Perpetual Celebration Tapestry
Collection: Houston Airport System (HAS)
2019
Reclaimed burlap coffee sacks, dyed cowhide leather, acrylic fabric paints, jute thread, nylon thread, brass grommets, rubber coated steel pipe, oil-based spray paint, enamel paint, stainless steel hooks, drywall screws, bailing wire
Location:
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
2800 N Terminal Rd
Houston, TX 77032
About the Artwork:
Perpetual Celebration Tapestry (2019)
by Kaneem Smith
Kaneem Smith, born in Buffalo, NY in 1976, was raised in and currently based in Houston. She has received visual arts fellowships through the Edward F. Albee Foundation, Creative Capital Foundation, and more. She is known for her textile work that often uses burlap sacks formerly used for import and export purposes. Here is one of her pieces made of various textiles and acrylic paint on a steel pipe frame that measures over 10.5 feet high, 12.5 feet wide, and 10 inches thick. The artwork seems to be a shower curtain; it is a series of burlap bags, previously used to transport coffee beans, stitched together with nylon thread. Various strips and scraps of leather, cotton, and polyester, are also stitched into different patterns, such as layers of horizontal strips of different colors at the bottom, grids of squares of different colors in the middle, and squares of fabrics of various sizes and patterns at the top. As well, the burlap is scrunched up at the very top and painted with acrylic details. Located within Bush Intercontinental Airport, Smith said she wanted visitors to consider: “Houston's rich textile production history and the creative contribution to this city's vibrant working-class and immigrant communities.”
Tapiz de la Celebración Perpetua (2019)
por Kaneem Smith
Kaneem Smith, nacida en Buffalo, Nueva York en 1976, se crio en Houston donde reside y trabaja actualmente. Ha recibido becas de artes visuales a través de la Edward F. Albee Foundation, la Creative Capital Foundation, y más. Es conocida por su obra textil, en la que a menudo utiliza arpillera empleada anteriormente con fines de importación y exportación. Aquí se presenta una de sus obras, realizada con diversos textiles y pintura acrílica sobre una estructura de tubos de acero, que mide más de 10,5 pies de alto, 12,5 pies de ancho, y 10 pulgadas de grosor. La obra de arte parece ser una cortina de ducha; se trata de una serie de sacos de arpillera, utilizados anteriormente para transportar granos de café, cosidos entre sí con hilo de nailon. También se han cosido diversas tiras y retazos de cuero, algodón, y poliéster, formando distintos patrones, como capas de franjas horizontales de diferentes colores en la parte inferior, cuadrículas de cuadrados de distintos colores en la zona central, y cuadrados de telas de diversos tamaños y estampados en la parte superior. Asimismo, la arpillera aparece fruncida en el extremo superior y pintada con detalles acrílicos. Ubicada dentro del Aeropuerto Intercontinental Bush, Smith expresó su deseo de que los visitantes consideraran: “la rica historia de producción textil de Houston y la contribución creativa a las vibrantes comunidades de clase trabajadora e inmigrantes de esta ciudad.”
Perpetual Celebration Tapestry (2019)
by Kaneem Smith
Kaneem Smith, born in Buffalo, NY in 1976, was raised in and currently based in Houston. She has received visual arts fellowships through the Edward F. Albee Foundation, Creative Capital Foundation, and more. She is known for her textile work that often uses burlap sacks formerly used for import and export purposes. Here is one of her pieces made of various textiles and acrylic paint on a steel pipe frame that measures over 10.5 feet high, 12.5 feet wide, and 10 inches thick. The artwork seems to be a shower curtain; it is a series of burlap bags, previously used to transport coffee beans, stitched together with nylon thread. Various strips and scraps of leather, cotton, and polyester, are also stitched into different patterns, such as layers of horizontal strips of different colors at the bottom, grids of squares of different colors in the middle, and squares of fabrics of various sizes and patterns at the top. As well, the burlap is scrunched up at the very top and painted with acrylic details. Located within Bush Intercontinental Airport, Smith said she wanted visitors to consider: “Houston's rich textile production history and the creative contribution to this city's vibrant working-class and immigrant communities.”
Tapiz de la Celebración Perpetua (2019)
por Kaneem Smith
Kaneem Smith, nacida en Buffalo, Nueva York en 1976, se crio en Houston donde reside y trabaja actualmente. Ha recibido becas de artes visuales a través de la Edward F. Albee Foundation, la Creative Capital Foundation, y más. Es conocida por su obra textil, en la que a menudo utiliza arpillera empleada anteriormente con fines de importación y exportación. Aquí se presenta una de sus obras, realizada con diversos textiles y pintura acrílica sobre una estructura de tubos de acero, que mide más de 10,5 pies de alto, 12,5 pies de ancho, y 10 pulgadas de grosor. La obra de arte parece ser una cortina de ducha; se trata de una serie de sacos de arpillera, utilizados anteriormente para transportar granos de café, cosidos entre sí con hilo de nailon. También se han cosido diversas tiras y retazos de cuero, algodón, y poliéster, formando distintos patrones, como capas de franjas horizontales de diferentes colores en la parte inferior, cuadrículas de cuadrados de distintos colores en la zona central, y cuadrados de telas de diversos tamaños y estampados en la parte superior. Asimismo, la arpillera aparece fruncida en el extremo superior y pintada con detalles acrílicos. Ubicada dentro del Aeropuerto Intercontinental Bush, Smith expresó su deseo de que los visitantes consideraran: “la rica historia de producción textil de Houston y la contribución creativa a las vibrantes comunidades de clase trabajadora e inmigrantes de esta ciudad.”