"Stitches that Heal" doily art installation
 

You may remember that I posted the call for doilies a while back. Here
is the announcement for the art project:

contact: kent streeb
public relations department
412/361.0873 x307



Healing Power of Doilies on Display at PCA
‘Stitches that Heal’ reveals unique stories behind international
collection of doilies


7 September 2003 ... Pittsburgh Center for the Arts — the contemporary
arts center where artists and the public can create, see, support, and
learn about art — is pleased to announce ‘Stitches That Heal,’ an
installation exhibition by artist Akiko Kotani. The exhibit opens in
conjunction with PCA’s Artist of the Year 2003 exhibition on Friday,
September 12 with a free reception from
5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at PCA.

Stitches are used to both heal wounds and to create beautiful objects.
In this installation, Kotani presents doilies in both aspects. The
doilies, both traditional and non-traditional, were collected from a
vast array of individuals from all over the United States and abroad.
The installation is animated by the conviction that the stitches that
individuals use to create items for personal fulfillment also contain
stories of healing.

“My 92 year-old mother recently told me how stitching doilies soothed
her nerves and helped her make sense of a sometimes complicated life.
Based on this, I began soliciting doilies and the stories behind them
from others with the belief that creating them provided a healing
experience for their makers,” Kotani says. “From my interactions with
people from all over the world who responded, it’s been a gratifying and
moving experience to realize that doilies and their creation do
contribute to healing.”

Of Kotani’s exhibition, PCA Executive Director Lou Karas says, “Akiko’s
exhibition is both beautiful and illuminating. Her installation provides
further confirmation that the arts play a therapeutic role in peoples’
lives, and she demonstrates this through a unique and interesting art form.”

Kotani will discuss her exhibition in two free gallery talks taking
place Saturday at 2:00 p.m. on October 4 and again on October 18. Her
exhibition will be open to the general public from September 13 to
November 2, 2003. Kotani’s bio is attached. To arrange an interview or
studio tour with Kotani, contact Kent Streeb at 412/361.0873 x307 or
email to .

Artist Bio
Akiko Kotani is Professor Emerita of Art at Slippery Rock University and
an award-winning fiber artist who has presented exhibitions and
workshops at a variety of venues across Pennsylvania and around the
world, including Austria, Canada, Guatemala, Peru and Japan. Among her
recent achievements are award and patron purchases of her artwork at the
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA, and Erie Art Museum, Erie, PA.
Twice awarded a state fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the
Arts, she has also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Humanities
Council. She holds a BFA in painting from the University of Hawaii and
an MFA in fibers from the Tyler School of Art. Her work has been
displayed at, and is in the permanent collection of, the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York.