Friends of Fire | Artifacts + Ceramics Exhibition

Installation view of Friends of Fire: Ceramic Art by Delores Coan

and Hotchkiss Alumni at The Tremaine Gallery | photo by Abigail Doan, Hotchkiss 1984

I am pleased to share news of this current group exhibition that I am participating in with ceramic artist, Delores Coan, and invited Hotchkiss School alumni. 'Friends of Fire' is a tribute to my former art teacher and creative mentor, Delores – who is completing her final year of teaching at Hotchkiss after thirty five years of sharing her talents and wisdom.

Vessels by Delores Coan | created during her travels in China | photo by Abigail Doan

"Coan chose to show her work along with the work of former students to highlight the central role teaching has played in her career and the lasting relationships she has forged because of it."  – Tremaine Gallery

"Teaching ceramic art has been a humbling and exhilarating part of my life," she says. "I've made lifelong links with many students through sharing the creative process. The joy I've derived from passing on this ageless art has been one of my life's greatest gifts." Coan adds, "We can all make a big difference by continuing to support art programs so that students may learn and explore varied disciplines to fulfill their artistic destiny."  – D.C.

Home Vessels | Seasons

Home Vessel 01 | Abigail Doan (2016)

The transition from season to season is not always easy for me. Possibly because seasons seem so short these days, or rather, are increasingly indistinguishable in terms of temperatures and evidence of drought and foliage shock. It makes me feel nostalgic in an unsettling way.

Our return to NYC after close to two months in Europe left me pining for the long mountain walks of summer and serendipitous notations for Walking Libraries (WL) documentation. 

As autumn slowly seeps in, I am examining what it means to (re)occupy my home vessel – in part because of the need to have a foundation that our family operates from and also because I am delving into new (old) materials as a way to return to ideas that I had decades ago. I am gently letting go of working with fiber (cord, string, thread) and shifting the balance so that my vocabulary might become stronger and more focused.

Hover Craft 01 | Abigail Doan (2016)

A vessel feels like the right concept or sentiment to explore, i.e. a container, a ship, a hollow tube through which liquid or simply a new life force might flow. A raft for staying afloat. This is where you will now find me. Not the textile artist you once knew but the aggregator and documenter of stray (travel) materials and seasonal reflections.

Lost in Fiber interview | Anny Crane

a materials collaboration between artists Anny Crane and Abigail Doan

It is such a pleasure to finally profile the work of artist friend and collaborator, Anny Crane. I originally met Anny during her time at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn/Manhattan and subsequently continued a creative dialogue with her after her move south.  

Anny Crane's Invasive mixed media installation at the Textile Arts Center in Manhattan

Anny works magic with thread and paper, but in a manner that challenges more obedient ways of embroidery stitching and hand illustration. Her intuitive drawing process peels away layers of memory while also anchoring oneself in pockets of textured vulnerability. Anny's thread-heavy works and meandering ink trails are emotionally charged and rich with personal memories, narratives, and internal byways.