Release Date: November 6,2024
AST Welcomes Artists-in-Residence Sarah Paul and Meagan Smith
November 5, 2024, Akron, OH — Akron Soul Train welcomes artists-in-residence Sarah Paul and Meagan Smith with a public opening reception on Friday, November 22, 5 - 7:30 pm. Exhibits are free and open to the public from Wednesday, November 20 through Sunday, December 22, 2024.
Fiber Meets Found Object in Sarah Paul’s “The School of Fiber Chambers” Exhibit
Artist Sarah Paul’s “The School of Fiber Chambers” showcases her ambitious integration of wet-felted wool with locally sourced found objects, secondhand fabrics, and video screens. Throughout Paul’s residency, she has let loose the reins on her former methods of construction to embrace new techniques and strategies of fabrication. The result is a surreal fusion of fiber with household objects and electronic media that establishes a simultaneously warm and strange tension. “The School of Fiber Chambers” exhibit creates a playful yet meditative atmosphere filled with whimsical juxtapositions in form and material.
“I'm a transdisciplinary artist striving to balance socio-political content with irresistibly seductive form. Through media installation and objects, I’m addressing the precarious state of being out of body in order to consider how we manage physical and mental trauma. The Akron Soul Train Residency has afforded me the time to focus on new directions in the physical structures of the Fiber Chambers body of work. The pace of a professional art practice can set you up with a continuous calendar of deadlines for works that you already know and understand deeply. With this residency, my studio has again become a frenetic laboratory of experimentation and risk. The opportunity to show and discuss this new work with an audience almost immediately after producing it is truly unique and invaluable. ” – Sarah Paul
About the Artist Sarah Paul:
Sarah Paul is an artist based in Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a BS in Mathematics from the University at Albany, and an MFA in Fine Art from the University at Buffalo. Paul is a recipient of several awards including the SPACES Satellite Fund, the Ohio Arts Council Individual Award for Excellence in Media Art, and a Creative Workforce Fellowship granted from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. She has exhibited at the Riffe Gallery, the Akron Art Museum, the Sculpture Center Cleveland, and the Albright-Knox Gallery. Paul’s video work screens nationally and abroad and her art has been acquired by Progressive Art Collection and private estates. Sarah Paul is a Professor of Sculpture and Expanded Media at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Virtual and Organic Themes Weave Together in Meagan Smith’s Exhibit “Wild Light”
Exploring the translation from virtual to physical, artist Meagan Smith’s “Wild Light” embraces both digital and traditional weaving techniques to present fluid pieces that simultaneously express the movement between natural and artificial realms. Patterns that resemble nature’s invisible forces, like wind or water, are created through black and white pixels on a computer and translated to intersecting threads on the loom. Meagan Smith’s “Wild Light” seeks to present heightened physical sensations felt throughout the day in response to personal encounters with organic or artificial landscapes. The interconnectedness of these worlds is mirrored through their weavings and watercolors, posing other questions about the changing perceptions between these different types of spaces.
I am constantly seeking a dynamic energy through the combination of both color and pattern, to help emphasize the wave and undulating movements. Examining these weavings reveals systematic shifts on a macro level while stepping back offers a pulsating sensation reminiscent of natural elements like wind breaking through clouds, or submersion in water. The fusion of the graphic appearance and natural elements creates a harmonious blend that fosters a renewed appreciation for the interconnections between the natural world and technology in the quest for finding solace in these fluxing organic mystical elements.” – Meagan Smith
About the Artist Meagan Smith:
Meagan Smith (she/they) is an interdisciplinary fiber artist currently creating in Cleveland, Ohio. Smith holds a BFA in Painting from The University of Akron and MFA in Textiles from Kent State University. Smith was recently showcased in a two-person show at OSU, and exhibited a solo show at Capacity Contemporary in Louisville, KY. Their artist residencies include Studio Kura in Japan, KH Messen in Norway, and Ós Textile Residency in Iceland. Featured in both CAN Journal and Canvas Cleveland, Smith has also received several arts and travel awards including the ARPA Cuyahoga Art & Culture Grant. Their work is part of the permanent collection at Summa Behavioral Health Center and has been commissioned for private collections.
About Akron Soul Train:
Akron Soul Train is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the arts in Akron, Ohio. Through artist residencies, exhibitions, and community engagement initiatives, Akron Soul Train provides resources and opportunities for artists to explore their creativity and contribute to the cultural richness of the region.