Anoush: a professional dancer and costumer specializing in Central Asian and Middle Eastern traditions. Drawing on ancient traditions/crafts of Caucasus and Central Asia, dazzling costumes with embroidery, beading, and other intricate embellishments are a
D’Jak: (Denise Jaklitsch) “Self consciously modern, she represents quilting’s individualist strain” (Newsday, 2002) D’Jak is the show’s curator. Best known for her 3-D sculptural sci-fi tapestries and elaborate fantasy dolls, her large-scale appliqued dimensional sci-fi tapestries of robots & strange alien life forms — co-designed with artist Frank Pawlowski — have a quantum element, elegantly blending the past and the future while exploring the UFO enigma. Fantasy doll figures interpret enchanted animal characters of fairytale, legend and lore. D’Jak has shown in New York Hall of Science, Queens Borough Hall lobby (September 2002 through July 2003), Queens Center Mall, Bishop Castle, the Renaissance Faire, sci-fi conventions, and other venues. This artist is also an accomplished hard rock guitarist.
Geraldine Hazel: Founder of Stitches From the Heart, Inc. (a non-profit quilting and teaching organization), is one of the borough’s premier traditional quilters. Her specialty is preserving the almost-lost visual method of communication used by fugitive slaves seeking freedom on the Underground Railroad through her multi-colored African-American heritage quilts. Hazel has been featured in “Quilters Newsletter” (Jan-Feb ’03) and has shown and taught at schools and cultural institutions such as Queens Historical Society, Queens Museum of Art, King Manor, and is scheduled at the American Museum of Folk Art.
Annie Hickman: “Weaving the Wild”: This internationally acclaimed sculptor/trained performer brilliantly constructs exquisite, startling costumes hand woven out of basketry materials and fabrics that present a magical world of transformation. Hickman’s one-woman show. “The Art Of The Bug Lady.” has dazzled audiences of all ages across five continents with her incredible sculptural insect and creature-spirit costumes, enabling the artist to move and perform in her large, complex and vivid creations, thus creating a transforming, original, and complete art form. She creates each piece of the costumes.
Some of Hickman’s works are worn during her performances and some are on exhibit as sculptures. She has designed costumes and performed for Le Clique, made costumes for Henson Associates on Sesame Street Live, designed and built costumes for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Off-Broadway plays, and performs throughout the world at nature centers, museums, festivals, in addition to teaching her art to children, and teaching yoga.
Robyn Love: Hailed as the “Cristo of the Cozies” (Queens Chronicle “Spotlight” January, 2000), creates conceptual knitted works that include tombstone covers, long flowing capes for World War I public statues, bright orange cozie-dresses for parking meters and granny square quilts for city lampposts — each designed with unique meaning. Love studied art in India, has a BFA from Cooper Union and steadily shows in varied, sometimes-atypical locations and galleries throughout metropolitan New York under many city-sponsored arts programs. Robyn Love is curator of Queens Theatre in the Park’s Gallery-in-the-Round.
Luberta Mays: The current Queens Borough Public Library/AQA Gallery featured Individual Artist 2003 winner. This traditional West African Kente cloth weaver and textile artist has been weaving Kente “the Cloth of Kings” since 1973. She apprenticed in West Africa and utilizes the indigenous strip loom to weave strips of cloth into large symbolic wall hangings and scarves. She has shown commissioned work throughout the United States. She has studied at Pratt, Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, Philadelphia College of Tech & Science; and has demonstrated at the Guggenheim Newark Museum and other locations. She has a Doctor of Education degree from Columbia University, a Master of Science degree from Queens College/CUNY, and is a retired college professor and dean.
Patricia Morris: Pratt Institute graduate and art teacher at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School, her after-school fashion club boasts 85 enthusiastic members. Morris’s papier mache and soft sculpture puppets turn dreams into reality and will delight attendees of this event. An art teacher since 1999, Morris hopes one day to use her puppets to help bring happiness and magic to children through education and therapy. Her after-school fashion club has designed a special “Overhead” scarf project for their participation in the Fiber Arts Fest!
