From The North Charleston Cultural Arts Department:

Where & When

North Charleston City Hall, 1st & 2nd floors
2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston, SC 29406
Free admission & parking
Viewing times: May 1-June 21, 2019; 8:00am-7:00pm daily

Description

African American fiber artists from across the nation are invited to participate in the 13th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition: BLACK GOLD, a component of the 2019 North Charleston Arts Fest. This year’s theme is directly inspired by the song Black Gold by Esperanza Spalding from her 2012 album Radio Music Society.

“Think of all the strength you have in you
From the blood you carry within you
Ancient ones, powerful ones
Built us a civilization…”

The challenge for this year’s exhibit is for artists to review the lyrics of Spalding’s song, as well as the official music video (view here), then create a fiber art piece that will inspire the next generation.

Organized and presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, and curated by Torreah “Cookie” Washington, this unique opportunity offers African American fiber artists a showcase to exhibit their original and innovative designs.Following the close of the show, up to twenty works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2019/2020 Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.

This exhibition opportunity is open to African American artists residing in the US, ages 18 and older, working in the medium of fiber.  A $30 entry fee allows artists to submit up to four entries. Up to two entries per artist may be selected.

The deadline for submission of entries is Friday, March 1, 2019. Artists can apply online . Applications are accepted and processed through SlideRoom, an online platform. If you need assistance completing your application, contact our office at 843-740-5854 or culturalarts@northcharleston.org.

NOTE: Fiber pieces do not have to be complete at the time of application submission. Artists may upload progress photographs if the piece(s) are not finished by the application deadline. If accepted, fiber pieces must be completed, and delivered to the Cultural Arts office by April 12, 2019.

About the Curator

We are pleased to welcome back Torreah “Cookie” Washington as the curator for this annual exhibition. Cookie is an award-winning master art quilter and curator. She was born in Rabat, Morocco, and has traveled extensively, creating with textiles for more than a quarter of a century. A fourth generation textile artist, Cookie’s mother, grandmother, and great grandmother were all experienced quilters, fashion designers, and master tailors. Cookie has lived in the South Carolina Lowcountry  for 30 years and is excited by the now thriving arts community. Her current passion is fiber art muralism that celebrates the Divine Feminine, and the contributions of her African ancestral heritage.