Step Into the Textile Cocoon...

 

What to do with vintage textiles that are tucked away in closets and drawers? Bring them together in what is known as installation art. That's what artist Susan Lenz did in a recent exhibit at the Webber Gallery in Ocala, Florida. Installation art is defined as "large-scale mixed-media constructions designed for a specific space or temporary period of time." This display actually featured three installations by Susan. This one, titled "The Cocoon", was the largest and it was one viewers could walk through. Isn't this entrance a most inviting sight for textile lovers?

Susan stitched old quilt tops, tablecloths, doilies, quilt blocks, christening gowns, gloves, crochet pieces and more into panels and joined them all to form the cozy surround of vintage textiles. You can see a glimpse of a second installation, The Clothesline, suspended above Cocoon. She appliqued hands on the old dish towels and linens for this installation and used wooden pegs to hang them. 

A Carolina Lily quilt block became the seat for this folding chair placed invitingly in the exhibit. And we saw the many of the old calendar dish towels included. Remember those? At one time it was the go-to gift for children who saved their money to buy their moms a Christmas present every year. It was fun to see so many of them incorporated here.

Even Grandma's apron became part of the installation, displayed on a special tablecloth.

This stunning old wedding gown was gifted to Susan to add to her collection of vintage pieces and makes a wonderful focal point in Cocoon.

The variety of vintage pieces was impressive in the two-sided, surrounding Cocoon. I count at least a dozen different textiles just in this corner view. More if you count every yo-yo! Viewers could easily get lost in time as they became absorbed by the needlework on the individual pieces as well as in the body of the work. So much to see.

This poignant display may have been my favorite- The Loss. It's the third of Susan's installations in the gallery and it speaks to all losses in families from stillbirths and crib deaths to age-related deaths. Each garment is hand embroidered with redwork and the empty cradles are filled with bundles she fashioned from the scraps cut while making the many textile art pieces.

You can see how the light coming through the walls of Cocoon adds to the nostalgic feel of the installation. Susan added applique hands to the already intricately embroidered dresser scarf. The grand scale of installation art for textiles was truly impressive.

I got to meet Susan Lenz, right, when she presented an artist's talk at the college. Plenty of quilters along with art students from the college were in attendance while she told about her background and growth as a studio artist and answered questions about her installations. You can see a short video on The Cocoon on YouTube when it was presented in another, smaller venue. It's a treat. The beauty of the Webber Gallery is the space her work was given to be seen and appreciated.