THE WEAVING MILL
Matti Sloman [2007, Painting + 2014, MFA Textiles]
Emily Winter [2015, MFA Textiles]
Based in Chicago, IL
The Weaving Mill’s RISD Craft Gallery
The Weaving Mill is the collaborative studio of Matti Sloman and Emily Winter. We are an artist-run industrial weaving studio in Chicago. We make projects of our own, textile and otherwise, that respond to the practice of running a small industrial mill. We design and make fabric in collaboration with other artists and designers. Working with people of diverse textile experience, we aim to fill the space between the hand and industrially made and bring the mechanics of textile production into wider view. We design, create, and finish everything ourselves in our Chicago studio.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
The Weaving Mill serves as a multifaceted organization: it’s our personal studio, a design studio, a classroom, a residency program, and a production facility. The unifying practices across all of these programs is a commitment to observation, research, and dedication to using overlooked or under-utilized resources whether it be yarn scraps, machinery or physical space. Our designed objects are mostly made with scrap or deadstock yarns. Using the materials available as the foundation, we think hard about how to design towards the best application, or end use, for the fabric we make. Aside from the Artist Collaborations, projects where we throw a lot of rules to the wayside, we strive for TWM objects to be accessible and timeless, but with playful personality.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
We co-founded The Weaving Mill in the summer of 2015 after meeting at RISD while earning MFAs in Textiles.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
This year we will be bringing a collection of throw blankets, table napkins, bath and hand towels that we really stand behind. All the objects are machine washable, something we find to be important since we want these things to be loved and used without fear of feeling precious. The table napkins in particular are exciting since no two napkins are the same yet they are unified by materiality and by color. It’s a fun play on pattern mixing and we think makes for a stylish and unique table.
Anything else you’d like to share?
We were recently profiled for a very thoughtful piece in Ignant Magazine: https://www.ignant.com/2018/01/16/approaching-the-industrial-as-an-artist-the-weaving-mill-in-chicago/
We have been included in the New City Design 50: https://design.newcity.com/2018/03/01/design-50-who-shapes-chicago-2018/
And we were featured on Chicago Tonight for the work we do in collaboration with Envision Unlimited: https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2018/01/10/west-town-textile-studio-finds-common-threads-community
To see more of The Weaving Mill’s work, visit www.theweavingmill.com
A.T. PRATT
A.T. Pratt
[2013, Illustration]
Based in Brooklyn, NY
A.T. Pratt’s RISD Craft Gallery
*2018 Emerging Artist Award winner
I am a cartoonist, designer, writer, illustrator, and fine artist. I make comics, illustrations, and prints that take many forms. A lot of my comics and other printed work features tricks and special features such as fold-outs, pop-ups and peek-a-boos.
I am also Chief Creative Officer of MrMiSocki, a sock brand that comes with comics about the characters (who are the socks). I have designed 12 socks so far and illustrated 3 comics that come with each set. My work was included in the Society of Illustrators’ Comics and Cartoon Art Annual 3 years in a row: 2014, 2015, and 2016. MrMiSocki won the Silver Medal in the MoCCA (Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art) Awards of Excellence in the Special Format category in 2017. Besides MrMiSocki, I write and self-publish all of my comics, which range in subject matter from semi auto-bio stories about my dog walking day job to funny animal stories featuring my own original character Miggy Mouse.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My first assignment completed in Chris Buzelli’s Contemporary Illustration class (a class where we could answer the prompt in any way we chose), I made 3 comic pages and put them on the wall for critique. He said they reminded him of underground comics or zines, but he wished he could flip through them like they were the actual thing. So for every class after that, him and every classmate each got a little mini-comic or zine printed by me to answer the prompt for that week’s class. Printing the finished product plus distributing it to the little audience I had of my class every week was a great push in the right direction to where I am now, self-publishing and selling my work at art sales and comics festivals.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I have created comics and pop-up dioramas and many other printed paper products that take a great variety of forms. I like to show the limitless potential of drawings on paper to convey time and space, and although I feel I have only scratched the surface, I have many strategies and experiments to share that I hope will be inspiring to others. I am also particularly excited about sharing Mr. MiSocki, my brand of solo socks designed by me, who have leapt out of a comic book illustrated by me. This is the first example I know of fashion come to life, and I can’t wait to share these characters and designs along with the story that comes with them.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
MrMiSocki Volume 1 (my first set of mismatched socks and accompanying comic book) awarded the Silver Medal in the MoCCA (Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art) Awards of Excellence 2017 in the Special Format category.
“Live at the Grelman #3: Rhu Barb” (the third in an anthology series created with fellow alumni Vinnie Neuberg and Derek Timm-Brock) selected for Society of Illustrators’ Comic and Cartoon Art Annual 2016 in the short form category.
“Pop Pup Dog Day” (my first pop-up comic book with a multi-layed pop-up fold-out presentation) selected for Society of Illustrators’ Comic and Cartoon Art Annual 2015 in the special format category.
“Stupid Cupid” (my first comic with a pop-up center fold-out spread) selected for first Comic and Cartoon Art Annual 2014 in the short form category.
To see more of A.T.’s work, visit atpratt.net
KENDALL REISS
Kendall Reiss
[2011, MFA Jewelry + Metalsmithing]
Based in Bristol, RI
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
In my work I combine natural and found materials with precious metal to produce jewels that are one-of-a-kind. Above all, simplicity, wearability and femininity are the primary considerations in my process of design and hand fabrication. My background in geology and my fascination with the natural world factor heavily in material choices, design combinations, and construction of the final object. Each piece is fabricated entirely by hand in my studio in Bristol, RI. The resulting work is clean and sophisticated; a synthesis of minimal forms, hard and soft elements, and texturally sumptuous materials combined to produce contemporary wearable art.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My current creative practice spans several different areas of inquiry. While at RISD, I learned to integrate my background in science into my artistic practice at the jewelers bench. Research – be it material or theoretical is an enormous part of the work I make. Time spent at the Nature Lab, the RISD Museum, and the Fleet Library, Special Collections, and Picture Collection helped to fuel and expand the definition of what research meant for my work. I still visit these places as an alum, and I bring by RISD CE students to these places for inspiring their projects and helping them to discover their interests as artists.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
In my work, I focus on two separate yet parallel modes of inquiry: the design and fabrication of contemporary jewelry alongside material experiments, which result in sculptural objects and time-based installations. A native of Bristol, Rhode Island, I grew up exploring the rocky shoreline of Narragansett Bay. I attended Dickinson College where I received a BS in Geology, which provides the visual training and hands-on approach I now use to conduct and record my studio-based investigations.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I am joining the full time faculty at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University in Boston this fall as a Professor of the Practice and co-director of the Senior Thesis Program. The position officially began in September!
Recent interview with Josh Fenton for GoLocalLive: http://www.golocalprov.com/live/Artist-Kendall-Reiss-Is-Helping-to-Drive-the-Rhode-Island-Economy
Recent interview with Boston Voyager: http://bostonvoyager.com/interview/meet-kendall-reiss-kendall-reiss-gallery-studio-gallery-located-bristol-rhode-island-however-teach-full-time-boston-school-museum-fine-arts-tufts-universi/
Nominated for the 2017 U.S. Small Business Administration, Rhode Island Woman Small Business Owner of the Year Award.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I operate an art venue in the East Bay called Kendall Reiss Gallery & Studio. The gallery is located at 469 Wood Street, Bristol, RI 02809. I opened the gallery officially on July 21, 2017 after purchasing the property in January of 2017 and undergoing six months of renovations at 469 Wood Street. I partnered with South Eastern Economic Development (SEED) Corporation, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, and Bank 5 to secure funding for the project.
The summer exhibition at the gallery featured work by Alyn Carlson, Tanya Crane, and fellow RISD alum, Arpie Gennetian. Surface to Substrate explores the concept of landscape through the lens of three contemporary artists. Works in the exhibition employ a wide variety of media including Carlson’s paintings and drawings inspired by the stark Icelandic landscape, delicate mixed media collages by Gennetian, in combination with Crane’s intricate sgraffito enamel jewelry. [On View: July 2 – August 31, 2018]
To see more of Kendall’s work, visit kendallreiss.com
DOT DOT WORKSHOP
Anna Highsmith
[1997, Industrial Design]
Based in Providence, RI
Dot Dot Workshop’s RISD Craft Gallery
My work is about texture, pattern, touch, and contrast. I roll stoneware clay into soft, flexible slabs, and then cut and wrap and bend and stretch those slabs into pots: mugs, cups, bowls, and plates. Each pot is made by my own hands, and the marks of texture and pattern are a record of my movements and decisions as I work. My mind, my hands and the material are my essential tools. When the pots are finished, I send them out into the world, to be discovered and handled by people who investigate the choices I’ve made with their own eyes and fingers. Each piece of my work strings a silent, intimate through-line from my studio through the public realm, into someone’s else’s home and daily life. I see my pots primarily as tangible tenderness delivery vessels. As an introvert who loves humans, but usually in small, infrequent doses, I find this a very satisfying arrangement.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
I’m a little bit obsessed with efficiency, which can either hold me back or lead to new directions in my work, depending on the day. I’ve definitely spent a few hours making something I don’t love just so I didn’t waste a dollar’s worth of material. But I also arrange my workflow in a way that I find satisfying, and that usually results in work that I feel good about. Lately, I’m cutting my soft clay scraps into uniform circles that I can make tiny dishes out of. The tiny pieces are low-stakes enough that I can be experimental without worrying about wasting time and material, and I really love the feeling of approaching a whole table full of little blank plates, waiting for me to paint, carve, stamp, stencil, inlay, and incise to my heart’s content. During this scrap-using and experimenting, I often discover new marks or imagery that finds its way onto larger pots. And if they end up being kind of lame, then hey, at least they’re small. And that’s why seconds sales exist.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My favorite part of my time in Industrial Design was experimenting with different materials. I made things out of wood, metal, fabric, cardboard, paper, plaster, and ceramic. The most satisfying projects were always the ones where I felt like my understanding of the material shaped my final design in a way that made the solution seem obvious and natural. Now I only work with clay, but all my material explorations in school have informed the way I approach it. One of the exciting things about clay is that the material can have completely different attributes, depending on how dry it is, and whether or not it’s been fired. It can be fluid, ductile, drapable, resilient, carvable, rigid, and (finally) stonelike, waterproof, and ready to last millenia (so, no pressure). I love the clay at every stage, and I’m always working to understand it better. When I make marks in the clay and the glaze, my goal is to show the nature of the material, so that the user gets a little window into the processes behind the finished object.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
In terms of direct aesthetic choices, I’m mostly inspired by the nature and potential of my materials and my tools. The look of my work evolves in direct relationship with my learning, experimenting and repeated practice. I also get a lot out of the teaching that I do. The best classes are where there’s a group of people all ready to try and fail and learn and talk about it. The shared space and time with eight or ten brains all working on similar challenges is a super-rich opportunity, and I love how we all learn different things while sharing the same space. I think a lot about what it means to create a space that allows people to be brave, take risks, try things, and fail. I try to be as patient with myself in the studio as I hope I am with my students.
In terms of external inspiration, the things that can bring me pure aesthetic joy include loading docks, retaining walls, millstones, aglets, grommets, casters, eyedroppers, belt loops, spools, conveyor belts, drive belts, bricks, rubber mallets, feed dogs, bodkins, dry beans, pallet knives, whisk brooms, basins, ladles, embroidery and hasps. Also the word “hasps.”
To see more of Anna’s work, visit dotdotworkshop.com
ALICIA BURNETT
Alicia Burnett
[2013, Illustration]
Based in Schenectady, NY
Wolf Jaw Press’ RISD Craft Gallery
Wolf Jaw Press is an independent screen printing studio located in Upstate New York just north of Albany. Founded by Alicia Burnett in 2015, Wolf Jaw Press focuses on celebrating the beauty of nature with small limited edition runs of handcrafted prints. From start to finish, every part of the printing process is done by hand. Working by hand is messy and labor intensive, but it is a rewarding and humbling process that yields breathtaking results.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
The most important practice for my creative process is reminding myself that it’s okay to take breaks and have a life outside of my work. I am much more creative and productive when I’m well rested and happy. Everyone at RISD has such a tremendous work ethic and I think it’s really easy for young artists to fall into the trap of becoming a workaholic. At times it can seem glamorous, romantic, or even required to slave over your work – sacrificing basic self care in the pursuit of creation. I’ve learned that good time management, self care, and stepping away from my studio every once and a while contributes to my ability to think creativity create good work.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I learned to screen print at RISD and I’ve never looked back! I was an undergraduate in the Illustration department where I was introduced to a lot of different creative processes, methodologies, and medias. The illustration department is great; I loved the fact that we were encouraged to experiment and take creative risks as we searched to find a process or media that really clicked with us. In my creative quest, I ventured outside of the Illustration department to take an elective screen printing studio with the Printmaking department and I completely fell in love with the process. The modality of screen printing, the structure and parameters it provided, felt freeing.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
The inspiration for my art stems from my lifelong fascination with and affinity for the animal world. From the time I was old enough to comprehend that I shared this earth with other living, breathing, non-human beings called “animals,” I’ve been obsessed with observing and learning about the diverse creatures that walk, swim, and fly on this planet.
I remember as a young child begging my parents for horseback riding lessons. I was less excited about riding the horses and more interested in the simple pleasure of spending time in the presence of such exquisite beauty and unrestrained power. Standing on the ground next to a horse and sharing an intimate moment as two equals invokes a feeling of intense awe and reverence. It’s these kinds of feeling and these kinds of experiences that really inspire me.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
Recently, I’ve been creating a lot of bird of prey prints that I’m pretty excited about. Birds of prey seem to be my current animal fixation at the moment.
To see more of Alicia’s work, visit wolfjawpress.com
RICKY BOSCARINO
Ricky Boscarino
[1982, Jewelry + Metalsmithing]
Based in New Jersey
Ricky Boscarino’s RISD Craft Gallery
My jewelry work is created by the repoussé method as well as traditional fabrication. Sterling silver and bronze are my main materials. I also incorporate found objects and antique glass stones.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Channeling sources of inspiration is my most important practice. Since I live and work in my great work in progress which is my home and studio every day is an adventure in creativity. I have the ability to switch media from metal, clay, glass, wood and cement and many others which I dabble. My work is mixed media and this is one of my most important practices.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I look back on my years at RISD as incredibly productive and inspiring. I feel just as inspired as ever and even more so that I am passionate with my current work. RISD showed me the abundance of creativity which I carry with me everyday.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
My home Luna Parc is my main Well-Spring of inspiration. It is my 30 year obsession. Since 1989 the house and grounds have been developed by me into a museum and sculpture park.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
My articulated insect jewelry pieces are certainly my most favorite to make. Since my youth I’ve been an entomologist and now as a working artist I have incorporated this concept into my work. The insect pieces are made of sterling silver and bronze. The appendages, head, thorax and antennae are fully articulated with minute rivets. These I consider my signature pieces.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I’ve been featured on several home shows on HGTV for Luna Parc: Extreme Homes, Home Strange Home, Extreme Cribs. Also on TLC on a show called Four Houses and on a Canadian TV show called Home Work.
To see more of Ricky’s work, visit lunaparc.com
ELANA CARELLO SWEATERS
Elana Leanna
[1984, Apparel Design]
Based in Cranston, RI
Elana Carello’s RISD Craft Gallery
I like to create whimsical and unique knitwear with a retro influence. I love designing sweaters because you can design the entire garment. For me, designing sweaters is the closest an apparel designer comes to fine art. I want my sweaters to be wearable art in the most tasteful way. I want them to feel good as well as make the wearer look good and be happy – the first reaction when customers see my sweaters is always a smile. My process begins with my sketching the sweater, choosing yarn and colors and deciding how to knit the fabric. I create a life-size layout and decide on type and size of the yarn. I often knit a first swatch or prototype and then instruct my partner how to knit the garments on jacquard machines; this includes gauge, stitch, number of ends of yarn, and specifications for each size and garment. Everything is done under my instruction and supervision in the USA.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
I’m inspired by so many things. Pop culture, music, and art all contribute to my desire to create. The work of the great fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, is perhaps the most inspiring, tho. After I watch a Chanel fashion show, I’m dying to sketch.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I’m always thinking about what I learned at RISD, especially from Professors Lorraine Howes and Marie Clarke. Their words, advice, and the work ethic they taught me are still with me.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
Our sweaters were featured in the last season of The Mindy Project. I’m including my early rough sketches here.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
Yes. I decided this year to design a sweater that did not have any of my signature patterns, and that also incorporated woven material. As a small company, I have to be cautious about taking risks, but I’m very excited about this one.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I’m so happy to be back at the Sale.
To see more of Elana’s work, visit elanacarellosweaters.com
DWRI LETTERPRESS
Dan Wood [1994, Printmaking]
Alums also at DWRI:
Lois Harada [2010, Printmaking] +
Hope Anderson [2013, Printmaking]
Based in Providence, RI
DWRI Letterpress is a custom letterpress shop based in Providence, RI. We specialize in fine art edition printing, stationery, pencils and paper goods. DWRI is a team of three RISD alumni balancing traditional letterpress techniques with a contemporary aesthetic.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
I’ve always been interested in multiples and began working as a press operator in commercial offset lithographic printing for ten years after art school. I was also printing my own work on letterpress presses at the same time and founded Garbaszawa Press in 1994 to print a mix of letterpress and offset books and print for myself and other artists. I reestablished the business in 2002 as DWRI Letterpress focusing solely on commercial letterpress printing. There are so many printers and printmakers who have inspired me along the way, but particularly artist’s like Saul Steinberg who worked on that line between fine art and world and the world off mass production.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
We’re excited to debut our new line of cards for all occasions or just everyday. We’ve also got some great new notecards and stationery sets as well as some editioned art prints from shop and in collaboration with local artists.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
We had a spotlight feature in the summer in the Providence Business News. It was a great platform to share our work and has led to some interesting follow up calls.
Dan has had work featured in Art in Print, a publication specializing in fine art printing. His print “Emanuel 9” has also been purchased by Wheaton College.
Hope completed a stunning animation for local band Mountainess earlier this year. Doe-Eyed Nightling is available to view online and Mountainess performs with a recently released side scrolling animation also designed and produced by Hope.
Lois completed a show at World’s Fair Gallery of two color letterpress prints in June.
To see more from DWRI visit dwriletterpress.net
ELYSE ALLEN TEXTILES
Elyse Allen
[2000, Textiles]
Based in New Mexico
Elyse Allen Textiles RISD Craft Gallery
I make fine knit accessories – hats, scarves, and fingerless gloves. I find the best materials I can, because they’re worth it and they last, and make the work by hand where I live because it’s better for the work and better for my neighborhood. I love to mix yarns, to play with colors and patterns, and to make them all explode a little bit with some sparkle and gleam. Cashmere gives beauty, warmth and durability; Swarovski crystals activate the surface, adding depth and motion. I try to make my pieces special to be near, like reuniting people with their long-lost favorite thing.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Meditation helps me create space needed for the creativity to arise. Hiking and walking in nature are also integral.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
The drawing and sketchbook practice are still an important part of my creative process. The freshman year full of Drawing class and the year in Rome with EHP (96-97) were really formative in learning to use drawing to work through ideas on paper.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Nature for color and pattern and traveling the wide world around!
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I’m excited to show my new collection of colorful cashmere embellished fingerless gloves!
Anything else you’d like to share?
I recently left my home and studio in Manhattan and moved out to the beautiful desert in New Mexico!
To see more of Elyse’s work, visit elyseallentextiles.com
WANDERLUST CERAMICS
Craig Crawford
[1981, Textiles]
Based in Jamestown, RI
Wanderlust Ceramics’ RISD Craft Gallery
My ceramic pieces are made from hand rolled slabs which are silkscreened in one color and then formed over plaster molds. More colors can be added after the first firing. I use images from old copper etchings or engravings as well as hand drawn background patterns to create my silkscreens. This technique allows the images to be layered or areas to be masked out and other designs dropped in. Many of the images I use relate to Natural History. I am inspired by the botanists of the 17th and 18th centuries and their skill of recording their detailed observations.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
Although I currently work with clay, previously I was a Jacquard fabric designer for 10 years. I use a silkscreening technique which I learned during my time at RISD and incorporated that as well as hand drawn fabric designs into my clay pieces. RISD prepares you to be creative across different mediums, no matter what your major.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
I am particularly fascinated with the botanists of the 17th and 18th centuries and their cabinets of curiosities. The Nature Lab at RISD, which is an amazing cabinet of curiosity, was one of my favorite places to spend time and I was lucky enough to have a work study there.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I started making ceramic sconce lighting last year and will be showing these new pieces as well as my tabletop collection.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
Two pieces were featured in the Rhode Island Monthly magazine under local artisans in the Home Design 2018 edition. In 2017 I was awarded a RISCA grant to participate in the show Object of my Affection with 2 other artists at the TF green Airport which was up for 3 months.
To see more of Craig’s work, visit wanderlustceramics.com