Luminosity accepted for On The Edge

I am happy and honored to share that Luminosity has been selected for On the Edge, a virtual SAQA exhibit. It will be on the newly revamped SAQA website from July 1 - August 31. The juror is Petra Fallaux.

From the juror's statement: “Art affords room for contemplation. It is my favorite way to lose myself and escape from reality. In the unfortunate and harsher reality of COVID times, I often find myself on edge. Seeking out breathing space is more important than ever. My hope is that this online exhibit offers its visitors a few moments of respite and of feeling connected. Most of all, I hope that the work provides a surge of inspiration: keep pushing that envelope!”

My submission statement: I was one of 22 artists selected nationwide to attend the James Webb Space Telescope Artist Event at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. I was able to meet engineers, technicians and other team members from the project, tour Goddard's Integration & Test facility, see the world's largest clean room facility, and view the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s next-generation space observatory.  I had time to sit in front of the mirror and create, which I spent hand stitching silk hexagons. Back in the studio, I made cyanotype and solar dye prints from my photographs. Cyanotype dates from the 1840s as a pioneering photography process; these and the dye prints were developed outdoors using UV rays from the sun. The border image is from the other end of the photo technology spectrum, taken with a fisheye lens on an iPhone and digitally printed. The center panel is my depiction of the early luminosity, going back 13.5 billion years, which the telescope will be able to detect.

One of the stated goals for this virtual exhibit was to showcase works that might be problematic to place in more traditional exhibit formats. Luminosity is a very large quilt, with a very specific theme and imagery, so I am doubly grateful to have this opportunity to share it. I am in very good company with the group of artists chosen, and I look forward to posting the link when the exhibit goes live.

You can read all about my visit to NASA Goddard and the making of this quilt (in reverse chronological order) by clicking on the James Webb Space Telescope tab at the top, or click here.

And you can follow my work in progress on your social media of choice:

Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/suerenostudio
Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/suereno
Tumblr: http://suerenostudio.tumblr.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sue_reno_studio/