Margery Amdur, USAA Stitch in TIMEWinter School 2023 |
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For over thirty years Margery Amdur has been actively creating temporary, and permanent site-specific installations. Originally from Pittsburgh, she received her B.F.A. from Carnegie-Mellon University and her M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
She has worked in diverse communities, with an extensive array of materials, in a variety of formats, platforms, and contexts. The work is not easy to categorize, yet she considers herself” a painter who cannot stay within the picture plane.” When viewing her work in person you will often find forms with densely layered patterns and textures, that extend above, below, and on top of, any available surface. When inside one of her installations there is a sense that both frenzy and calm exist simultaneously. It is as if opposite sides of the same coin are staring at one another.
Margery has been reviewed and featured in national and international publications that include Sculpture Magazine, New American Paintings, Fiber Arts, New Art Examiner, Manifest International Publications, Aesthetica Art Prize, ArtVoices, and Creative Practices for Visual Artists. Amass #17 permanently resides in the lobby of the US Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname. In 2018, the Philadelphia Convention Center added Amass #9 and Amass #18 to their permanent collection. Walking on Sunshine, though weathered, continues to invigorate what was once characterized as a dreary and depressing waiting station for commuters.
In the past seven years Margery has completed more than ten national and international projects. This is in addition to more than sixty solo exhibitions over the course of her career. A few of the highlights include: Six weeks at Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, as a Senior Visiting Artist, additional travels and workshops sponsored by the US Embassy in Riga Latvia, and Paramaribo, Suriname. In 2018 and in 2019, She exhibited Blind Sight at the Istanbul Biennial’s off-site location and at the Museum at the University of Wyoming. In Laramie.
In 2021, Margery’s newest work sprung to life from the simplest of gestures. She was attempting to zipper the winter lining into her coat when she had an “ah ha” moment. Her previous body of work that spanned over eight years originated one evening in 2012 with Google’s assistance and the question, “I wonder what would happen if I ordered 5,000 miniature cosmetic sponges?” This summer in Philadelphia and in Cincinnati she will exhibit, works from Wear Me Out, a body of work the originated over the course of the pandemic.
She has worked in diverse communities, with an extensive array of materials, in a variety of formats, platforms, and contexts. The work is not easy to categorize, yet she considers herself” a painter who cannot stay within the picture plane.” When viewing her work in person you will often find forms with densely layered patterns and textures, that extend above, below, and on top of, any available surface. When inside one of her installations there is a sense that both frenzy and calm exist simultaneously. It is as if opposite sides of the same coin are staring at one another.
Margery has been reviewed and featured in national and international publications that include Sculpture Magazine, New American Paintings, Fiber Arts, New Art Examiner, Manifest International Publications, Aesthetica Art Prize, ArtVoices, and Creative Practices for Visual Artists. Amass #17 permanently resides in the lobby of the US Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname. In 2018, the Philadelphia Convention Center added Amass #9 and Amass #18 to their permanent collection. Walking on Sunshine, though weathered, continues to invigorate what was once characterized as a dreary and depressing waiting station for commuters.
In the past seven years Margery has completed more than ten national and international projects. This is in addition to more than sixty solo exhibitions over the course of her career. A few of the highlights include: Six weeks at Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, as a Senior Visiting Artist, additional travels and workshops sponsored by the US Embassy in Riga Latvia, and Paramaribo, Suriname. In 2018 and in 2019, She exhibited Blind Sight at the Istanbul Biennial’s off-site location and at the Museum at the University of Wyoming. In Laramie.
In 2021, Margery’s newest work sprung to life from the simplest of gestures. She was attempting to zipper the winter lining into her coat when she had an “ah ha” moment. Her previous body of work that spanned over eight years originated one evening in 2012 with Google’s assistance and the question, “I wonder what would happen if I ordered 5,000 miniature cosmetic sponges?” This summer in Philadelphia and in Cincinnati she will exhibit, works from Wear Me Out, a body of work the originated over the course of the pandemic.
A Stitch in Time
A Stitch in Time is a non-media specific workshop and an opportunity for participants to select a proverb, such as a Stitch in Time Saves Nine, as a prompt for the work that we will create during the workshop. Investigations may begin upon registration.
Participants at all levels within the creative spectrum are welcome.
Please note that this is not a workshop where the instructor will focus on mastery of techniques. We will embark on investigations of an exploratory nature.
The emphasis will be placed on process rather than product, which will require suspending impetus to find quick solutions. Each morning, students will be expected to write draw three pages or make three “drawings” in their personal journals – anything goes, perfect grammar, prose, worries about skill sets are prohibited
My expectation is that every student will uncover “surprises.” When we enroll in these workshops, we are giving ourselves gifts of time with like-minded “creatives,” in special environments. We have chosen to step out of our daily lives for five days. We are aware that we are embarking on a quest. My job with the support of the group, is to foster an environment that inspires participants to move at their own pace in discovering new linkages between materials, methods, ideas, and experiences. We have selected this workshop within the context of fiber.
There are limitless ways to work.
Where is it that you belong?
Participants at all levels within the creative spectrum are welcome.
Please note that this is not a workshop where the instructor will focus on mastery of techniques. We will embark on investigations of an exploratory nature.
The emphasis will be placed on process rather than product, which will require suspending impetus to find quick solutions. Each morning, students will be expected to write draw three pages or make three “drawings” in their personal journals – anything goes, perfect grammar, prose, worries about skill sets are prohibited
My expectation is that every student will uncover “surprises.” When we enroll in these workshops, we are giving ourselves gifts of time with like-minded “creatives,” in special environments. We have chosen to step out of our daily lives for five days. We are aware that we are embarking on a quest. My job with the support of the group, is to foster an environment that inspires participants to move at their own pace in discovering new linkages between materials, methods, ideas, and experiences. We have selected this workshop within the context of fiber.
There are limitless ways to work.
Where is it that you belong?