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For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
2024 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Char Norman
Columbus Franklin 43229 United States Home Phone: 6145372983 Website: Char Norman/Fiber Sculpture
Bio
Char Norman is an accomplished fiber artist specializing in weaving, papermaking, and fiber sculpture. Her work addresses environmental issues and the enduring need for all things to exist in a symbiotic relationship with none dominant over another. She received a Master of Fine Art from Claremont Graduate University, a Bachelor of Art from Scripps College and participated in numerous residencies across the nation and abroad. She has lectured and exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally, winning numerous grants and awards. She has developed and conducted workshops for all ages, worked as a consultant to area schools and community arts organizations, and served as a trustee for Greater Columbus Arts Council. She held the positions of Associate Provost and Dean of Faculty at Columbus College of Art & Design. Now as a full time studio artist, she draws inspiration from her many travels and explorations of natural environments.
Artist Statement
Concepts
The idea of Nature as an object of veneration and worship is as old as man. My work speaks of the inter-connectedness of all things with none dominant over the other. As our society and world are facing an environmental crisis which may even lead to our demise it is more important than ever to understand this symbiotic relationship. I present nature in sacred spaces and attitudes to bring understanding and importance to the issues at hand. The iconic pod shape found in much of my work, derives from seedpods and is a metaphor for how we might relate to our natural environment. They are both wombs and shrouds denoting abuse, nurture, mourning, or reverence of nature. My materials and techniques are a direct result of my training in fiber arts, specifically weaving, coiling, and papermaking and have an affinity to the natural objects I incorporate in the work. I have been working with these concepts and techniques for the past decade, with the work slowly evolving over time. I am now moving in the direction of larger pieces incorporating numerous elements as installations, allowing the viewer to move through the pieces to experience from all angles. In addition, some work will be installed in natural areas such as woodlands and parks, to further encourage the viewer to interact with the physical world.
Techniques
A combination of techniques including weaving, coiling, papermaking and assemblage is employed in the creation of my sculptures. I typically begin on the loom, weaving the body of the piece, incorporating spacers which will later be removed. Off the loom I pull up the warp to fill in where the spacers were while engineering the basic pod form. The raw edges of the woven pod shapes are finished using coiling, a traditional basketry technique, further strengthening and defining the shape. Linen threads comprise the majority of the body of the woven and coiled forms. Kozo fiber is pulled apart to form lacy forms while abaca fibers are used in sheet formations. To these I add found natural materials such as seeds, bark, twigs and leaves. These elements are then assembled to form the finished sculpture in accordance with my overall concepts
Passion for the work and media:
From an early age I have been drawn to fibers, the sinuous quality, feel and texture, and the ability to manipulate it. It’s incredibly interesting to take a soft pliable material and reform it through weaving, coiling or some other fiber technique to create an entirely new shape and one which is sturdy and strong. Add to this the ability to mix colors optically through the choice of threads and the structure with which they are used. Nothing better than the feel of fine threads slipping through one’s fingers or a paper form strong enough to build with. The natural materials in the pieces are a result of my passion for the nature and the long hikes I regularly participate in. In fact, a natural element can almost bring me to tears with its beauty.
Unexpected in work
Most of my work incorporates natural materials such as branches, twigs, or pebbles in surprising combinations with the fibers. The ability to seamlessly combine the natural elements with weavings and other fiber techniques to create forms and structures which appear to grow together often astonishes my audiences. The time involved and the attention to detail whether in a small handheld piece or a room-size installation is unusual.
