As we come to feel that something has been lost in the mechanization of everything around us, there is a growing sentiment that making something oneself has great value. Amid this resurgence of handmade, the temptation to romanticize the past is strong. This nostalgia fails to take into account that this was a time when women were a mandated class of creators. Pre-made products aren’t always ideal, but the availability of packaged foods and like goods have helped lead us to the point where we can pursue careers, develop new technologies, and create as we choose. My work is about choice; as a woman in the twenty-first century, I can choose to spend my day baking a loaf of bread, or to grab a package off a grocery store shelf after a long day at work. I can choose to spend my evenings embroidering. I can choose to combine these things into art.
More of Klausner’s work may be seen at jgklausner.com
Jurors:
- Chris Rifkin, Chair of the Fuller Craft Museum
- Dedee Shattuck, owner and director of Dedee Shattuck Gallery