in over out under through is a Curatorial Proposal Series exhibition of large-scale, colorful, and visually charged abstract works on paper by Sean Riley and Jessica Slaven.  

This exhibit brings together the work of two artists for whom the processes of weaving, unweaving, embroidering, dyeing, and sewing—typically reserved for fabrics and fiber—have come to inhabit their drawing and painting practices. Sean Riley previously used inherited clothing to create quilts and embroidered pieces, and has since moved towards examining the weave structure of fabric and translating it in 2-D. Sewing was integral to Jessica Slaven’s sculptural work, and for four years she built her career as a commercial textile designer, weaving and putting textiles into production. Now, Jessica adapts those skills and experiences for painting.

Both artists consider textiles and paper to be some of the more intimate, humble and tactile objects we encounter on a daily basis. Textiles wrap our bodies; paper records our stories and history. In imposing a textile, or ideas of a textile, onto paper, it sheds its utility and becomes an object for instruction, study, remembrance, invention, and storytelling.

Please join the artists for a Paper Weaving Workshop on Sunday, January 31, 2–4 pm. The artists will provide patterned paper for participants, and instruct on how to cut and weave it into wall hangings, sculptural objects and cards. Free, open to the public, and all ages.

About the Artists

Sean Riley

Sean Riley is based in Providence, Rhode Island.  He holds an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Pennsylvania and a BFA in Painting from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.  He has received awards from the Berkshire Taconic Foundation and the Joan Mitchell Foundation.  He has been a resident artist at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY and in 2016 will be a resident at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans.

Jessica Slaven

Jessica Slaven is an artist and writer living in Yonkers, NY.  She holds an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Pennsylvania and a BFA in Sculpture from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Most recently, her work has been exhibited at TSA New York and Field Projects in New York, and she has held residencies at Yaddo and Skowhegan.  She co-owns and operates the recording studio Oktaven Audio in Yonkers.