Artist Statement

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Suggestive of shrouds or landscape, my work is rooted in feelings of tension when confronting the unknown. Abstract in form and minimal in color, the sculptures are inspired by the relationship between emotional and natural phenomena. Unpredictable shapes are created by layering an array of fibers and textiles. Combining sheer and thick surfaces, each piece reveals diverse materials and hues.

Selected images

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Clockwise from top:

Barrier, 108"x 31" (diameter), mixed media, 2006
Evoke, 18"x 18", mixed media, 2009
Retrospective, 104"x 29", mixed media, 2009
Eternal, 19 1/2"x 15 1/2", mixed media, 2008

Artist Resume

2010-05-01T17:30:00.001-04:00

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2009
Veiled/Revealed, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA
2008
Pages from a Somerset Memoir, Somerset Public Library, Somerset, MA
2004
Landlines, Ernie’s Restaurant, New Bedford, MA
2002
Stories of New Bedford, 1852-2002, New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford, MA
Portrait of a New Bedford Fisherman, Waterfront Visitors Center, New Bedford, MA

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2009
Faculty Exhibition, DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum; Lincoln, MA; Invitational
Natural Selections, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; Fall River, MA; Invitational
The Fabrication of Imagination, ALL Arts Gallery, Lowell, MA; Juried
Surface Matters, Belger Arts Center, Kansas City, MI; Invitational
Unexpected, Cyclorama, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA; Invitational
Art Aspire, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA; Selected student works from Residency at Gilmore Academy, Brockton, MA.
2007
Reinventing Traditions, Bedford Free Public Library, Bedford, MA; Invitational
Members Only, Gallery at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA; Juried
2006
Small Works II, Ayer Lofts Gallery, Lowell, MA; Juried
Fiber Invitational, ALL Gallery, Lowell, MA
2004
Forward Fiber, Fiber Art Center, Amherst, MA; Invitational
2003
Perspectives on Craft, Gallery 244, New Bedford, MA; Invitational
Image and Embellishment, The Handweaving Museum and Arts Center, Clayton, NY; Invitational
The Next Wave, Opie Gallery, Kansas City, MO; Juried
2002
Artisanry Show, Crapo Gallery, University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth, New Bedford, MA

PUBLIC & PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
The New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford, Massachusetts
Linda Wolf and Stephen Bennett, Waltham, Massachusetts
Rick and Martha Hanson, Hollis, New Hampshire
Marjorie Puryear, South Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Susan Hamlet, New Bedford, Massachusetts
James Lawton, South Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Robert and Kathleen Damish, Walpole, Massachusetts

AWARDS AND HONORS
Chancellor's Centennial Scholarship, University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth, College of Visual Performing Arts, 2003
Dean Mary Louise Walsh Scholarship, University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth; Award for study at University of Messina, Sicily, 2003
Lillian Telles Jenkins Scholarship, University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth, 2002
Grant, Massachusetts Cultural Council, New Bedford Local arts council, 2002

BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Fabric of Her Life,” The Point, March 2008.
“Exposure,” Surface Design Journal, Winter 2004.
Beth Perdue, “Capturing Fishermen on Fabric,” New Bedford Standard Times, July 28, 2002.
James Reed, “Young Designers Show Their Style,” New Bedford Standard Times, May 9, 2002.

PUBLIC APPEARANCES
2010
Textiles in the Classroom: The Stitched Drawing, National Art Education Association,
National Convention, Baltimore, MD
2009
Stitched Narratives, Massachusetts Art Education Association Conference, N. Dartmouth, MA
2007
The Sewing Machine as Sculpture Tool, slide lecture; Lowell Quilt Festival, Lowell, MA,
2002
The Process of Making an Art Quilt, slide lecture; New Bedford Free Public Library,
New Bedford, MA,

EDUCATION
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Post-Baccalaureate, Art Education, 2010
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, MFA, Artisanry- Fibers 2004
Harvard University, ALM (Master of Liberal Arts), History 1994
Massachusetts College of Art, BFA, Fashion Design 1989

Laura Sapelly: Visual Artist

Artist Statement

Selected images

Artist Resume