Artist Statement
For thousands of years, women told their stories through textiles, unable to read or write due to a lack of education, or confined to the traditionally feminine arts of weaving, needlepoint, and sewing. I follow in that tradition, using symbols, pattern, and color to tell a narrative from our past. Whose narrative I choose to tell, or carve in a linoleum block, is often someone who made a change in the world, regardless of their time in human history.
One example is the Squanto pocket square. Squanto was taken captive by European explorers, learned English, and returned to The New World to find he was the sole survivor of his tribe. When settlers arrived at Plymouth, ill-timed and unable to harvest enough food for winter, he taught them how to shellfish, scavenge for nuts and berries, and trap wild game. He saved those who took his land, his family, and his language. My goal in creating a wearable textile is to retell narratives and draw attention to the figures that history has overshadowed or forgotten. But more importantly, to bring honor to them and the era they changed.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Elizabeth Calcote started printmaking while attending the College of Charleston. After graduation, she worked in a Chelsea PR firm until she returned to the Lowcountry and became the Teacher’s Assistant at the College of Charleston printmaking studio, eventually becoming an instructor. Then she began conservation mounting, stretching, and framing at Artizom Framing Gallery. Inspired by textiles she framed for collectors in Charleston, Elizabeth researched ways she could start creating them herself. Since 2013, Elizabeth has applied her printmaking background to textiles, creating a system of linoleum printing on naturally dyed silk that uses both Western and Eastern methods. With an interest in design, pattern, and nature, she uses symbols to illustrate the narratives of figures from the past. Her collections of scarves and pocket squares are available for purchase at IBU at 183 King Street in Charleston, SC
*Contact [email protected] to purchase a Spring season.
FEATURED WITH:
Chambers Austelle
Chris Nickels
Karin Olah
