Our Current Exhibit

Every month we feature a different artist, theme, or medium. Bookmark this page and come back often!

A Collaborative:  Playing with the Basket Cases

Charleston Crafts Gallery will host an exhibition of recent work by Marty Biernbaum and Dorinda Harmon November 11 - 30. The two artists collaborated on creating vessels and forms that use clay and fibers interwoven together into individual works. The synthesis of the clay forms and the traditional basketry techniques have produced exceptional pieces of decorative work.

The artists have been holding creative brainstorming sessions to make decisions about shapes, color, images, styles, and adornments. Even their spouses joined in by collecting and suggesting yard trash, driftwood, and other found objects that might enhance the artwork. Both bring a lifetime of creative energies to the project. “Sometimes it takes a couple of tries and some back-and-forth discussions for the final pieces to emerge. Half-waking dreams have provided both of us with ideas, resolutions, and inspirations throughout this creative endeavor.”

Biernbaum works in clay as well as two-dimensional painting, and mixed media art. Her themes often include female forms, bold colors, and found objects. She has spent a lifetime as a professional artist, often exhibiting humor and whimsy in her work. As her talents have matured, Biernbaum enjoys incorporating the tongue-in cheek side of being human and enjoys seeing and sharing the outcomes.

Harmon has been weaving baskets and teaching the craft for almost thirty years. She often incorporates items found both the roadsides, on beaches, and in the natural world. Her background also includes other fiber arts in quilting, marbling, and a variety of needlework. From traditional basket forms to mermaids she likes to start with a general concept of where she wants the piece to ends up and adds materials and colors as the work progresses, often with a surprise result.

The opening reception will be held on November 11, 2011, 5 – 7 p.m., at Charleston Crafts Gallery located at 161 Church Street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Both women have been long-time juried members of the crafts cooperative that began in 1989. For more information, contact the gallery at 843.723.2938.

Our next exhibit will be "The Threads that Bind Us", featuring work by fiber artists Iryna Toney and LuAnn Rosenzweig. There will be an open house for the exhibit on Friday December 2 from 5-8 PM.

Growing up LuAnn had something her friends did not – hand tailored, one of a kind dresses, skirts and pants made for her by her mother. As beautiful and unique as these garments were, LuAnn did not appreciate them; all she wanted was a pair of jeans! Fortunately, LuAnn realized what a treasure these hand made garments were and in 1975 bought her first sewing machine and started sewing. She started her current business, CRAZY JACQUETS in 2005 out of her love of all the beautiful
cotton prints found in local Charleston quilt shops. From these wonderful fabrics, she makes origami jackets that begin as 6 separate squares of fabric sewn together in a straight line. Through folding
and minimal cutting, the squares evolve into a swing jacket with raglan sleeves. In 2006, she won 1st place in the “Wearable Art”category at the Cobblestone Guilt Guild Show.

Iryna started knitting in her childhood. She says, "My grandma once showed me how to knit, the other grandma showed me how to make a stitch with a hook. At that point my education was done. I have taught myself, and therefore I make up my own patterns and designs, I am as yet still unable to read and execute a knitting pattern, and to be honest I have no intentions on learning that skill."

"I knit everything from the inspiration that I get from each new yarn that I see and touch.  My home constantly has the sound of clicking from my needles. I love knitting, creating and yarns like you wouldn't believe, my stacks of yarn are huge and I just can't knit as fast as I can think of new ideas."

 "Great passion for fiber with its unlimited possibilities enables me to use unconventional techniques to create my designs. My intent is to create functional pieces of exellent technical and artistic quality that any woman can be proud of to wear for many years."

LuAnn and Iryna both joined the Charleston Crafts Cooperative in 2010 and are big fans of each other’s work. LuAnn passes along all her small fabric scraps to Iryna who magically incorporates them into her hats, pillows and purses. Thanks to Iryna’s creative knitting, LuAnn has gotten inspired to pick up needles and start knitting as well. Come by the Gallery to see some of their wonderful wearable art!

Works by LuAnn Rosenzweig (click for larger view):

Work by Iryna Toney (click for larger view):