Lorraine Woodruff-Long Greg Climer Alice Wu

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion featuring three artists who challenge conventional ideas associated with quilting and fiber art, using these mediums to blend the personal with the political. The panelists, Lorraine Woodruff-Long, Greg Climer, and Alice Wu, each use textile arts as a platform for bold cultural and political expression.

Seemingly traditional quilts are the site of powerful statements made by Lorraine Woodruff-Long and Greg Climer, while Alice Wu uses up cycled fabric remnants to create forums for cultural and individual thought.  For Woodruff-Long, the traditional quilt becomes the site for the politically activist expressions. Combining feminism and gun-control , she writes, “I wish my uterus shot bullets so the Government wouldn’t regulate it” in black letters which are sewn with white threads onto a quilt of varying shades of pink squares with the words ringed by mostly white doilies.  (Image 2).  The traditional history of quilting is unraveled and made powerfully political.

Artist Greg Climer uses quilts to explore queer identity and masculinity. Because quilting has long been associated with "women's work," Climer often faces questions of gender appropriation for his use of this medium. His work features images of the queer male body, such as men in an intimate embrace and male cowboys on horseback, pixelated into quilted squares that challenge heteronormative structures (Image 3 and Image 4). His use of quilting for queer subject matter pushes back against gendered and societal expectations.

Alice Wu, whose exhibition, for you or someone you know, is currently on display in the gallery  Wu’s use of upcycled textiles draws on a former career in fashion.  Her sculpture,Bluestone (Image 6) was inspired by the Chinese scholar stone in form, which maybe obvious to those familiar with the cultural item of aesthetic appreciation, but less evident is the choice of fabric used by Wu.  The fabric is printed with the images of Western colonial figures, that have been erased with the Prussian Blue paint on Bluestone. (Image 8) Wu explains, “…covering this colonial imagery can have powerful metaphorical implications. I leave those questions and answers to the viewer.”

PARTICIPANTS:
LORRAINE WOODRUFF-LONG

Lorraine Woodruff-Long is a self-taught artist with a passion for quilting. Recognizing the stereotype of quilts often viewed as a “lesser” art form historically made by women for the home, she uses her “commentary quilt” series as a way to personally process and express the political, social and environmental madness and challenges of our times, creating provocative and subversive quilts that address abortion rights, gun violence, climate change, and challenges to our democracy.
QUILTINGINTHEFOG.COM, @quiltinginthefog

Image 1 (left): Woodruff-Long in front of  The Number of Holes, 2023, Repurposed denim, Machine appliquéd, pieced and quilted. 
Image 2 (right) Woodruff-Long, I wish my uterus shot bullets, 2022, 36″ x 36″, Cotton with appliqué vintage lace and doilies

GREG CLIMER

Greg Climer is a textile creator whose work explores how textiles and technology converge, with a particular focus on queer identity and tropes of masculinity. Originally a student of theatre design, Greg graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Design and Technology at Parsons School of Design from where he started his career in fashion design, working for brands including Victoria’s Secret Runway Show and Karl Lagerfeld, before establishing his own menswear label. Greg’s work crafts a patchwork of memories, emotions, and moments, resulting in an exploration of perception. Today, Greg serves as chair of the fashion program at California College of the Arts.

His work has been shown at the DeYoung Museum (SF), Museum of Craft and Design (SF), Museum of Art and Design (NYC), Mint Museum of Fine Art (NC), Leslie Lohmann Museum (NYC), and others. 

Image 3 (left): Greg Climer, Couple embracing, Quilted printed textiles, 100% cotton with cotton batting
Image 4 (center): Greg Climer, Three cowboys, Quilted printed textiles, 100% cotton with cotton batting
Image 5 (right): Greg Climer, Young man with ice cream cone #2 Quilted printed textiles, 100% cotton with cotton batting

ALICE WU

Alice Wu is a multidisciplinary artist raised in the United States and Taiwan. Her practice draws from a former career in fashion to explore themes of performance in everyday life, self-presentation, and reinvention after loss. 

Wu's textile journey began with exploring the relationship between fashion and the performance of everyday life. As a designer, Wu carefully sourced materials, considering sustainability, supply chain traceability, and the socio-cultural implications of production and manufacturing choices. In the current exhibition for you or someone you know, Wu continues this material, technical, and conceptual approach.

Wu has created abstract sculptures, loosely inspired by scholar rocks, using archival textiles from her former clothing line, upholstery remnants, and natural fibers such as kapok. These works investigate the structural possibilities of fabric and thread, pushing the boundaries of textile art. 

The work is informed by Wu's interests in the history of textile technologies and the cultural aspects of surface design, printing, dyeing, and weaving, as well as small batch manufacturing and the movement of textile goods and textile knowledge across cultures. 

Wu encourages viewers to think about where fabrics come from, how they're made, their cultural implications, and the impact of our clothing and textile choices on each other and on the planet. 

Image 6 (left) Bluestone,  2024, 24 x 11.5 x 7 inches, Acrylic on cotton silk, wool, organic cotton, fabric remnants, wood.
Image 7 (middle) Bluestone, detail
Image 8 (right) Bluestone, work in progress, unpainted structure
Image 9 (right) Bluestone, base fabric.

Other Referenced Works
Alice Wu, Instar, 2019, Wood, fabric, polyester fill, 16 x 16 x 16 inches

MAG GALLERIES

MAG Galleries features a broad spectrum of voices and perspectives, ensuring our exhibitions and programs reflect the rich diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area.  MAG Galleries aspires to be a catalyst for artistic dialogue and cultural enrichment by providing a unique platform that showcases San Francisco Bay Area arts.