

The color.

Illinois.
The Chicago suburbs.
Iowa.
Iowa City.

The fields.

The rolling hills.

The endless vistas with no water to speak of.

The place.

Texture.

The texture of a place.


Book board covers. Covers covered in torn strips of tissue paper.


Accordion-fold watercolor paper spine, covered with the same.


Jute cord sewn, stitched and falling.


Board pages become landscape.


Cover stitching.


Spine and page stitching.


Falling cord…


Other side.

“Prairie”, 2018
Book board, board, watercolor paper, tissue paper, jute cord

“The Book as Art 2018: PULP”

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The Book as Art 2018 is an exhibition organized by the Decatur Arts Alliance, the Georgia Center for the Book and the DeKalb Library Foundation.

This sixth year of “The Book as Art” is called:
Book as Art v6: Pulp
Juried by Lisa Beth Robinson, Stephanie Smith and Cynthia Nourse Thompson,
the show runs August 10–September 28  and is open during library hours.
It is held in The Periodicals Gallery of the Decatur Library,
215 Sycamore St., Decatur, Ga.

“A book begins as a small mass of material, formed and pressed into life by ideas, words, and machines. Pulp becomes paper, becomes thought, becomes word, becomes book, becomes sculpture.

Pulp is the impetus and endgame of these physical book objects. From the tactile complexity of handmade paper, to the sensational tabloid tales of pulp fiction, these objects, in an increasingly digital world, stubbornly survive.

These objects interpret the concept of the book and invite the viewer to look beyond the printed page to where word has become form.

Book As Art: Pulp is the sixth edition of this critically acclaimed artist book exhibition established by the Decatur Arts Alliance in 2013. Entries hail from across the United States and around the world, and from emerging artists as well as recognized masters in the genre. The Book As Art is pleased to present these examples from the finest in the field.” — The Book As Art 2018

I am honored to have two pieces in the show:

Profusion
Artists’ Book/Sculpture
2018, 8.75″ x 24.5″ x 7.75″, book board, paper, hemp cord, canvas


Inside


Detail


Outside

and

Burning Bush
Artists’ Book/Sculpture
2018, 7.5″ x 11″ x 5.5″, book board, paper, hemp cord, canvas


Inside


Detail


Outside

I wish I could see the show.
Los Angeles is just too far away from Georgia!

If You can, please do!
And don’t miss the
Closing Reception | white glove night
Friday, Sept. 27 | 6-8 pm
Join us for one last look at these works of book art. And we’re putting away the “do not touch” signs. Volunteers will provide participants with white gloves to allow firsthand exploration of the books in the exhibition. ––The Book as Art 2018

Sounds like black tie optional, white gloves required.

I hope many view and enjoy before that time.

Kudos to the jurors and organizers on what looks to be a sublime effort.

GrAtItUdEs