The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) is pleased to present Selections from the Permanent Collection, a broad range of significant works produced in collaboration with the FWM through its renowned Artists-in-Residence program. Works by internationally recognized artists Miroslaw Balka, Barbara Bloom, Christine Borland, Willie Cole, Marie-Ange Guilleminot, Ann Hamilton, David Ireland, Glenn Ligon, Kiki Smith, Yukinori Yanagi, and artists from the Maisin Tribe of Papua New Guinea will be on view beginning March 6 through September 3, 2004.

	David Ireland in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Dumb Ball, 1989. Concrete. Each: 4 inches diameter. Photo: Aaron Igler.

Works featured in the exhibition include Barbara Bloom's Pictures from the Floating World, traditionally fabricated Japanese style screens depicting altered images of classic Ukiyo-e prints—erotic imagery known as floating world prints; Marie-Ange Guilleminot's Sea Urchin, a Tyvek sculpture ingeniously designed to create a cape, pillow, skirt, parachute, and tent; Yukinori Yanagi's The Forbidden Box, a beautiful and yet provocative installation of sheer fabric panels on which the printed image of the explosion of the atomic bomb frames both the English and Japanese translation of Article 9 from the Japanese constitution written shortly after the end of WWII; colorful prints based on traditional tapa cloths produced during a long-term collaboration and international exchange with artists from the Maisin Tribe of Papua New Guinea; Kiki Smith's eloquent Weeping Willow Wallpaper; and David Ireland's Dumb Balls, made as part of his 1989 installation/performance at the FWM.

The Fabric Workshop and Museum is the only museum of its kind in the world, and the permanent collections document its unique history of artistic activity with contemporary artists. Numbering over 5,500 objects, the FWM collections trace major movements in the field since 1977, and include significant works by past FWM Artists-in-Residence. This exhibition marks the first in series of exhibitions dedicated to the FWM's permanent collections and to making the museum's collection more accessible to its audience and the general public. The exhibition demonstrates the integral connection between the workshop and the museum, and the FWM's contribution to contemporary art.

Ann Hamilton in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, artifact from tropos installation at Diia Center for the Arts, NY, 1994. Book. 6.5 x 4 x 1.5 inches. Photo: Aaron Igler.

In addition to completed works of art, the FWM collects and maintains an archive of documentation and process materials relating to the Artists-in-Residence projects. The photographic, video, and process materials—some of which will also be on view—are available for research, and provide a valuable window into the conceptual and technical development of works of contemporary art.

The Fabric Workshop and Museum has worked with over 400 artists in the past quarter century to produce over 5,500 works. These works are housed in the FWM's permanent collection and are exhibited both in-house and around the world. In 2001, the Centre d'Art Contemporain Genève exhibited a retrospective exhibition with works created at the FWM by Mike Kelley, Mona Hatoum, Renée Green, Marie-Ange Guilleminot among others. In Spring 2002, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney hosted the exhibition From Lichtenstein to Viola: Material World, 25 Years of The Fabric Workshop and Museum featuring FWM collaborative projects by Christine Borland, Mona Hatoum, Glenn Ligon, Virgil Marti, Tristin Lowe, Carrie Mae Weems, and many others.

The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) is the only museum of its kind, offering internationally renowned artists the resources to create new work in experimental materials. Artists come from all media-including sculpture, installation, video, painting, ceramics, and architecture-and use FWM's facilities and technical expertise to create works of art that they could not create on their own. Research, construction, and fabrication occur on-site in studios that are open to the public, providing visitors with the opportunity to see works of art from conception to completion. FWM's permanent collections include not only complete works of art, but also material research, samples, prototypes, and photography and video of artists making and speaking about their work. Access to the creative process provides visitors with a point of entry into understanding challenging works of contemporary art. FWM offers an unparalleled experience to the most significant artists of our time, students, and the general public.

FWM Exhibitions and Programs Admission: $3 for Adults, Children under 12 and FWM Members for Free. Group tours available by appointment.
Hours: Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat.–Sun., 12 noon to 4 p.m.

The programs of The Fabric Workshop and Museum are supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts; The Judith Rothschild Foundation; Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency; National Endowment for the Arts; Miller-Plummer Foundation; LLWW Foundation; U. S. Institute of Museum and Library Services; Nimoy Foundation; The Arcadia Foundation; Claneil Foundation; Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro; Independence Foundation; The Philadelphia Cultural Fund; E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation; Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation; Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation; The Henry Luce Foundation matching gifts program; The Barra Foundation; LEF Foundation; Louis N. Cassett Foundation; Quaker Chemical Foundation; and the Board of Directors and members of The Fabric Workshop and Museum.

For more information, please contact Jeffrey Bussman, Assistant to the Directors, at 215-561-8888 ext. 229 jeff@fabricworkshopandmuseum.org. For general information, call 215-561-8888.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Past Exhibitions

Calendar of Events