Join Tamara for an interview with textile maven Katie Glusica. She came to Savannah in 2008 to pursue her MFA in Fibers from SCAD, where she would have access to a then-rare and sought-after jacquard loom.
Post-graduation, she exhibited her personal textile work in tons of renowned shows, including the Smithsonian Craft Show, the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, and a SCAD booth at Design Miami of Art Basel. She uses weaving as a means to engage her viewer with the quantum concept of wave/particle duality.
At the same time, Katie launched her business of repairing and restoring handmade rugs, caning, wicker, and rattan. In recent years she has *also* done consulting work with the Telfair Museum and the Owens-Thomas House, assisting them with various textile preparation, installation, and appraisal.
Check out her work and follow her here:
https://www.instagram.com/katieglusica/
https://www.katieglusica.com/
Topics in their chat include:
How landing a part-time job at a rug restoration shop in Richmond during undergrad inspired Katie's lifelong work; at her fine craft shows she created an immersive gallery space to create an "experience;" she built her business of restoring furniture and rugs with an eye toward sustainability, which is antithetical to the design world which relies on you consuming every few years; her work with the Oglethorpe Plan Coalition, dedicated to preserving the Savannah Downtown National Historic Landmark District; her message to artists: tenacity is very important and don't be afraid to hear "no;" rugs are a special niche even within the special niche of textiles, and not taught in very many academic spaces; what does "deaccessioned" mean?; and how the Jacquard loom, developed in 1804, was the first machine to use binary code.
* More info on the Oglethorpe Plan Coalition:
The National Historic Landmark District in Savannah, Georgia, designated in 1966, is now under threat from excessive and inappropriate development. The district is supposed to be protected by local ordinances, but increasingly, important provisions in these ordinances are not being enforced. The National Park Service grades the district as “threatened,” and preservationists are now grouping together to take action to restore the district’s integrity.
Tune in and get all the details!