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who’s who

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4 Surface Design Journal
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editorial

A Taste of Latin America

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is Correction
researching material culture. The trove of textile art
treasures and traditions I discovered for the theme of SDJ Summer 2013, Vol. 37, No. 4
Latin American Fibers is as diverse as the region itself. With
dozens of countries spanning two continents, each story In the Exposure section on page 54, we
in this issue offers a taste of fascinating work by contem- listed the technique for Gary Schmitt’s
porary artists who either hale from or are inspired by this piece Five Tools (2012) as “beedle” felting.
complex part of the world. You may have guessed, but the term is
“needle” felting! We apologize for any
A potent trend throughout Latin America is confusion this may have caused and look
the transformation of traditional textile techniques into forward to seeing new works in wool
contemporary art forms, beautifully illustrated by the from this talented artist.
stitched detail on our cover. Mexican artist Natividad
Amador achieves this stunning surface design with hook-
tambour embroidery commonly used to embellish
women's blouses. The finished piece (shown here) is
Amador's reinterpretation of a painting by her mentor
Alejandro Santiago. A special exhibition of these fiber
homages was presented in 2011 at the Museo Textil de
Oaxaca, Mexico. Museum Director Héctor Manuel
Meneses Lozano discusses their dynamic curatorial
programming in a related Q&A article.

Betsabeé Romero's softening of macho car
culture treads new ground through the streets of Mexico
City and abroad. In the highlands of Peru, the Center for
Traditional Textiles of Cusco fosters global appreciation
of ancient craft practices to preserve them and open new
markets. Fiber workshops taught by American artists in
Guatemala strive toward similar goals, with the help of
the fair trade organization Mayan Hands.

The political and creative interactions of so many
Spanish-speaking countries is discussed in the in-depth
article “Latin American Textile Art...in process” by Costa
Rican artist/educator Paulina Ortiz, President of the Ibero-
American Textile Network (Redtextilia). Joanne Mattera
offers a first-hand assessment of fiber-based art included
in the growing array of international art fairs that take
place each December in Miami, Florida, home to one of
the largest Latin American communities in the US.

I hope you enjoy this initial overview of Latin
American textile artists and their stories. We look forward
to featuring many more in future issues of the Journal!

Marci Rae McDade
[email protected]

COVER CREDIT: NATIVIDAD AMADOR Untitled Detail, traditional hook-tambour embroidery on fabric, 27.6" x 20.9", 2010.
Drawing by ALEJANDRO SANTIAGO. Featured in the 2011 Museo Textil de Oaxaca (MTO) exhibition Pinthila Bordados de Natividad Amador
en relación a otros artistas. Shown courtesy of MTO, Oaxaca, Mexico. Photo: Jaime Ruíz Martínez.The complete piece is shown ABOVE.

Fall2013 1

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Velocity and Memory

Betsabeé Romero

by Pamela Scheinman

6 Surface Design Journal
© Surface Design Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

In 1997, Betsabeé Romero covered a 1955 poor migrants bedding down in doorways
Ford Crown Victoria with cloth and paint- and fields like packages in transit.
ed it with flowers in a popular nineteenth-
century style. According to the artist,“This is A Volkswagen Bug encased in cro-
a textile,” like the famous mantle on which cheted baby blanket reminded Romero of
the Virgin of Guadalupe revealed her true her own grandmother. At street level, a strip
presence to the peasant Juan Diego on of pastel-colored yarn trailed from the car
December 9, 1531, as miraculous proof to into the Carrillo Gil Museum of Art in Mexico
Roman Catholic Church officials. Ten thou- City and up a ramp to the top floor, where a
sand red roses filled the auto’s interior. seated guard continued hooking loops.
Romero makes the analogy to a giant umbili-
Car/Ayate was parked at the U.S.- cal cord tying alpha males to mamas who
Mexican border in Colonia Libertad, won’t let go. A third piece, shown at the 2006
Tijuana—the birthplace of the Low Rider in Cairo biennial, inverted one fabric-covered
the 1950s. Like the Zoot Suit a decade earlier, car on top of another, like victims in plaster
the outrageous appearance of classic cars casts after a collision.
jacked up on enormous tires caught on
among Chicanos in California and forced an An everyday person may not be able
invisible population into the national spot- to tell you the style or period of the building
light. Nearby this site, a thousand people a he or she lives in, but that same person prob-
day passed through an illegal tunnel. ably can tell you the make, model, and year
of any car. The mass media are saturated with
The piece won first prize in Insight car crashes and car bombings that epitomize
’97, which included an exhibition at the random violence today. Some images, for
Monterrey Museum of Art in Monterrey, example the convertible 1961 Lincoln stretch
Mexico. Thus, Romero established herself as a limousine in which John F. Kennedy was shot,
mediator of popular culture, using vernacular have become historic icons. Like Warhol,
objects to bring the street into the museum Romero exploits tabloid imagery to inject
(real cars along with photographs of their irony, new meaning, and popular appeal.
installation), and vice versa. She belongs to a
generation of loners, which includes the con- On a conceptual level, Romero’s dec-
ceptual artists Gabriel Orozco and Frances orated cars oppose speed and macho
Alys. They change our perception of com- NASCAR culture. They are feminized and
mon-place things and situations, while given stories, a history. They also are dressed
engaging in a critique of social and political up, like the paper doll clothes she invented
realities like consumer culture, racism, undoc- in sets as a child. For velocity, she substitutes
umented immigration, and the smug com- memory. Memory, like the fabrication of
plicity of both governments. textiles, is a slow accumulative process. Her
own process is equally generative.
From that first flamboyant gesture,
Romero’s work emerged on the international From cars, she went on to car parts
art scene as a transgressive feminist pres- (doors, windshields, rearview mirrors) and
ence. Early support from Ramis Barquet tires. An insatiable curiosity to categorize,
Gallery in Monterrey and New York promot- research, and explore objects from a variety
ed her image at art fairs and biennials. There of different facets stems from early training
followed a whole series of decorated autos
rescued from junkyards. One, tightly sewn
into woven-reed sleeping mats (petates) like
a pre-Hispanic burial or turtle in its shell,
suggested the dangers faced by desperately

LEFT: BETSABEÉ ROMERO Car/Ayate (at U.S.-Mexico border) Cloth-covered auto painted with roses
169.3" x 82.7" x 55.1",1997. InSite Biennial,Tijuana, Mexico. Daros Collection, Switzerland.

ABOVE: BETSABEÉ ROMERO Law-abiding Mat/Petate justiciero Auto covered with woven reed matting, 2000. Absolut L.A.
International Biennial Art Invitational, Iturralde Gallery, Los Angeles, California. Collection of the artist.

Fall2013 7

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8 Surface Design Journal
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BETSABEÉ ROMERO

ABOVE: BETSABEÉ ROMERO Altar for Chavela Vargas and Carlos Fuentes Tissue paper hot-air balloons, silkscreened with floral motifs,
hand-decorated sugar skulls, breads representing souls, carved forklift tire, 2012.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, Missouri. Collection of the artist.

LEFT: BETSABEÉ ROMERO Caught in Flight/Atrapadas al vuelo Five tires, carved and printed on jerga,
variable dimensions, 2010. Kennedy Center,Washington, D.C. Collection of the artist.

in semiotics during undergraduate studies in en el cruce (2011), shown last spring in the 8th
communication at the Iberoamerican University International Fiber Biennial at Snyderman-Works
in Mexico City and a master’s degree in art histo- Galleries in Philadelphia, reveals Romero’s contin-
ry in Paris. Her work is saturated with references uing embrace of Mexican textile traditions and
to ancient Mexican art, colonial motifs rendered her ability to position this work within diverse
by native craftsmen, and typical images that are contexts of installation, fiber art, and printmak-
contemporary pop icons—an art movement ing. In the piece, two pure white cotton shawls
dubbed neomexicanidad. She also plays directly from Tenancingo (a rebozo-making center) are
with the manipulation of materials. crisscrossed at right angles with two tires placed
vertically astride the center point. The textiles are
Tires are symbols of mobility, the cos- printed with positive and negative patterns in
mos, and the eternal female principle. Tires sliced parallel stripes like the security wall running
like an orange peel spiral to the ceiling. Instead of between the two countries.
white walls, Romero’s tires are ornamented like
precious ceremonial objects. She uses chicle In Mexico, the all-purpose rebozo is used
(think Chiclets), a substance once harvested not only as outer protection, but also to swaddle
under slave conditions from sapodilla trees in babies and carry bundles (firewood, produce,
tropical zones along the east coast of Mexico, etc.), freeing the hands. It is a vehicle for Romero,
that was fashioned into decorative objects and a symbol of mobility, of migration, of the eternal
chewed to abate hunger. Tire treads are carved quest for a better life. At the same time, her rebo-
into cylinder seals, an ancient form of Aztec writ- zos connect to the female body, to nurturing, and
ing and printing, some as big as tractor wheels. spanning the earth. She associates warps
Inking and rolling her own designs, Romero has stretched in the act of weaving on a backstrap
printed everything from fabric to gallery floors loom with horizon lines and flat landscapes.
and walls, and even city pavement.
A whole range of domestic cloths—thick
Meetings at the Intersection/Encuentros striped twill for scrubbing (jerga), flannel for pol-

Fall2013 9

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BETSABEÉ ROMERO Birds’ Scream/Aves en un grito Three colors of cut tissue paper silkscreened with birds, PET frame,
41.7" diameter each, 2010. Installation view at Museum of San Ildelfonso, Mexico City, Mexico; featured in the artist's

retrospective exhibition Black Tears/Lágrimas Negras. Collection of the artist. Detail INSET.

ishing, dish towels and bath towels that absorb life, they are likely to end up in the same low stra-
odors of cooking and the body—has been incor- ta. They carry their culture along with them.
porated into recent installations or community
workshops associated with her exhibitions. For Last November, volunteers from the
example, Romero’s use of jerga (made into the Mattie Rhodes Center, a social service organiza-
long-sleeved pullover shirts called Baja Hoodies tion, helped Romero create two altarpieces for
sold in America) is emblematic of how she trans- the annual Day of the Dead celebration at the
forms homely cloth into art. Cities That Go Away/ Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City,
Ciudades que se van (2004) consists of four yel- Missouri. One was dedicated to Mexican novelist
low-striped spans of jerga rising from carved tires and essayist Carlos Fuentes; the other, to the
spaced apart on the floor. These converged at the popular folk singer Chavela Vargas. Hand-painted
ceiling of the Havana Biennial, while local Cubans sugar skulls, bread “souls,” and other offerings
were invited to bring a household cloth to be were arranged on three-tiered and suspended
printed as a souvenir. tables. Silkscreened tissue paper fashioned into
hot air balloons (globos de Cantoya) illuminated
A more elaborate variation, Caught in this sacred space. According to tradition, dead
Flight/Atrapados en el vuelo (2012) features six 60- souls return and feast on the essences of food,
meter lengths of jerga printed with stylized birds drink, flowers, candles, clothing, and smokes
suspended from an atrium in the Kennedy Center offered on altars. Museum goers responded over-
in Washington, D.C. The strips, gradated in red, whelmingly to an invitation to attach messages
orange, and yellow like the sun, give the impres- and objects to a series of ribbons hanging from
sion of the bars of a cage, the flight path of massive columns. Such public engagement in
migrating birds, and the underside of a warped general, and outreach to Latin community mem-
loom. Romero believes that although immigrants bers, especially youth, has become an integral
cover lots of ground in their ambition for a better part of Romero’s art.

10 Surface Design Journal
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BETSABEÉ ROMERO

Another workshop As a woman and a
with papel picado (the craft of Mexican, Betsabeé Romero is
cut tissue paper, usually made adamant that her artwork be
into tiny flags or strung as col- accessible through a multiplici-
orful banners in the street) was ty of textures and meanings.
taught in conjunction with Her low-tech recycling of
Black Tears/Lágrimas negras, materials and central themes
Romero’s 10-year retrospective of the border, migration,
of 83 pieces presented at the memory, religious faith, and
prestigious Ancient College of constant transformation
San Ildefonso in Mexico City in impact audiences from
2010. The exhibit included Guatemala and Honduras to
Remembered Ogives (circular Slovenia and Germany.
arches)/Ojivas de la memoria Refashioned cars, tires, and
(2010), a symphony of tissue- cloth printed with tracks or
paper circles, riffing on color admixtures and traces of cities left behind hold universal appeal
shadow, real and painted on the wall, as well as and a strong relevance today.
patterns of silkscreened sailing ships. Birds’
Scream/Aves en un grito (2010) contrasts stunning Romero’s website is www.betsabeeromero.com.
beauty with a disquieting note of alarm referred Her next solo exhibition will be at Juan Ruiz Gallery in
to in the title. Seven tissue-paper forms float par- Miami, Florida, (www.juanruizgaleria.com) November
allel to the ceiling. Silkscreened on each surface 26, 2013–January 31, 2014 during the Miami Art Fairs.
is a shower of leaves and petals, like drops of
blood, superimposed on a random pattern of —Pamela Scheinman is a photographer, writer,
gold Aztecs in full regalia. scholar and educator who divides her time between
New Jersey and Mexico City.

Fall2013 BETSABEÉ ROMERO Remembered Ogives (circular arches)/Ojivas de la memoria Cut tissue paper, silkscreened, paint on wall, 11
dimensions variable, 2010. Installation view at Art Museum of Sonora, Sonora, Hermosillo, Mexico;
featured in the exhibit Almost Touching the Sky/Al ras del cielo. TOP: Artist BETSABEÉ ROMERO.

© Surface Design Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

XE P O S U R E
SILVIA PIZA-TANDLICH
San Rafael de Heredia, Costa Rica
Still In Time (double-sided, both
shown) Microfiber, handmade batik,
handmade beads, hand-dyed and
commercial yarns, cotton chains,
hand appliqué, couching, batik,
embroidery, crochet, hand quilting,
69″ x 24″ with extension, 2011.
This piece was included in the 14th
International Triennial of Tapestry
Łodź 2013 in Poland.
Galería Octágono
www.galeriaoctagono.com.

EVELISE ANICET RÜTHSCHILLING
Porto Alegre, Brazil
Textured Sunset
Black cotton tulle, yarn
residue from industrial
knitting manufacture
(made in southern Brazil),
textile collage processed
in a pneumatic heat
press, size medium, 2013.
Studio Contextura
www.contextura.art.br

CLAUDIA E. DOMINGUEZ
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
(Born in Mexico City, Mexico)
Hysteria Amate paper backed with cotton, silk, cotton
and gold threads, hand embroidery, 24″ x 36″, 2012.
www.claudiaedominguez.com

62 Surface Design Journal
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MÁRCIA BERGMANN AND BIA LETTIÉRE (Designers)
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Turury (from the Tree of Life Rug Collection) Detail,
100% continuous filament of polyamide, hand-tuft-

ing, dimensions variable, 2009. Manufatured by
Avanti Carpets & Rugs, Brazil.
www.marciabergmann.com

GABRIELA NIRINO
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Spinner II Linen, cotton, wool, handwoven on com-
puterized jacquard loom, 60.5" x 42.5", 2012. This
piece is included in Fiberart International 2013,
reviewed on page 54.

LAURA FERNÁNDEZ
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Todos Juntos Installation view,
discharged textiles, paint and
applications, embroidery,

65" x 45", 2012.

Fall2013 Artists represented on the “Exposure” pages are members of the Surface Design Association (SDA). 63
This issue features the work of members who have populated their SDA profile pages with images
and information about themselves and their work. This free and easy online service adds to the
SDA Image Library and Member Directory; both are valuable research tools for curators, writers,
collectors, and artists from all over the world. To learn more, log into your member account and
follow the prompts, or visit the gallery at www.surfacedesign.org.

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i nr eview

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Reviewed by Petra Fallaux

Fiberart International 2013:
Exhibition of Contemporary
Fiber Art
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
The Society for Contemporary Craft

Fiberart International 2013, a triennial exhibi- STEPHEN SIDELINGER (US) Big Yellow Embroidery on cotton,
tion organized by the Fiberarts Guild of 25” x 20”, 2011. Detail TOP LEFT.
Pittsburgh, opened at the Pittsburgh Center for
the Arts and the Society for Contemporary Craft Fiberart International has matured. The exhibition
(April 19–August 18, 2013) with simultaneous was established to celebrate innovative work
evening receptions and an International Fiberart rooted in traditional fiber materials, processes,
Forum the following day. Jurors culled 79 pieces and history and interdisciplinary arts that explore
by 63 artists from 10 countries, which were their boundaries. These tenets are still examined
selected from 1,259 proposals by 525 artists from with great enthusiasm but perhaps with less of
36 countries. Fifty-two artists are first-time inclu- an evangelical zeal. Over the years, the exhibit—
sions in this prestigious show. This year’s selec- and other fiber survey shows like it—has suc-
tion was made by jurors Kai Chan, fiber artist ceeded in raising the profile of fiber arts. Should
from Toronto; Paulina Ortiz, textile artist from we continue to advance the field in form-specific
Costa Rica; and Joyce J. Scott, an internationally survey exhibitions, or is it time to start thinking
active Baltimore-based artist. about different formats?

Over the course of its 21 presentations, Surveys like Fiberart International can be
problematic and challenging. As collections of
individual artists’ works, some shows hold
together better than others. Many artists includ-
ed in the 2013 exhibit were represented by two
works, which helped its cohesion. Several excep-
tional pieces stood out.

Embroidery, the au courant hip and “hap-
pening” technique, was hard to miss in this
overview. Whether machine embroidered or by
hand, many pieces pushed fancy stitching to the
edge of innovative experimentation. While fabric
is hard to manipulate into exacting figurative art,
embroidery lends itself more readily to drawing
and painting. The best examples not only imitate
these traditional representative media, but also

SANDY SHELENBERGER (US) Textures 3 Encaustic, Japanese rice paper on
cradled boards, encaustic medium, 32” x 24” x 1.5”, 2012.

54 Surface Design Journal
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remain true to what makes fiber an art form with a character and NEW from
language all its own. Ann Johnston:

A work that intends to blur the line between painting and A complete dye workshop
embroidery is Elodie Sabardeil’s Palpatations. The vulnerability of the on DVD!
naked figure and loose ends of thread dance in unison, beautifully
expressing form and figuration in one idea.

i nr eview claiming to be the largest yarn-bombing to date.
Aesthetically, it was also a sight to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
behold. The dressing of the bridge was cleverly
(continued from page 55) thought out: the 580 blanket-size panels left lots
of room for participants’ individual contributions.
lace, and paper. While Fiberart International 2013 Black sleeves that encased the railings and pillars
felt complete and well-rounded, many pieces unified and anchored the diversity. Machine knits
remain in the comfort zone of traditional materi- dressed the towers. There were so many fantastic
ality and techniques. Audiences may contemplate vantage points: from your car or bus on the
and admire their technical prowess, but the real bridge or from underneath in a boat or kayak.
excitement comes from the art that explodes our Observing people interact on the bridge was
expectations. another treat. They very animatedly pointed, dis-
cussed and investigated. There is no doubt that
In conjunction with Fiberart International the Summer of 2013 will be forever known as the
2013, social media’s darling event of the summer Summer of Knit the Bridge.
was Knit the Bridge. The “yarn-bombing” of
Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol/7th Street Bridge Fiberart International 2013 will travel to the San Jose
basked in glorious blankets made through acces- Museum of Quilts & Textiles in San Jose, California
sible crafts (August 10-September 6, 2013). The (November 6, 2013–January 19, 2014), www.sjquilt
colorful textiles were appealing to many con- museum.org; and the Franklin G. Burroughs - Simeon B.
stituents from the passerby to the participating Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
folks from all walks of life. The Herculean effort to (January 19–April 24, 2014), www.myrtlebeachart
organize the project (conceived by Fiberarts museum.org; www.fiberartinternational.org;
Guild of Pittsburgh members and led by artist www.knitthebridge.wordpress.com.
Amanda Gross) took over a year of preparation,
gathering much momentum and support along —Dutch native Petra Fallaux is a writer, curator, quilt
the way. It was clearly a huge success when mea- maker, and creative director at Springboard Design,
sured as a community-led and based art project, based in Pittsburgh, PA. www.petrafallaux.com

Knit the Bridge Andy Warhol/7th Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania“yarn-bombed” by dozens of participants with handknit
and crocheted panels (August 10 - September 6, 2013). Photo: John Polyak. Detail TOP LEFT.

56 Surface Design Journal
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i np rint

Reviewed by Patricia Malarcher should convince the most indifferent browser
that the color known as “blue gold” merits what-
Indigo: ever it took to obtain it. Among the examples the
The Color that Changed the World reader encounters are the richly varied blues of
By Catherine Legrand worn fabric in Japanese boro, the contrast of bril-
Thames & Hudson, London and New York, 2012 liant blue and white in resist-dyed African fabrics,
ISBN: 978-0-500-57660-7 the lacquer-like shine of blue-black clothing worn
by the Miao people in China, blues enriched by
Long before Levi Strauss stitched up his constellations of tiny patterns in India, and dark-
first pair of jeans in the 19th century, blue est blue as a ground for brilliant embroidery in
dye was among the world’s most coveted Guatemala. Diverse images of people at work
commodities. While other sources of the color, convey the enormous range of conditions in
including woad, became well known in the West, which indigo dyeing takes place, from women
India is believed to have first developed the pro- dyeing at home with clay pots scaled for individu-
cesses that yield a deep vibrant blue from the al use to men working communally in vats that
indigofera plant. Since its green leaves contain no occupy prominent places in their villages.
hint of the dye that for centuries played a historic
role in international commerce, its development is The book’s 300 pages in a horizontal for-
close to a miracle wrought by human ingenuity. mat could strain muscles accustomed to e-read-
ers. Still, Lagrand correctly describes her approach
Gradually, it found its way around the as modest, not exhaustive. She provides a brief
world and was adapted to serve the specific introduction to indigo’s history and the complex
needs of particular cultures. Although the majori- sequence of processes that extract the dye from
ty of blue dyes today are synthetic colors pro- the plant, leaving other technical aspects for
duced by industry, there are pockets on the plan- chapters on particular geographical areas. There
et where people still produce indigo as in past are references to dyeing processes, such as ikat
ages. and shibori, but no detailed information on those
or on the looms that are mentioned in passing.
Catherine Legrand, proprietor of an eth- However, there is a full explanation of calendar-
nic clothing store in Paris, circled the globe in ing, a method of beating fabric to make it shiny
search of people working with indigo in tradition- and water-resistant, that is used by the Miao.
al ways and who remain conversant with the lore
and rituals surrounding its production. She Occasionally supplementing the copious
records that journey in a visually seductive vol- photographs are painted images of garments, but
ume, Indigo: The Color That Changed the World. Her these seem incidental. The author’s voice comes
high-resolution photographs that make cloth sing through most authoritatively in her reports on
personal encounters. I was disappointed that, in
the section on Horiyuki Shindo, his rectangular
dyeing tub is depicted but not one of his contem-
porary indigo sculptures. That omission, I assume,
was to keep the focus on traditional artifacts.

This is not a book to read from cover to
cover but to take in a piece at a time. Moving
through the chapters, I kept thinking of a National
Geographic special in which a subject is covered
by selective anecdotes that send one elsewhere
for the whole story. For that, one can start with
the extensive bibliography on the final pages. An
index would have been helpful. I wanted to cross-
reference information in different chapters, but
that meant flipping back and forth through the
book. I tended to lose my way and surrender to
blueness. www.thamesandhudson.com

—Patricia Malarcher, a studio artist and writer, was
formerly Editor of the Surface Design Journal.

70 Surface Design Journal
© Surface Design Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

Surface Design Association Membership Order Form

History MEMBERSHIP/SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Founded in 1977, the Surface Design Association is an interna-
tional not-for-profit organization with an office in Sebastopol, 1 year $60 $_______
California. SDA seeks to raise the level of excellence in textile $_______
surface design by inspiring creativity and encouraging inno- 2years $110 $_______
vation through all its undertakings. Our current membership $_______
of nearly 4000 national and international members includes 3 years $155 $_______
independent artists, designers, educators, curators and gallery
directors, scientists, industrial technicians, entrepreneurs, and Student 1 year (valid current identification required) $35 $_______
students. $_______
Library, organization, and school 1 year $100
Publications and Website
Mailing Rates (per year):
Surface Design Journal, the Association’s quarterly magazine,
offers in-depth articles on subjects of interest to contempo- USA no fee
rary textile artists, designers, and other professionals in the
field. Each issue is designed around a theme relevant to sur- Canada & Mexico $12 x no. of yrs. subscribing
face design and offers perceptive commentary unequaled by
any other peer publication. Accompanying each article are All Others $20 x no. of yrs. subscribing
full-color reproductions of work by leading-edge artists.
Contributions Above Membership
The monthly eNews spotlights time-sensitive information,
including exhibition opportunities and initiatives. Supporting ($50-199) $_______

The online SDA NewsBlog features news of SDA member Sponsor/Professional ($200-499) $_______
activities, reports on events relevant to surface design, and
information on professional resources. The blog is located on Business/Benefactor ($500-999) $_______
the SDA website (www.surfacedesign.org).
Fellow ($1000-5000) $_______
The website includes ongoing updates on SDA conferences; a
gallery featuring members’ artwork; an international calendar $30 of dues ($20 for students) shall be for a one year subscription
of textile-related events; and a bulletin board listing opportu- to the Surface Design Journal. Subscriptions are only available to Members.
nities for exhibitions, grants and employment.
TOTAL ENCLOSED (US Funds Only) $_______
Conferences
NAME: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Surface Design Association sponsors major biennial inter-
national conferences as well as smaller regional and interna- COMPANY/ORGANIZATION: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
tional conferences. Programs feature distinguished speakers
offering perspectives on surface design, workshops and STREET: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
demonstrations covering a wide range of contemporary and
historical techniques, exhibitions, fashion shows, vendor CITY: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STATE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -DIGIT ZIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
expos, and other events. Conferences have been held at differ-
ent US and international locations. TEL: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Member Benefits EMAIL: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

• Four issues of Surface Design Journal k VISA k MASTERCARD
• Ongoing SDA NewsBlog updates & monthly eNews
• National, international and regional conferences ACCOUNT NUMBER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .EXPIRATION DATE . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Networking opportunities
• Opportunity to submit images of work to the “Exposure” SIGNATURE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

section of the Journal Billing address if different than mailing address:
• Image Library for promotion of members’ artwork
• SDA Instructors Registry CARD HOLDER NAME: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• Promotion and representation of members’ work and
STREET: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
professional activities via the Journal, NewsBlog and website
• Free 30-word non-commercial classified ad CITY: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STATE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -DIGIT ZIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

How did you hear about SDA?
k Membership Brochure k Advertisement k Friend/Colleague

k Workshop k Conference k Retail Outlet k Other

DETACH—SEND/MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:
SURFACE DESIGN ASSOCIATION
PO Box 360 Sebastopol CA 95473-0360
Tel: 707.829.3110 Fax: 707.829.3285
www.surfacedesign.org/membership

© Surface Design Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.