by Kimowan McLain
Ran Feb. 17, 2002
The big Loom art show last fall at Pittsboro's Chatham Mill's label
factory was an amazing experience that's going to happen again this
spring.
Organizers and curators - UNC honors students Jeffrey Waites,
Angela Salamanca and Lauren Adams, along with faculty advisor Elin Slavick - were all astounded by the community reaction to the show.
The original idea for Loom was proposed by Waites in an honors
thesis. It has developed into an ongoing art project in the Chatham
Mills label factory in Pittsboro. Now a national historic site, Chatham
Mills opened in the 1920s and reached its heyday in the 1960s and
'70s as the world's largest manufacturer of woven garment labels.
Unable to compete due to outdated equipment, the Mill closed on Nov.
1, 1996, and is in the process of renewal. Its owner, Tom Roberts, is
seeking to preserve the building and is interested in supporting an
emerging art center.
Our first experimental exhibition took place in December 2001. We
wanted to see what would happen if we encouraged artists to make
use of abandoned "artifacts" remaining in the building.
The work that resulted had ex-New Yorkers telling us that Loom was
better than most big city shows. The art was a fresh mix of student
and professional works, 35 pieces in all from 25 artists. Most works
couldn't help but respond to the beautiful and daunting presence of
the building itself. Light on the floor sparked Erik Niemi to map out
the paths of sunlight on the oily wooden floor.
Adams arranged foot-long dowels of glass-like little robots lit from
within. Ashley Oates made paper-thin mannequins with labels of social
status woven into the collars. Charles Adkins made a small film that
strung together images of the mill's doors and windows. Amie
Robinson also made a film, animating artifacts and machines with
stop-motion photography.
Huong Ngo, like some kind of spider, strung microfiber from pillar to
pillar, making an exquisite web visible only under strong light. Laena
Wilder concealed a taped interview with long-time employee Johnny
Farrar inside the last remaining loom. Slavick arranged old loom
schematic designs in a carpet-like configuration warmed by a red
spotlight. I excavated a crack in the floor, exposing and arranging 75
years of debris under a bright fluorescent light.
At the opening we had a parade that marched its way down the
center of the space, a distance similar to the post office on Franklin
to Kinko's. And on and on, each work a near-spontaneous reaction to
the building.
So what made the show such a magnetic spectacle? The press
coverage was thorough and complimentary. The opening attracted
hundreds. On the Monday after the opening we had 14 visitors, but
the crowds grew day by day. By that Saturday we had more than 250
visitors.
In my view, the main reason for the show's success was the building
itself. The moment we saw the space, we knew something special
could happen there. All we had to do was show other artists and the
rest would take care of itself. That building makes people challenge
themselves.
So we're going to do it again this spring, opening on April 27. That's a
full-moon Saturday. Expect a parade, stunning light, challenging
music, great food and lots of art to tickle the mind and the eye. This
time we hope to have about 35 artists. It should be a nice mix of
young talent, old pros, locals and new stars from afar. It's difficult to
predict what's going to happen. All I know is that I have a deep faith in
that building. It has an infectious spirit that sets the imagination
afire. We'll have to see what happens in the long run. In the
meantime, looking forward to seeing you at LOOM2 this April 27.
For a virtual tour of Loom 1, go to www.l-o-o-m.org, a Web site being
developed by artist Huong Ngo.
Artists wishing to participate in this show should contact: - Jeffrey
Waites, chief curator: loom_1@hotmail.com - Angela Salamanca,
Co-Curator (Funding and Community Outreach): loom_1@hotmail.com
- Lauren Adams, Co-Curator (Public Relations):
herjazz11@earthlink.net