Woven

It is not only a meditative respect of the medium that artists Teresa Audet, Martha Bird, and Amy Usdin have in common. They each wrap, weave, tie, and string together their preferred material to create artwork as a way to process their individual, personal stories and move toward a sense of wholeness and healing. Their tactile and fibrous materials and techniques, often employed in traditional crafts and basketweaving, are used to create unique and complex contemporary sculptures.

About the Artists
Teresa Audet is a sculptor and object maker from Minneapolis. Audet holds a BFA in Furniture Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and has studied at the Mount Fuji School of Fine Woodworking in Yamanashi, Japan. She has been awarded two Artist Initiative Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and has participated in artist residencies and exhibitions nationwide. Audet teaches furniture making and art nationwide, including the Women’s Woodshop of Minneapolis, the North House Folk School, and Arrowmont School of Crafts. She is currently a MFA candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Martha Bird is a Minneapolis-based artist who specializes in sculptural basketry.  Committed to community, she has been involved in the arts as a presenter, curator, writer, arts organizer, teaching artist, arts advocate, and volunteer.  Martha’s education as a Board-Certified Holistic RN with an MA in Human Development weaves into her artistic practice.  She has exhibited regionally and nationally, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota History Center, Boston’s Society of Arts and Craft, and with the National Basketry Organization.  Martha’s work has been acquired by the Minnesota Historical Society and can also be found in the collections of the Newark-Arcadia Historical Society in New York.  She received a 2019 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grant.  Martha also presents locally and nationally on the health benefits of creating with one’s hands including with the Occupational Therapy program and Nature-Based Therapeutic Services at the U of M.

Minnesota artist Amy Usdin reclaims aging fiber nets as armatures for sculptures that speak to memory, nostalgia, and the meaning of objects. She exhibits locally and nationally with recognition including the 2019 Surface Design Award from the Surface Design Association’s International Exhibition in Print and a 2020 Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.

Amy Usdin is a fiscal year 2020 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant and Martha Bird is a fiscal year 2021 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Image Credit: Anymore (Detail), Amy Usdin, cotton, linen, silk and wool on repurposed horse fly nets