A THOUGHT IS A THREAD
Picker Art Gallery • Colgate University • Hamilton NY • February-May 2025
The history of textiles is intimately tied to the development of human societies. Weaving is at the same time one of the earliest human technological advancements, the foundation upon which modern industrial nations were built, and the basis for the computing revolution. Metaphors using the language of textiles are prevalent in everyday idiomatic English: we follow threads on social media; storytellers weave tales or spin fantastic yarns; friend groups might be close-knit and we might tie ourselves in knots trying to navigate complex situations.
A Thought Is A Thread brings together works by leading contemporary artists who investigate what textiles can still reveal about people and their relationships to each other, to themselves, and to language, land, and the future. Artworks by Faig Ahmed, Sanford Biggers, Diedrick Brackens, Melissa Cody, Suzanne Husky, Joy Ray, and Jordan Nassar present intertwining narratives that both cherish and complicate the web of meanings that emerge when traditional textile arts are given contemporary expression.
Press Release (pdf)
Images of works included in the exhibition:
Works by Joy Ray
consensual past
2024
Thrift store denim, twine, fabric, paint, chalk. Text from “Monochrome Memories” by Paul Grainge, “The Simple Truth: The Monochrome in Modern Art” by Simon Morley, and “Psychological Dimensions of Mystery” by JP Varani. Double-sided.
49” x 36” x 4”
Approaching Abjection
2023
Thrift store stuffed animals, dirt, sand, fabric, twine. Text from “Powers of Horror” by Julia Kristeva. Double-sided.
80” x 45” x 6”
Trace
2023
Thread and plaster on velvet
12” x 12”
Flux
2023
Thread, plaster, calcium carbonate and cheesecloth on velvet
12” x 12”
Aperture
2023
Thread, plaster, calcium carbonate and cheesecloth on velvet
12” x 12”
Precipice
2023
Thread and plaster on velvet
12” x 12”
Spectres (4)
2023
Fabric on armature
Dimensions variable