The Unraveling (2017 – 2020)
Height: 73” Width: 38” Depth: 8”
knit cotton, poly & cotton fabrics
Adrienne Sloane
At The End Of My Rope (2019)
Height: 57” (top of the noose) Width: 14.5”
knit cotton, rope
Red White and Blue (2022)
Height: 5’ Width: 3’
mixed media
The Unraveling detail (2017 – 2020)
Height: 73” Width: 38” Depth: 8”
knit cotton, poly & cotton fabrics
Truth to Power (2007)
Height: ceiling Width: 3’Depth: 2’ variable
knit wire
Melt – detail (2013)
Height: 8” Width: 24” each piece
cotton knit over wire on canvas
Culture Wars (2022)
Height: 12” Width: 12” x 3”d Chess Board only
mixed media
It’s A Matter of Black & White (2018)
20 x 60 cms
quilt and knit
Melt (2013)
(click on image to show the entire piece)
Height: 8” Width: 24” each piece
cotton knit over wire on canvas
Adrienne Sloane is an American artist using machine knit and mixed media to create thought provoking and impactful work with a political focus. Race, climate and social issues are just some of the topics explored and her work is in private and public collections.
Firstly where did you grow up and where do you live now?
I grew up in New York and now live in the Boston area.
What is your background in textiles?
I’m self-taught. I come from a very artistic family, my grandmother and sister were painters and I always went to art classes. My mother taught me how to knit when I was young. I bought a used knitting machine in the mid 1980s. An article of Judith Duffy’s work in Threads magazine was a real turning point as I was amazed you could create such sculptural shapes from knitting. After that I started knitting wearable sculptural hats, which went well until 1999 when the studio building in which I worked burned down. Shocked, I took a year hiatus. When I started knitting again, I finished my first piece on the day gay marriage was legalised in Massachusetts, which ignited a responsive creative connection and I haven’t stopped since.
How do you describe your art?
My work is politically responsive. I cover topics such as climate, race, war and the American political system.
What techniques do you use?
Machine knitting had been my main format but I’ve expanded my practice to include quilting and other mixed media. More recently, I started integrating fiber with puzzles both existing and specifically laser cut. Missing pieces in puzzles question intersections and how the pieces and events of our lives fit together.
How do you create a piece?
I start with a vision in my head. Then, realizing that vision is often trial and error. Using other materials, such as puzzles, presents new technical problems that require more pre-thinking.
Where do you work?
I have a studio at home and a fiber studio in an arts building near by.
How long does a piece take to create from start to finish?
It’s really impossible to say. I mull things over for a long time and have a few pieces on the go at the same time.
What is the highlight of your career so far?
I am most gratified when my work touches people emotionally. Most recently, unraveling my knit American flag in public performance was very emotional for me and people watching as it was a visual representation of the times we live in. It is very rewarding to have that direct emotional bonding.
Do you have any advice for aspiring textile artists?
Be committed and use your artistic voice in a way that is meaningful to you.
That will come through in your work.
Upcoming exhibitions are:
Stitching Stories: Textiles in Conversation, Lexington Historical Society, MA, Sept 23, 2022-September 4, 2023. https://www.instagram.com/lexhistsoc/
Hard Times, Kingston Gallery, Boston MA, January 5-29, Reception January 7, 5-8pm. https://www.instagram.com/kingstongallery/
https://adriennesloane.com
https://www.instagram.com/adrienne_sloane/