Rachel Beckman » Weaver & Textile Designer

Thesis- In Progress

Here are some basic shots of my latest thesis project just to give you a taste of what I’ve been working on. The cloth is loosely based on stories from my letterbox stories project as well as drawings and watercolors from my Turkey sketchbook. Hopefully I’ll be able to get into the photography studio soon to take the pictures that will go in my portfolio.

Final Thesis Crit- Fall 2010

Here are a few photos of my set up for my final critique of the semester. I cleaned up my studio and arranged things according to the narrative. Additionally, on Thursday during my crit I will be modeling a new costume, but since I’m still putting a few finishing touches on it I will post pictures later.

I Watched Them Play Backgammon

(II) 2010, Supplementary Weft; Cotton, Tencel, Bamboo

(I) 2010, Supplementary Weft; Cotton, Tencel, Bamboo

Finally, here is a look at the work I did following my three week travel program in Turkey. These two pieces are a reaction to the four days we spent at a small hotel on a beach looking up across the water at Assos. Right now, I want nothing more to be back there, playing backgammon late in to the night, drinking tea, and feeling perfectly at home.

Four Little Remnants

Cotton, Cashmere

Cotton, Tencel, Linen

Cotton, Recycled Silk

Cotton, Cashmere

Some samples get a new life as lovely wall hangings. In addition to my bookmarks, these will also be on sale during MICA’s Annual Art Market.  December 9-12, 10am to 6pm in the Brown Center.

Why Audio Tours Are Ruining Art

And other woes, etc.

Today I had the (painful) pleasure of viewing the Cezanne and Beyond exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It’s a shame really, because the exhibit was beautifully curated, with works ranging from Ellsworth Kelly to Max Beckmann (and beyond!), displayed seamlessly in a breathtaking, open space- complete with complementary pre-recorded messages chattering along in your ear as you moved from painting to painting. In a way, I enjoyed the fact that nine out of ten people accepted the audio tour without question, because that just meant I got an almost silent tour of the exhibit, just me and my thoughts- unless, of course, I was standing within three feet of any given person, because then I could hear the little electronic voices circumventing their ears and bouncing back in the air towards my own. That being said, it was almost impossible to not be within three feet, or even one foot, of any given person because the exhibit was so packed. Let me mention briefly the entire shop dedicated to the exhibit that greeted you immediately upon exit, filled with fashionable items for you to fill your home with to show your friends just how cultured you are. The amount of money that the museum must have made on this one exhibit, today alone, makes me weep. Side note: I have noticed that people are more apt to run into you and not pay any attention at all to where they are going when they are plugged in.

And I wonder- how in the name of all that is good is anyone supposed to enjoy art that way? Packed up against eachother like cattle, breathing in the same preconcieved lectures through our auditory senses? How much more can we be removed from art? I was under the impression that we went to museums to see art for ourselves, to think about art for ourselves, out of the contexts of books and historians and critics telling us how to think about art and what art means. To engage in discussions with eachother, to start conversations. But no, this was art as commodity more than I have ever seen before, a room full of alienated people looking at Cezanne and nodding along to their headphones and I wonder, what did they feel?

Well I feel ripped off. $22 for a ticket where I had to punch people in the face (almost) to get close enough to anything to appreciate it. It’s things like this that question my involvement in the arts. When my art becomes a commodity, I quit.