KARA D'ANGELO

My work explores the line where clothing and skin become blurred. Abstract three-dimensional structures suggest clothing and the human form. The enhanced shapes become a remnant of someone or  something which is absent. The clothing apparitions evoke a moment in time in which a sense of movement occurs beyond the body. The viewer's own imagination can explore the potential of each informational vessel: ethereal bodies that suggest a presence.

Clothing provides a means to discover attributes of personal identity. It represents a highly readable language that communicates information of self to the outside world. The vocabulary transcends the clothed body and distinguishes both the physical and emotional qualities that define a being.

Architecture provides another possible intimacy, which becomes parallel to that of the empty dress. Just as issues of identity, such as life experiences, emotions, and memory, can become related to the
physical structure of a building, clothing also represents a place where connections of identity become part of a personal history. Many clothing sculptures, representing their own architecture and environment, present a reminder of object for the body. This opens a dialogue between art, architecture and clothing.

Fabric outlined with wire creates unique dimensional qualities to provide an organic flow of line. The visual movement enhances an overall confluence with body forms, allowing each piece to convey its own
whimsical feel. Lightweight fabrics such as silk organza and cotton gauze enhance the vaporous feeling of each structure. Traditionally, a piece of clothing enhances the manipulation of the body, but the body itself is also vital for animating and influencing the shapes of those clothes. However, when the bodily information is discarded, the textile structures themselves can begin to signal the movement and form generated within the clothed figure. In this way, the empty dress becomes a metaphor for the human spirit.


Kara D'Angelo  2004


Kara D'Angelo


Education:

2003        M.O., Textile Arts and Costume Design, University of California, Davis, June
1998        B.F. Fibers, cum laude, Savannah College of Art and Design, March

Selected Exhibitions:

2004          Objects of Desire, Orleans Gallery, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
2003         Urban Wefts, IV Mini-Textile International, M.X.ESPAI, Barcelona, Spain
2003         Graduate Exhibition, Fiberscene, Internet Fine Arts Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2003         Small Works, 3rd Annual Juried Art Show, Davis Art Center Gallery, Davis, CA
2003         M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition,    University of California, Museum of Contemporary Art,Sacramento
2003         Ellen Hansen Memorial Exhibit, University of California, Davis, CA
2003         Student Juried Art Show, University of California, Memorial Union Art Gallery, Davis, CA
2003         Innovations in Fiberart, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA
2002         ITAA Juried Exhibition, International Textile and Apparel Association, New York, NY  
1998      Fibers Show , Savannah College of Art and Design, West Bank Gallery, Savannah, GA
1998         Designed printed cloth for International book fair, Bogota, Columbia
1997         SURTEX trade show, Jacob Javits Center, New York, NY

Awards:

2001-3        UC Davis Block Grant Fellowship-University of California, Davis
2002        UC Davis, Humanities Graduate Research Award-University of California, Davis
2002        UC Davis, Jastro-Sheilds Graduate Research Scholarship-University of California, Davis
2002        ITAA Design Excellence, Graduate Category Award for Design Excellence in Fiber/Mounted, NewYork, New York

Professional Experience:

1/2004-present    Adjunct Art Instructor, Broward Community College, Pembroke Pines, FL
9/2003-present    Gallery Teacher, Miami Art Museum, Miami, FL
1/2002-6/2003    Teaching Assistant, University of California, Davis, CA
3/1999-5/2000    Carpet Designer, Mannington Commercial Carpets, Inc., Calhoun, GA
4/1998-5/1998    Studio Intern, Pink Inc., New York City, NY

Publications:

2004    Urban Wefts, IV International Exhibition of Contemporary Art in Small Format, Catalog
2003    Exposure, Surface Design Journal, Summer 2003

Professional Organizations:

2003    College Art Association
2002    American Association of University Professors
2001    Surface Design Association