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Hey, do these look familiar? I save all those things my camper's leave behind at the studio after camp. This piece is made up of sewing challenges from my 'collection' and was created for the 100th Monkey Studio's 5th anniversary show. The call for art was to create a piece that was about the process of making art.

Here is what I wrote about the piece for the sale:
When students first learn to operate a sewing machine I give them small pieces of muslin, or 'sewing challenge' which they must follow in order to move onto more complicated projects. In order to complete the challenge the student must first follow the line, then stitch in between the lines and finally design their own challenge to sew.

What is discarded and edited in the process of creating art and design are as valuable to me as a definitive design decision. As a young art student I had a strict fine arts teacher who forbid us to use erasers. The lines you chose to leave behind, she taught us, are of equal importance as the lines you chose to incorporate. Instead of erasing lines I drew with timid pencil lines that my instructor called "ghosts." She wanted us to make bold confident decisions. After much resistance to the visibility of my process I finally understood my professor. The 'ghost lines' I drew told the story of how I arrived at my final decision. I saved my own student's discarded work for the same reason. It was the story of how they learned to sew.

My piece "What was left behind" is made up of student sewn design challenges which were left or thrown in the trash at the end of the class.

Title of piece: What was left behind
Media: Muslin, Thread, Linen, Ink
dimensions: 17" x 22 1/2"

I was fortunate to be a founding board member of the 100th Monkey Studio  and I have enjoyed watching it grow and thrive over the past five years. Please come and support them  on Friday, September 14th and buy some art!

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