Craft in America will focus on the work of three individual artist: Jaime Guerrero, Gerardo Monterrubio and Consuelo Jimenez Underwood. These artists who use craft to articulate messages about American culture, personal experiences, Latino identity and the ever-mutating socio-political tensions that exist in Los Angeles and California as a whole.
The third and final exhibition will be a site-specific wall installation by acclaimed fiber artist Consuelo Jimenez Underwood, who was featured in Craft in America’s THREADS episode in 2012. Recently known for her series of large-scale depictions of geographic borderlines, Jimenez Underwood instills new meaning into the cartological representation of various border states and American cities. Incorporating various fiber materials, found objects, wire and nails, she creates powerful works of dynamic beauty that spark discussion about the boundaries that define place and identity. Jimenez Underwood’s art consistently reflects her personal tri-cultural perspective and fundamental belief in the interconnectedness of societies.
Jimenez Underwood will create a new borderline that will envelop the Craft in America Center. Selected students from Craft in America’s educational outreach program at Los Angeles public high schools will participate in a hands-on workshop with Jimenez Underwood during the course of her show at the Center. Jimenez Underwood will bring decades of college-level teaching experience to guide the students as they create, in Jimenez Underwood’s words: “an installation celebrating the inclusiveness of Latin American culture, where everyone thrives together.” The project will involve Jimenez Underwood working with the students to create amulet-like spiritual embellishments for her border installation. The ethnic diversity of our partner schools will certainly be reflected in the installation.
