Astrid Bennett: The Tarp Series

Astrid Bennett: The Tarp Series

Monday, December 17, 2018 to Friday, February 15, 2019

The University of Nebraska’s Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery features the exhibition Astrid Hilger Bennett: The Tarp Series, December 17, 2018 – February 1, 2019. Over decades, Bennett’s work has focused on painted, printed and dyed textiles in the form of wall pieces and functional items. In her current body of work, she also includes drawing and mixed media, creating large tarps and small scrolls.

Metaphorically, Bennett’s Tarp Series presents and preserves shelter, inspiration and stamina in a challenging world. With these artworks, she asks, what is the role of art in our fraught, modern society ruled by technology and uncertainty? What does it mean to be a maker under circumstances where political comment, identity and narrative are a primary conversation? Is there a role for creative expression in non-narrative ways, much like the role that music performs?

Bennett comments, “I see tarps as protective, versatile, adaptive. These embody the best attributes of textiles as installation or sculpture, with the addition of gestures common in painting, printing and mixed media. Part object, part theater set, these pieces can be used interchangeably in standard exhibitions or in installation indoors or out. Scrolls even accompany me on travels, with opportunities for drawing and photography in unaccustomed settings.”

Since 1993, Bennett has actively exhibited her work nationally and abroad. Earning a BFA in printmaking from Indiana University in 1975, she has both attended and taught at numerous residencies and workshops including Penland School of Crafts, Rhode Island School of Design, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and the University of Iowa. She currently serves as President of the Surface Design Association, an international membership organization devoted to innovation in textile and fiber art.

Located in the Human Sciences Building on the University of Nebraska East Campus in Lincoln, the Robert Hillestad Textiles Gallery educates and increases awareness of the rich traditions of art, craft, design, and material culture expressed through the exhibition of all forms of textiles and apparel. For more information, please call 402-472-2911.