Looking In and Out

On View January 11 – April 9, 2022

Textile Center of Minnesota

At first glance, Jane Bassuk’s art quilts reference surreal landscapes using shapes derived from the flora and fauna of the living world. In their presence, you are quickly immersed in their heavily embellished, stitched, and collaged surfaces that combine color and pattern to produce compositions rich and tactile in their execution. On closer inspection, visions of loss and longing, spirituality and prayer, and the manmade in relationship to the environment are revealed.

Artists in the Kitchen

Virtual Exhibition

In December 2017, fifty all-women artist/chef-restaurateur teams were paired up and introduced to each other. Culinary experts were asked to serve as inspiration to the artists in the creation of a textile piece. The result culminated in one of Textile Center’s most popular exhibitions, and celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs’ (WCR) Annual Conference, held in Minneapolis during the show’s run.

Visual Prayer

October 2020. University of Minnesota

Visual prayer is the creative exploration and expression of prayer through images. Although this is a contemporary concept, there were illustrated and illuminated religious books from the 400 to 600’s CE through the medieval and Renaissance periods. Exploring prayer through different modalities allows us to express our thoughts and feelings creatively. By exhibiting together in our Interfaith Artist Circle, our goal is to find commonality and connectivity between religions and to appreciate and respect our similarities and differences in belief and self-expression.

Interfaith Prayer Wall

2021. Various locations in Minnesota

During this time of religious and political conflicts, Aimee Orkin felt inspired to create a collaborative work of art with the other members of the Interfaith Artist Circle as a way of bringing peace, beauty and positivity into the world. When grouped together, the pieces create a collective prayer, pinned to the wall, mimicking the prayers of the faithful who visit the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Through this collaborative effort, Amy hope to show the our group's commitment to connection and unity over isolation and division.