(Los Angeles, CA)
Ruth Katzenstein Souza is a Los Angeles textile artist who knew at the age of 10, after visiting the Watts Towers that she wanted to create her own world. After pursuing apprenticeships and learning on her own, she went on to study weaving, spinning and dyeing at one of England’s oldest and finest craft schools, West Surrey College of Art and Design, now known as University for the Creative Arts - Farnham. This fall, the Craft in America Study Center will display a selection of her rug creations. All of them are composed of recycled clothing and fiber and they speak to the importance of process in Souza’s work.
Souza forms remarkable patterns with her rugs, each of which have a very painterly quality. The strips she hooks or knots become pixels within the dense pile of each piece. Souza also references the abstract patterns of traditional quilting through her work, but through a completely unique technique and application. Additionally, Souza’s noteworthy woven bags will be on view at the exhibition and available for purchase.
CRAFT IN AMERICA is a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and advancing original handcrafted work, through educational programs in all media, accessible to all. The CRAFT IN AMERICA project includes a national prime time PBS documentary series, a 300-page companion book, traveling museum exhibitions, and an extensive website with teachers’ guides and video clips of artists at work. The Study Center is an extensive craft-focused library, an archive of video footage, and a gallery space with rotating exhibitions featuring the work of contemporary artists who work in craft media.
The Craft in America Study Center is located at 8415 W. Third St., 2 blocks East of La Cienega. Wine reception. Please RSVP to info@craftinamerica.org or (310) 659-9022
