Update: Click here (PDF) for Untitled #60 (Signature) program. RSVP on Facebook.
At the August 30 Untitled #60 (Signature) see the unveiling of the latest installation by local crochet mavens, Ladies Fancywork Society. Their new work, titled Garden of the DAM(ed), will be a crochet garden, cascading over the entrance to the DAM's North Building. LFS has been hard at work on this project for several months, designing magical flora and fauna (there will be crochet squirrels!) to adorn the wall. During Untitled, check out an artist chat at 6:45 and 7:30pm to hear about their creative process, then try your own hand at crocheting a knit tag for your 'hood. We recently stopped by the LFS headquarters to get a sneak peek of the piece and hear about their inspiration. Here are the highlights from our conversation.
Above: LFS assembling pieces for the new installation.
DAM: When you are working on a big installation like this, how do you start?
LFS: We come up with our ideas pretty quick. It doesn’t take us long to think of, ‘What are we going to do? Well it has to be this’. And then we sketch it and usually within half an hour we get started.
DAM: Do you have any rituals that are part of your creative process?
Tymla: Wine. Singing Disney songs together. Ludacris and Disney are two of our major influences.
Jesse: I would say it’s not really rituals, but just having a great time together.
DAM: Does your artwork evolve as it goes?
LFS: Yes, it evolves. We definitely always have a starting idea. We don’t stray too much from our idea, but sometimes someone will do something cool and we’ll decide that’s the direction we want to go.
DAM: What is the dynamic like working in a group and how are decisions made?
LFS: We’ve worked together for seven years, so it’s just like one person now. We never really argue about stuff.
DAM: What do you hope viewers gain from your work?
LFS: Happiness. The best thing we hear is when people walk by our work, they see it and they smile. It’s not functional, it's art. It makes us happy, and we want it to make other people happy.
DAM: Do you have any advice for someone wanting to be an artist or advice about being creative in everyday life?
LFS: Just do it. A lot of people have really good ideas and they want to do something and they don’t do it because of scaredy-pantsness, or they’re too busy, or the commute is really long….there is never going to be a really convenient time. We were just talking the other day that the starving artist thing is really real. If you are passionate about it, you just have to go all in and you do it. You make it work.
DAM: Do you have any other things you want to share about ideas, process or work?
LFS: We just want to keep doing this.
You can talk to Ladies Fancywork Society in person at Untitled #60 (Signature) on Friday, August 30, from 6-10 pm at the DAM. In addition to crocheting with LFS, you can take part in relay-style tour of three collections with DAM curators (stretching beforehand recommended), turn your nails into Rothko-inspired color fields, make a monogramed accessory with DPL's Fresh City Life, show off your signature moves in a dance battle with Brandi Shigley, take in the amazing weaving skills of this month's MakeARTtalk creative Barb Brophy and find out what Joan and Charlie are up to in the freight elevator pool. See you Friday!
