Woven: Art, Craft, and Healing is an exhibition that will focus on community engagement and learning methods of dealing with the effects of mental illness through fiber crafting therapy. Opening at Gallery CA in Baltimore, MD, on June 7th, and on view through June 30th, 2022, this exhibit welcomes audiences of all kinds, but focuses on African American communities in Baltimore—which research indicates are the most in need of access to mental health care. Woven features works by Katrina Sánchez Standfield and Tinglan Huang, two artists who use textiles for material exploration, cultural expression, and introspection. With forms ranging from traditional tapestries to woven sculptures and interactive installations, curator Yéjidé Washington opens a conversation to break down stigmas around mental health within Black communities and create safe spaces for contemplation and healing.
The exhibition includes a hands-on workshop that invites audiences to immerse themselves in fiber crafting and fiber craft therapy. Both the exhibition and the workshop aim to dispel stereotypes attached to fiber crafting: Younger Baltimore audiences may view knitting, crocheting, and weaving as hobbies for the older generation. Some may have never been exposed to these crafts at all. This exhibit reintroduces fiber crafting as a vibrant, contemporary creative medium and an effective tool for dealing with depression and anxiety.
Katrina Sánchez Standfield is an interdisciplinary textile artist born in the Republic of Panama and currently living and working in Charlotte, North Carolina. With an interest in texture, color, and touch, Katrina is inspired by both the history of textiles and its intrinsic connection to humanity. She creates works that explore social experiences and are often viewer interactive. Katrina received her BFA in Fibers from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Tinglan Huang is a mixed-media sculptor who was born and raised in the south of China. She received her MFA from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and her BFA in animation at LuXun Academy of Fine Arts, China. She is currently in a nine-month residency program at the Textile Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY.
Baltimore native, curator, artist, and travel enthusiast Yéjidé Washington earned her MFA in Curatorial Practice from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and her BA in history from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Yéjidé’s research and professional goals are to develop new tools for treating mental health through engagement with fiber art
MICA’s MFA in Curatorial Practice prepares students to determine how curators
will shape the cultural life of our global society. The first MFA of its kind in the
country, this program offers a hands-on curriculum that balances collaboration and
socially engaged practices with academic research in history and theory. Students
work in a variety of experimental contexts and formats, proposing alternative
models of exhibition-making, institution-building, and social justice through art.
Designed to forge connections among artists, institutions, and communities, the
program brings contemporary art and culture to new audiences and links local
issues to international discourse. By creating real-world collaborative and individual exhibitions, our students raise awareness, bridge societal gaps, and catalyze exchanges across various disciplines, both inside and outside the artworld.
