Susan J. White

Susan J. White

  • crochet
    • Crochet Samples
  • hair work
    • Hair Wall
    • Family Portrait Series
      • Family Portrait Series, 1-4
      • Volin/Bowman Portrait (minus Grace)
      • McCloskey-Taub Portrait
    • Of Many Colors
    • Asha at 15
    • Forgotten Initial
    • Sleeping Beauty
    • Flowers for Gilly
    • Idle Hands
      • Reflections on Idle Hands
  • gut work
    • Gut Lace
    • Gut Lace 2D
    • Original Bobbin Lace
    • Studio, install
  • doily series
  • about
    • CV
    • Statement
  • contact
Idle Hands
2010
Artist performance, hair, cotton thread, photographs, chair, table, found doily, Great-aunt Louise's thread balls, crochet hooks, box, and scissors, and Great-Grandmother's book.
10’ wall installation.

Idle Hands was a performance piece I created for the show Handmade Meaning: The Value of Craft in Victorian and Contemporary Culture at the James Watrous Gallery in Madison, WI. For this exhibition, Victorian fancywork was collected from museums and state historical societies to present alongside contemporary Wisconsin artwork that use similar processes or materials. My work with hair was chosen in juxtaposition to the elegant hair wreaths from the late nineteenth century. I came to the gallery 3 times a week for the duration of the show to sit and crochet.