Heather Macali

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Know the Weaver # 5 January-February 2015

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Heather Macali Fiber artist & Professor at Wayne Univ.

As a contemporary fiber artist, Heather has focused primarily on color, pattern, texture, distortion and memory. Her use of color and pattern arose out of childhood experiences steeped in the popular material culture of the Midwest in the 1980s and early 1990s. Macali received her Bachelors of Arts in Crafts from Kent State University. She continued her art research and development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving her Masters of Fine Arts in Textiles in 2009. Macali is currently working as a fiber artist and a professor at Wayne State University.

1. How did weaving happen and which part of this process keeps you hooked?

Throughout my entire life I have been exposed to art, craft, and design. As a child my mother always had us (my sister and I) engaged in creative projects, as well as keeping us involved in community art classes, both visual and performance. I WEBSITE: www.heathermacali.com discovered weaving in my sophomore year of college. I

immediately fell in love with every textile technique I was introduced to, however, weaving kept my attention. I was captivated by the entire meticulous, strategic, creative process that weaving is.

I have always been attracted to texture, pattern, and color; weaving innately encompasses all those elements. The process of weaving allows me to explore those elements in art, design, and craft.

The discussion between these categories has intrigued and motivated the execution of my work, the differences between them and their ability to be linked. After spending countless hours doing independent research and tediously trying to link the gap between these three categories of fine art, craft, and design, I believe my work highlights and integrates the best aspects of all three.

2. You seem to play a lot with colours and patterns - where do you draw your inspirations from?

As a contemporary fiber artist I have focused my work on color, pattern, texture, distortion, and memory. My unique use of color and pattern arose out of childhood experiences steeped in the popular material culture of the Midwest in the 1980s and early 1990s. More specifically, cartoons from my childhood, such as, Rainbow Bright and the Care Bears. The vibrant colors of the characters always seemed to represent something larger, an emotion, a responsibility, or a good deed. This theme has resonated with me throughout my life, and is now an idea that I incorporate throughout my work, with a contemporary twist.

Pattern and color throughout fashion in the 1980s and early 90s specifically in textiles are also an inspiring subject matter throughout my work. I remember shopping with my mother and noticing all the colors and the crazy geometric patterns. I view pattern as a visual language that can cause physical reactions to the viewer. The use of pattern is interesting because it can be chaotic

And busy, but it is still a form of repetition and order. The repetition and rhythm of a pattern generates visual movement, a central characteristic of my work that will keep the viewer visually engaged.

Ultimately, I am attempting to create fabric that carries ideas of color and pattern that I have had in my imagination for as long as I can remember; that are part of the visual world I was surrounded with as I grew up. I am hoping to put these visions into a concrete form for both myself and for others to enjoy. If I could choose, I would be surrounded by ordered color at all the times; it both exhilarates and comforts me. I still have a physical reaction to color and pattern as an adult and want to create work that can provide this reaction to others and myself.

3. Tell us about you most challenging project so far. Also, what are you currently working on?

In graduate school I created an exhibition named “Warped”. The show consisted of 5 walls, 8' x 8', that had 16 weavings on each, with a total of 80 weavings. The walls created a pentagon shaped room that the viewers could close themselves completely inside. This created an environment that completely surrounded the viewers with vibrant color and pattern. Each wall was named after a character or key element from the cartoon Rainbow Brite. The walls were named “Twinks”, “Moonglow”, Glitterbots”, “Star Sprinkles”, and "Spectra". “Warped” has been my most inspiring and challenging exhibition. It focused me and I truly understand who I am as an artist and what my work is about.

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Currently I am working on 3 bodies of work. I like to switch up what I am working on so I do not get into a routine. This keeps me more creative and I am able to remove my self and become an outside critic when looking at my work in process.

1) Jacquard Geometry, an art installation based on color, pattern, geometry, and form, specifically on the form of gems.

Inspired by the cartoon Transformers and the movie Willy Wonka.

2) The Age of Innocence, a body of work focused on the innocence of childhood and the pure creative spirit during this era of one’s life. Inspired by the cartoon Transformers and the board game Candyland 3) The Effect of the Multiple, a body of work exploring the visual effect of overwhelming repetition of units, pattern, color, and texture.

4. What made you choose a TC2 for yourself and how has your experience been weaving on the loom?

I learned how to weave at Kent State University with two amazing instructors, Janice Lessman-moss and Robin Haller.

At Kent State our department was lucky to have two TC1 looms. I learned how to use these looms and I have always felt that they were user friendly. The TC2 has made many improvements and made it even easier to use and assemble. I enjoy weaving standing up so the TC2 also caters to this preference.

The back and forth rhythm of weaving lends itself to a weaver standing. It almost becomes a dance with my loom. We become partners, I respond to it and it responds to me. Every weaver knows that when your rhythm is thrown off you don't weave as quickly. The TC2 makes my weaving experience rhythmic and meditative.

Macali’s work has recently been published in the books Digital Jacquard Design by Julie Holyoke and Textiles: The Art of Mankind by Mary Schoeser.