MASTER CLASS
H i g h T e c h , H i g h A r t
W H E N IT C O M E S T O H E R W O R K ,
t e x t il e a r tis t C y n t h ia S c h ir a is o f
t w o m in d s : t h a t o f a p a in t e r a n d
a m a th e m a tic ia n .
I n s p ir e d b y t h e p a in tin g s o f
h e r la te h u s b a n d , R ic h a r d A .
S c h ir a , a s w e l l a s t h e t r a n s p a r -
e n c y o f M a r k R o t h k o a n d th e
la n d s c a p e s o f C h u t a K im u r a ,
S c h ir a h a s f o ld e d b r illia n t h u e s ,
p a t t e r n s , a n d e m o t io n s in t o h e r
w o r k o v e r t h e y e a r s . Y e t it is n ’t
u n c o m m o n t o a ls o s e e g e o m e t r y ,
e q u a t io n s , a n d c o d e s w it h i n h e r
la t e r w o v e n a b s t r a c t io n s , r e f l e c -
t io n s o f h e r fo r m ’ s m a th e m a tic a l
r o o t s . I t ’s th is r a r e b le n d o f rig h t-
b r a in / le ft - b r a in c o n s id e r a t io n
th a t s e ts h e r w o r k a p a r t. I t a ls o
h a s g u id e d S c h ir a , a 200 0 A m e r i -
c a n C r a f t C o u n c il G o ld M e d a lis t,
th r o u g h t h e in c r e a s in g ly t e c h n o -
lo g ic a l w o r ld o f ja c q u a r d w e a v in g .
T h e c o m p u t e r iz e d ja c q u a r d
lo o m b e c a m e a v a ila b le to a r tis ts
in 1 9 8 3 , t h e y e a r S c h ir a , a lr e a d y
in t e r n a t io n a lly e s t a b lis h e d ,w o n
h e r s e c o n d N a t io n a l E n d o w -
m e n t f o r t h e A r t s f e ll o w s h ip .
R a t h e r th a n r e s is t d e v e l o p -
m e n ts lik e t h e n e w lo o m o r
t h e d e s ig n s o f t w a r e J a c q C A D ,
S c h ir a m a s t e r e d t h e m th r o u g h
h e r l o v e o f s t r u c t u r e , in n a t e
c u r io s it y , a n d d e te r m in e d h o u rs
lo g g e d o n h e r M a c in t o s h .
“ T e c h n o l o g y h a s a llo w e d m e
t o a d d c o m p le x it y t o m y w o r k
t h a t I c o u ld n e v e r h a v e d o n e b y
h a n d ,” s h e s a y s . A n d y e t , “ o n e
h a s t o b e v e r y c a r e fu l t o m a in -
t a in o n e ’s a e s th e t ic a n d c o n c e p -
tu a l c o n c e r n s s o a s n o t t o g e t
t o t a l ly w o o e d b y t h e a b ilit ie s o f
th e m a c h in e s a n d th e s o f t w a r e .”
T h o u g h t f u ln e s s a n d s e lf-
a w a r e n e s s c o m e e a s ily t o S c h ir a .
B e f o r e r e t ir in g fr o m t e a c h in g in
1 9 9 9 , s h e s p e n t 2 3 y e a r s in s p ir -
in g s tu d e n ts a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f
K a n s a s in L a w r e n c e , w h e r e s h e
e a r n e d h e r o w n M F A in 1 9 6 7 .
“ B e in g in v o lv e d in th e c la s s r o o m
w it h s tu d e n ts o r o t h e r p e e r s k e p t
m e m o r e a liv e th a n i f I w e r e in th e
s tu d io b y m y s e lf,” s h e s a y s .
R e c e n t l y S c h ir a a tt e n d e d th e
c e le b r a t e d K a u n a s t e x t il e b ie n -
n ia l in K a u n a s , L it h u a n ia , w h e r e
s h e g a v e a le c t u r e a n d e x h ib it e d
t h e io - b y - 3 0 - f o o t
Etymon
(2 0 10 ),
a w e a v i n g c o m p o s e d o f a b s t r a c -
t io n s o f d ig it a l im a g e s o f o b je c t s
fr o m t h e S p e n c e r M u s e u m o f
A r t a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f K a n s a s .
S h e is p r e s e n t ly a t h o m e in
W e s t p o r t , N e w Y o r k , h a r d a t
S T O R Y B Y
Jessica Shaykett
w o r k c r e a t in g d e s ig n s t h a t w ill
b e p r o d u c e d , lik e
Etymon
, o n a n
e le c t r o n ic ja c q u a r d lo o m a t th e
O r io le M ill in N o r t h C a r o lin a .
I n M a r c h 2013 t h e s e w o r k s , w it h
Etymon
, w i l l b e d is p la y e d a t th e
S p e n c e r a s p a r t o f a c o lla b o r a -
t iv e p r o je c t w i t h a r t is t a n d f o r -
m e r s t u d e n t A n n H a m ilt o n .
W i t h w o r k s in th e C o o p e r -
H e w i t t d e s ig n m u s e u m in N e w
Y o r k , t h e M u s e u m B e lle r iv e
in Z u r ic h , a n d S a n F r a n c is c o ’s
d e Y o u n g F in e A r t s M u s e u m s ,
t o n a m e a f e w , S c h ir a is k n o w n
th e w o r l d o v e r f o r h e r a b ilit y to
c o a le s c e d ig ita l in fo r m a tio n w it h
a r t is t ic v is io n . A s k e d t o g iv e
a d v ic e t o b u d d in g a r t is t s , th e
in n o v a t o r f i t t in g ly q u o t e s p e r -
h a p s th e g r e a t e s t t e c h e n th u s ia s t
o f o u r t im e , S t e v e j o b s : “ H a v e
th e c o u r a g e to f o l l o w y o u r h e a rt.”
In o th e r w o r d s , sh e s a y s , “ ju s t
re a lly , r e a lly lo v e w h a t y o u d o .”
+
c y n t h ia s c h ir a .c o m
Jessica Shaykett is the American
Craft Council librarian.
Top:
W in d o w s ,
2007
cotton, mixed fibers
2 x 6 ft.
Left:
J a z z ,
2007
cotton, mixed fibers
6 x 8.7 ft.
M ore to D isco v er
v i s i t J e s s i c a ’s m a s t e r c l a s s
c o lu m n o n lin e ( a m e r ic a n c r a ft
m a g .o r g '), w h e r e y o u ’ll d is c o v e r
m o r e im a g e s o f S c h ir a ’ s w o r k
a n d t r e a ts fr o m th e A m e r ic a n
C r a f t C o u n c il a r c h iv e s , s u c h as
S c h ir a ’ s a c c o u n t ( in t h e F e b ./
M a r . 1 9 9 2 is s u e ) o f t h e J a c q u a r d
P r o j e c t , in w h i c h s h e a n d f o u r
o t h e r w e a v e r s w e r e in v i t e d to
w o r k a t a c o m p u t e r iz e d ja c q u a r d
w e a v i n g m ill in G e r m a n y . O r
d ig in t o h e r c o n v e r s a t io n w i t h
G a r t h F l e t c h e r , J a c q C A D c r e -
a to r a n d d e v e lo p e r , p u b lis h e d in
t h e A u g ./ S e p . 2001 issu e .
T h e A C C lib r a r y is o n e o f
t h e la r g e s t c o ll e c t io n s o f c r a f t ,
a r t , a n d d e s ig n p u b lic a t io n s
d o c u m e n t in g t h e s t u d io c r a f t
m o v e m e n t f r o m t h e 1 9 4 0 s to
t h e p r e s e n t d a y . I t s n e w l y
la u n c h e d - a n d s t ill g r o w i n g -
D ig it a l C o lle c t io n s b r in g s t h o u -
s a n d s o f t h e s e r e s o u r c e s t o t h e
w e b , in c lu d in g h is t o r ic e x h i b i -
t io n c a ta lo g s a n d g r o o v y P o r -
t a b le M u s e u m s lid e s f r o m th e
1 9 6 0 s , ’ 7 0 s , a n d ’ 8 0 s.
T h e lib r a r y is f r e e a n d o p e n
t o t h e p u b lic , 10 a .m . - 5 p .m .,
M o n d a y - F r id a y . V i s i t u s in
M in n e a p o lis - o r s t o p b y o n lin e .
d ig it a l .c r a f t c o u n c il .o r g
136
americancraft feb/mari
2
Photos: Courtesy of Snyderman-W orks Galleries
