Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Becker.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Each of us has something that we are passionate about. My focus is on defending the rights of women in this country and I do this by employing needle and thread. I will stitch, paint, and sculpt artwork to carry what I believe to be a very important message. Women have stories and need to be heard. I also love telling stories, meeting new people, and traveling. I work in a studio, but much of my inspiration comes from the interactions I have in the world through politics, friends, and travel.
I started with an intense education at Rhode Island School of Design. Twenty-five years later, I returned to school to work toward my MFA at Heartwood College of Art in Biddeford, ME. And to top it off, a few years ago I had the great privilege of studying embroidery at Ecole Lesage, a haute couture embroidery house in Paris, France. Master embroiderers taught me high-end embroidery techniques using a luneville hook and fabric frame.
I am a working artist and very proud of the work I am making. Beyond creating fiber art, I am a passionate feminist and a mother of two.
Please tell us about your art.
In April, two collections of my current work will be on display. One is the House Dress Project including my “Roe House Dresses” and the second are my “Resistance Dolls”.
The House Dresses and Roe House Dresses are silk organdy dresses that I sew to carry stories. For the original House Dress Project, women share their experiences with me about feeling diminished, marginalized, or undervalued in today’s society simply for being a woman. I paint their house on the front of the dress and embroider their story on the back. The “Roe House Dresses” are an extension of the original project and tell stories of experiences that women have had in a time when Roe vs. Wade provides us with the legal right to control our own bodies. Access to safe abortions, birth control, and health care are vital and accessible for the moment, but not something we can take for granted any longer. Also, stories of what it was like for some before the law was passed in 1973. One in four women have had an abortion according to some statistics – we are not criminals. We are simply deciding how we want our lives to proceed. Do you have a story you want to share? Contact me through Facebook. Kimberly Becker- Fine Artist and Modern Embroiderer.
My “Resistance Dolls” are a result of Brett Kanavaugh being placed on the Supreme Court. On the day he was seated on the court I started making dolls. A doll for every day until he is impeached. The dolls, along with the dresses, will be on display at the Cambridge Art Association in the University Place Gallery for the month of April. By the time the show opens there will be close to 200 dolls.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
Most people are supportive of the arts in theory, but in practice, we tend to go to Ikea to purchase art instead of buying from real artists. It would be a major benefit to artists and our practices if people sought out opportunities to buy real art from living artists.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The House Dress Project, the Roe House Dresses and the Resistance Dolls will be on display in April 2019 at the University Place Gallery with the Cambridge Art Association in an exhibition called “Keeping Count”. Find me on Facebook for updates – Kimberly Becker, Fine Artist, and Modern Embroiderer. I am also on Instagram – kimberlybeckerstitcher.
In addition to my studio practice, I offer Japanese Piecing and Stitching workshops with my friend Berri Kramer. We are currently offering a workshop in Italy this spring, a workshop in Paris next fall, and two coastal Maine opportunities as well. Through sashiko embroidery and piecing vintage kimono fabrics, participants will create small works of art along with some pieces to return home with at the end.
Contact Info:
- Address: 12 Fiske Avenue
- Website: www.kimberlybecker.com
- Phone: 1617-997-6111
- Email: kbeckerartist@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlybeckerstitcher/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kimberly-Becker-Fine-Artist-and-Modern-Embroiderer-107456175971706/
- Other: www.flyingwithscissorsstudio.com
Image Credit:
Gordon Bernstein, photographer
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