Chris Motley Knitting Lecture

October

Knitting Together a New Passion

Presented by Chris Motley Saturday, October 19, 2019, 10 am Koret Auditorium, de Young Museum

Admission: Free for current members of the TAC; $5 for students and members of FAMSF; $10 General Admission. Cash or checks only.

Chris Motley will describe her atypical career path and the various inspirations for her unique, sculptural knitting After 30 years as a lawyer she has surprised herself by becoming a fiber artist whose sculptures are featured in national and international exhibitions throughout the United States.

What became her artistic expression began in childhood, when her mother taught her how to knit. Her knitting remained a hobby until she retired from her left brain career and she began using her lifelong skill to explore her right brained creativity. Her early work was intimate and personal. She started by telling her stories, and has since moved in a non-linear way, from representative work to abstract and back again, using shapes, textures and colors to explore emotions. She uses abstraction to picture states of mind that punctuate our days, like “Up, Really Down and Up Again.” In her recent work, like “Homeless” and “Steeling Ourselves” Motley addresses social issues through her knitting. Motley will have examples of her knitted art to show and will talk about her various techniques and materials.

After the talk, we will be holding our first ever Knit-along in the de Young Cafe! It is a great opportunity to get to know your fellow textile enthusiasts and share your favorite craft with each other and our followers on Instagram. We will be meeting on the patio, so bring along what you have on needles, pick up a hot beverage and a delicious treat and join us.

Chris Motley is a San Francisco Bay Area fiber artist who has taken the art of knitting and elevated it into the realm of contemporary sculpture. Without any formal art education, Motley has taken the familiar craft of knitting and expanded its possibilities. She uses texture, color and dimension to explore contemporary states of mind as well as social issues, like climate change and homelessness. Motley’s work has been featured in national and international exhibitions at galleries and museums throughout the United States. Her recent solo exhibition, “Feelings in Fiber,” was held at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, CA.

Image Credit: Don Felton