October 12, 2021 | Noon
Join artist Bonnie Meltzer in a Zoom conversation about the work featured in her OJMCHE exhibition Mending the Social Fabric. Bonnie will be in conversation with Rachel Seiger of the Denver Jewish Community Center and textile artist Eli West of Portland Textile Month. Bonnie joins the Zoom conversation from her exhibition, which has at its core a parachute encircled by 75 handkerchiefs embroidered with text that amplifies the mending motif. The parachute, a symbol of safety, has rips and tears and over the course of the exhibition interactive community building happens as visitors sit and mend the damage.
“This interactive fabric installation is NOT one giant Kvetch about the unraveling of the social fabric, instead, it embraces action, hope, and healing,” said Bonnie.
Mending the Social Fabric made specifically for OJMCHE is guided by the Jewish principle “Tikkun Olam,” which means “repair the world”. Originally scheduled to open in October 2020, the emphasis was to have been on citizen action, voting rights, and immigration. As the terrible events of 2020 unfolded and the exhibition date was moved to 2021, Bonnie refocused and expanded her vision, weaving the additional themes of Covid 19, social justice, and safety nets into the installation.
The event is co-sponsored by OJMCHE, Portland Textile Month, and the Denver Jewish Community Center.
We are grateful for your participation and encourage you to consider supporting our virtual programs.
Bonnie Meltzer’s art-making, activism, community building, and gardening are linked together like crochet; one thread looping with itself creating an interlocking fabric. Throughout her career, she has used fiber art techniques (mostly crocheted wire) and found objects to make social commentary. Environmental topics, especially coal, air quality, and land use dominated her work in the last decade. Since the 2016 election, she has added social justice to the mix. Her work has been exhibited throughout the Northwest and beyond and is in private and public collections, most notably The National Science Foundation, University of Washington, and the City of Portland. The book The Fine Art of Crochet has Metzer’s piece Global Warming on the front cover, and the book Artistry in Fiber: Sculpture has Connected on the back cover. OPB produced a video about Meltzer and her “No Coal” artwork for their 2013 “Voices of Coal” series and she was featured in an early episode of Oregon Art Beat. She has an MFA from the University of Washington.