What: Attention to Detail: An Exhibition of the Female Fabricator

When: Public reception, 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 5, 2020
Where: 1628 Ltd., 11 Garfield Pl, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Admission: Free Ticketed Event (http://bit.ly/2u7OX0Q)

Exhibition Duration:  March 5 – May 29

We are pleased to invite you to join 1628 Ltd. to view our newest exhibition, Attention to Detail: An Exhibition of the Female Fabricator

Attention to Detail features five local and regional artists, including Susan Byrnes, Margot Gotoff, Lori Nix, Jennifer Purdum, and Rachel Suzanne Smith.

Towards the end of modern art, many women began to abandon certain academic conventions of fine art. They began to embrace the domestic, and challenge what it means to create as a fine artist. They reevaluated traditional crafts, and placed them in galleries to contextualize and celebrate their importance. 

The traditional tools of domestic craft are nimble tools; a sewing needle, an embroidery hoop, a loom — all which embraced detail. These tools were more strongly associated with the feminine, while the tools of forging and fabrication became tied in with the masculine. In conversation with Attention to Detail artist, Susan Byrnes, she discussed how she believes people may not see metal as a feminine material due to its weight. Using power tools and forging with extreme heat to transform material, is seen as a masculine act.

“These stereotypes (that women do not work in these mediums) still manage to persist in art. Metal is heavy, so we see it as unattainable to the female artist. We struggle to see photography as feminine due to the intrusive and mechanical nature of the camera. And we do not see abstracts as feminine because of an old-age saturation of male painters, and the fear of women to take up space with only aesthetic intent.” – Annabel Biernat, Curator, 1628 Ltd.

“Since the inception of 1628, I knew it was part of my mission to support women where I could. For our art program, that means continuing to host yearly shows that feature the accomplishments of female artists. This show we are delving deeper, and highlighting the work of artists who represent the side of art-making that people do not associate with women. ” -Tamara Schwarting, CEO and Founder, 1628 Ltd.