Jazz Fest Crafts: Kate Beck

This weekend marks the opening of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for 2008. There is so much to experience: of course the music and the food, and the weather and the people, but one of my favorite parts of the Jazzfest is the crafts exhibit.

This is a nationally recognized showplace of artists displaying and selling handmade fine arts and crafts. Each weekend offers a different array of acclaimed craftspeople representing the best of Louisiana and the United States.

There are many accomplished exhibitors and the array of crafts is vast- so I have chosen to focus on those who produce their pieces here in New Orleans. I will be profiling several artistsans during the 2 week duration of this wonderful event.

 

Kate Beck, whose studio is in the Fauborg Marigny, utilizes an artform called "Shibori" whereby she manipulates and dyes textiles, producing richly textured, even sculptural pieces of fabric.

   

 

Shibori is a traditional Japanese art form of embellishing textiles by shaping, tying and securing the cloth before dyeing it. The result is cloth with a three dimensional form. Sometimes the fabric is folded, sometimes it is wrapped and even pleated and sometimes stitching is employed. Regardless of the exact technique used, Kate Becks Shibori pieces are sumptuous, richly colored pieces of very wearable art.

 

The technique Beck  most often employs is called arashi (storm) shibori. The fine pleats and patterns suggest rain driven by a high wind. This elegant pleating is achieved by wrapping and compressing the fabric around a cylinder; a hot dye bath then sets the pleats.

These pieces not only satisfy and excite the eye, they are also very soothing and comfortable on the body. The experience of these is sensual and intense.

These pieces are so organic and so suggestive of the wind and weather which Kate says is her chief inspiration. These two wraps remind me of tornadoes.

The Shibori technique produces a wide variety of results. Pleating and ruffling are two of the outcomes of this method.

The fabric Kate works with is 100% silk and the dyes used are permanent. To retain the beauty of a pleated piece, they must be stored carefully and protected from moisture. Pleated shibori pieces may be professionally dry-cleaned.

Kate Beck is a great talent in the field of textile arts. We are lucky to have her living in our city and even luckier to be able to see and purchase her wares at this year's Jazzfest.

If you are unable to attend the Jazzfest, please visit Kate's website.

Please stay tuned for more Jazzfest craft features in the coming days!