Rachel Ivy Clarke: Material Interactions

The Central New York Artist Initiative builds upon the Everson Museum of Art’s ongoing support of the region’s vibrant arts community. Launched in January 2022, the Everson CNY Artist Initiative is a competitive program that highlights the multi-faceted talents of regional artists. Each year, Everson curators select artists to display their work in solo exhibitions at the Museum. Selections are based on the innovative quality of the work, how the work aligns with the Museum mission, and its relevance to the community.

Rachel Ivy Clarke will show selections from Material Interactions: Data-Driven Community Quilting a project drawing on the communal traditions of quilting to create interactive data-driven patchwork quilts at community events throughout New York state. Event attendees select specific fabrics, colors, and shapes to represent various data points, such as geographic origins, distance traveled to the event, years participating the event and its community, or other relevant information. These selections are pieced into a quilt on the spot, then subsequently quilted and finished, resulting in a unique collaborative snapshot of the event’s community that bridges folk arts—a traditional form of slow, small, community-based creation–with data reflective of our contemporary information society rooted in rapid technological changes and the capitalization of mass communication and manufacture.

The artist will give a gallery talk on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 from noon-1pm and a quilting workshop on Thursday, May 8, from 6-8pm.

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