Artist Profile

Casino Dress
Size 6

Discomforting Reminder Bustier and Skirt Set
Size 12

I'd Rather Sink--back view
Unisex size Medium

I'd Rather Sink--front view
Unisex size Medium

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Mary Ruth Shields/United Sewing and Design LLC

All art is an expression of the self. The symbolism we employ as artists is often intended to begin a conversation between the artist and the viewer. The artist’s message may be perceived in a variety of ways dependent upon the past experiences of the viewer. Apparel functions in the same way. The wearer has consciously or unconsciously chosen the apparel to send a message about their “self” to the viewer. My artwork explores the connections between how art and apparel express my “selves.” The pieces are sometimes wearable, sometimes not, (or are they?). I find influences in the works of Robert Rauschenberg, Miriam Shapiro, Pablo Picasso, and the Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, among others.

Although I rely on traditional needle arts such as sewing and embroidery to execute my work, I also employ traditional “art” mediums such as paint and paper. Some of the questions I grapple with include the following. How is what we say with our apparel similar to traditional artistic conversations? What symbols do we use and why? How is the purpose of what we wear everyday similar to the uses of costumes in a dramatic production? What is the difference between apparel and sculpture? What function does apparel serve for LGBT individuals? How do people employ apparel to manipulate gender appearance? How deep does the connection between expression of self and apparel go?

In addition to my apparel work, I also work in collage and assemblage on handmade paper employing many of the same methods and mediums I use in my apparel. Although my work on paper expresses my self, I also find that these materials, combined with found objects, allow me to engage in the study of the elements of design in nature.

I have earned a BFA in Drawing and Crafts from Longwood University in Farmville, VA. My Honors Thesis was on felting. I also earned an MST in Teaching Textiles from the Rochester Institute of Technology School for American Craftsman in Rochester, NY and an MFA-IA from Goddard College in Plainfield, VT. My MFA from Goddard was an Interdisciplinary degree including studies in fashion design, industrial apparel construction methods, consumer self image, art as life and collaboration.

Currently, in my life as a social entrepreneur, I am also exploring the artist Alan Kaprow's concept that "life like art holds that art is connected to life.....art at the service of life."

Tour Location: 1429 Park Street 2nd Floor

Website: www.creativeground.org/profile/mary-ruth-shields

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