701 Center for Contemporary Art presents A Paper Manipulation Workshop with Flavia Lovatelli
When: Saturday, December 7th from 9am-12pm
Admission: Members, $65; non-members, $75
701 Center for Contemporary Art
Olympia Room, 701 CCA, 701 Whaley St. 2nd Floor, Columbia, SC 29201
Contact:
Allison Cicero Moore, Interim Director
(803) 319–9949 | [email protected]
www.701cca.org
701 Center for Contemporary Art will host a paper manipulation workshop taught by Flavia Lovatelli on 3/29. The workshop will teach participants the basics of two types of unique artistic expression with rich histories.
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to quilling and coiling and will leave with a small abstract sculpture to take home. All materials will be provided, including a paper mache form to build on, quilling tools, quilling paper, and glue.
Flavia Lovatelli, born and raised in Northern Italy, has been a resident of Columbia, SC since 1979. A lifelong advocate for sustainability, she has made conscious sourcing of materials a centerpiece of her art. Her latest work uses both quilling and coiling techniques to create three dimensional abstract sculptures reminiscent of sea urchins or other amorphous echinopods.
The technique of paper quilling began when Renaissance Italian monks and nuns started rolling the trimmed paper edges of gilded books in a similar style to the decorative ironwork of the day and used it to decorate book covers and religious items. In the 18th century, paper quilling found mass popular appeal in Europe as one of the few acceptable pastimes for gentle ladies that were not considered overtly mentally or physically taxing.
Coiling is a technique associated with a type of African basket weaving which utilizes one continuous strand of bulrush or other available grasses sewn together in a spiral pattern. Traditionally men would use this method to make a wide, flat basket called a “fanner” used to process grain. Recently, newspapers and magazines have also been used as available resources to make products for the tourist market. In the Lowcountry of South Carolina, the Gullah community have continued and elaborated on this method to make the sweet grass baskets for which they are renowned.
This free expression of artistic vision with mastery in a traditional craft gives depth and nuance to contemporary art.