Susanna Lewis

From WikiProjectMed
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Susanna E. Lewis
Born1938
DiedJuly 15, 2021
Monroe, New York
NationalityAmerican
OccupationFiber Artist
Years active1970s–1980s
MovementArt to Wear

Susanna E. Lewis (1938 – July 15, 2021) was an American fiber artist, teacher and author known for her contributions to the Art to Wear movement.[1][2]

Biography and Work

The daughter of an Army Air Forces officer,[3] Lewis received a BA from University of Michigan and an MA from the Teachers College of Columbia University. She later attended the Pratt Institute.[4]

Lewis was active in Art to Wear movement in the 1970s and 1980s. Inspired by Mary Walker Phillips she bought a knitting machine (the Passap Duomatic 5) in 1971[5] and taught herself, beginning to create hangings and garments in the late 1970s. She is known for her highly decorated textile wearable pieces, a direction she was encouraged to take by Julie Schafler Dale, her gallerist.[3][4] For instance, the Moth Cape represented a nightmare, "wherein a feeling of death enveloped her like the wings of a giant moth".[1] The weight and shape of the piece meant the wearer could share that experience.

Lewis was also an author of knitting books, and contributor to knitting magazines,[6] including A Machine Knitter’s Guide To Creating Fabrics (with Julia Weissman), considered foundational to the craft,[2] and Knitting lace. She taught at Parsons School of Design about machine knitting in the 1980s.[7]

Collections and exhibitions

Lewis' work can be found in the collections of:

References

  1. ^ a b "Capturing your life, stitch by stitch: The art to wear movement on display at Philly art museum". WHYY. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Off the wall : American art to wear. Dilys Blum, Mary Schoeser, Julie Schafler Dale, Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, PA. 2019. ISBN 978-0-87633-291-7. OCLC 1107150573.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ^ a b Saenger, Peter (November 1, 2019). "When Art Was Made to Be Worn". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Julie Schafler Dale on Susanna Lewis - bonus video from STORYTELLERS episode, retrieved August 30, 2021
  5. ^ Dale, Julie Schafler (1986). Art to wear. Otto Stupakoff (1st ed.). New York: Abbeville Press. ISBN 0-89659-664-8. OCLC 13761146.
  6. ^ June 7, --Deb on; Classics, 2010 in; How-To; Lace; Books, Pattern; Dictionaries, Stitch (June 8, 2010). "Review: Knitting Lace". Knitting Scholar. Retrieved August 30, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Playing with Texture". Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  8. ^ "Oz Socks". philamuseum.org. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  9. ^ "Ensemble, 1977, Susanna Lewis". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved August 30, 2021.