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  1. Thursday, December 12, 2024

  2. Friday, December 13, 2024

Exhibitions

Bryana Bibbs at 21c Chicago

About the Exhibition

Unforeseen

Weavings by Bryana Bibbs

On View: August – October 2024

 

21c Museum Hotel Chicago is pleased to present Unforeseen, a solo exhibition by Bryana Bibbs of select Journal Series weavings from Winter 2023. As a part of the Elevate series at 21c Chicago, the work will be on view from August through October in Gallery 3.

 

The journals were made two months before her grandfather (Papa George) passed on December 18, 2023. Along with her mom, Bibbs stayed at her grandparents’ home to assist her Papa George, hoping he would get better. Unable to create new materials, Bibbs journaled using found objects from her grandparents’ backyard, her Mema’s pantry, her Mema’s sewing tins, and hand-spun wool that Bibbs had previously made.

 

In the Journal Series weavings, Bibbs intuitively documents her personal experiences using materials, colors, and textures. She makes her yarn using the traditional textile techniques of hand-carding and hand-spinning before hand-weaving them on her frame loom, and she incorporates collected found objects.

Elevate at 21c presents temporary exhibitions of works by artists living and working in the communities surrounding each 21c Museum Hotel. Elevate provides hotel guests and visitors with unique access to the work of notable regional artists, while featuring their work in the context of 21c’s contemporary art space.

“My Papa George always biked, went to the gym, played tennis, and was overall an athletic person. When I was smaller, he used to take me to the park across the street so I could learn how to play tennis, roller skate, ride a bike, and use a kite. The older my Papa George got he still went to the gym, but stopped going to the gym when my Mema was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

I never thought I would see my Papa George in the way that I did last year. The journals on view were created after my grandfather had taken a fall, and my mom and I stayed at the house to assist him and my Mema. These journals were different.

I never knew how long I would work on the Journal Series when they began in 2020. And I never thought the journals would document my life and my family’s in every aspect. Typically, journaling can be finished for hours straight or in a few days. But these journals are different. They hold more weight and memories and are made inconsistently compared to the others. However, the objects in the journals highlight happier times, like when my Mema made Alfredo pasta and used those baking cups. But the journals are also a reminder of how hopeful, difficult, and sad this time was.”

 

–Bryana Bibbs

 

Bryana Bibbs is a Chicago-based artist who works at the intersection of textiles, painting, and community-based practices. Bibbs earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Fiber and Material Studies at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the founder of “The We Were Never Alone Project – A Weaving Workshop for Victims and Survivors of Domestic Violence,” currently serves on the Surface Design Association’s Education Committee, and was named one of Newcity’s Breakout Artists of 2024.

Bibbs has had recent solo exhibitions at the Chesterton Art Center (Chesterton, IN) and Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Chicago, IL). She has had recent group exhibitions at Chicago Art Department (Chicago, IL), Chicago Artists Coalition (Chicago, IL), Elmhurst Art Museum (Elmhurst, IL), Portland Library (Portland, ME), and George Marshall Store Gallery (York, ME). Bibbs has participated in residencies at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (Gatlinburg, TN), Surf Point Foundation (York, ME), the Lunder Institute for American Art (Waterville, ME), and Chicago Artists Coalition (Chicago, IL).

 

 

Socials/Website:

Instagram: @bryanabibbs, @wewereneveraloneproject

Website: bryanabibbs.com, thewewereneveraloneproject.com