Solo Exhibition: Many Mothers
Rachael Sterner
Dates: March 24th- April 8th, 2017
Opening Reception: Friday March 24th, 6-9 PM
Glass Rice is proud to present Many Mothers, a solo exhibition of new works by Rachael Sterner. Sterner learned sewing and quilting from her mother, a beautiful process that has been carried down through generations of women in her family. She began to hone her skills through Youtube tutorials, thus pushing her work to be a combination of the historic craft of quilting with digital text. “I try to express my duality through my work, as a young tomboy from the middle of nowhere, immersed in quiltwork, not yet as an art form, and as my other side, a young artist living in the digital word, in the tech city.” - Rachael Sterner, 2017
Many Mothers is a culmination of textiles made through sewing, embroidery, and quilting, as well as ceramics and ready-made objects gathered in a singular space as an exercise in remembering, or misremembering, foundational people, emotionally intimate conversations, and traumatic events in Sterner’s life. In using text combined with images and/or patterns, she weaves messages through fabrics like a puzzle or clue to her viewers. One of the quilts in Many Mothers was made by Sterner’s mother, her grandmother, and great grandmother. In showing this piece alongside her own work is to pay homage to all the female artists who came before her and never imagined that their quilt work would be in a formal gallery setting. Sterner is pushing the boundaries of an ancient skill once reserved for women confined to their homes and evolving it into a process that has allowed her to not only emphasize the strength in the history and community of women makers, but also through bridging the gap between the simplicity of quiltwork and the digital landscapes of our world today.
Rachael Sterner
Dates: March 24th- April 8th, 2017
Opening Reception: Friday March 24th, 6-9 PM
Glass Rice is proud to present Many Mothers, a solo exhibition of new works by Rachael Sterner. Sterner learned sewing and quilting from her mother, a beautiful process that has been carried down through generations of women in her family. She began to hone her skills through Youtube tutorials, thus pushing her work to be a combination of the historic craft of quilting with digital text. “I try to express my duality through my work, as a young tomboy from the middle of nowhere, immersed in quiltwork, not yet as an art form, and as my other side, a young artist living in the digital word, in the tech city.” - Rachael Sterner, 2017
Many Mothers is a culmination of textiles made through sewing, embroidery, and quilting, as well as ceramics and ready-made objects gathered in a singular space as an exercise in remembering, or misremembering, foundational people, emotionally intimate conversations, and traumatic events in Sterner’s life. In using text combined with images and/or patterns, she weaves messages through fabrics like a puzzle or clue to her viewers. One of the quilts in Many Mothers was made by Sterner’s mother, her grandmother, and great grandmother. In showing this piece alongside her own work is to pay homage to all the female artists who came before her and never imagined that their quilt work would be in a formal gallery setting. Sterner is pushing the boundaries of an ancient skill once reserved for women confined to their homes and evolving it into a process that has allowed her to not only emphasize the strength in the history and community of women makers, but also through bridging the gap between the simplicity of quiltwork and the digital landscapes of our world today.
Spread the Word, 2017
Maple baseball bats with enamel paint on cotton and thread Size Varies 
Ready When You Are, 2016
Woodblock print on muslin, thread, quilted, embroidery 55 x 75 in. 
Sue Bonnet Sue, 1993
Cotton and thread quilted 70 x 90 in. |
Cut Grass, 2017
Serigraph, colored pencil on rag paper, and wool textile 30 x 50 in. 
The Slayer, 2016
Serigraph on cotton, linen and thread quilted 20 x 36 in. Weave Me Alone, 2017
Enamel paint on earthenware 23 x 20 in. |
Left: Defensive (blue), 2016Serigraph on cotton, flannel and thread quilted
27 x 40 in. Right: Defensive (red), 2016 Serigraph on cotton, flannel and thread quilted 27 x 40 in. 
Burrow Baby, 2017
Serigraph on cotton, linen and thread quilted 36 x 52 in. 
Mni Wiconi, 2017
Linen applique on silk 54 x 48 in. 
Getting Comfortable, 2016
Serigraph on various textiles, thread, quilted 26 x 120 in. I touched her skin with intentions to hurt.
I wanted to hurt her, like she did me. It was the first time I felt anger. And I wanted revenge. |
