January 2015

The Red Thread by Rania Hassan, 2013, 180” x 102” x 5”, Amazon collection, Photo by Pete Duvall

Starting 2015 strong with some art! Here's my upcoming schedule:

January 10: Knitting as Contemporary Art at The Textile Museum: I'll be doing a talk with Jennifer Lindsay at the Textile Museum [2320 S St location!] this Saturday, January 10 at 10.30am. Jennifer will be speaking about Knitting as Contemporary Art, then I get to talk about me! Details here.

January 12–30: Soft Lab at Gallery 102: I'll be part of this exhibition at Gallery 102 curated by Eames Armstrong. Opening reception is Monday, January 12, closing reception is Friday, January 30. Details here.

Crafty Bastards

It's that most wonderful time of the year, Crafty Bastards is this weekend! Walk in the entrance and turn right to find me, booth #23/goshdarnknit. I'll have a great selection of notebooks, prints, and even some artwork from my Dream Catcher series.

Click here to buy tickets in advance, and use code VENDOR2014 for a $6 Weekend Pass.

Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair
Saturday and Sunday, September 27 and 28, 10am-5pm
Union Market
1309 5th St NE, Washington DC 20002

Threads.

My biggest exhibition ever is up at the Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel, MD. And there's just one week to go! The show will be up through Tuesday, May 27.

'Threads' is an exploration of connecting knitting and painting with fiber and wood.

Rania Hassan: Threads 
Solo Exhibition
Montpelier Arts Center
9652 Muirkirk Road
Laurel, MD 20708
301.377.7800

Exhibition Dates: April 5–May 27, 2013
Gallery Hours: 10am–5pm, everyday

Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market 2012

Get your Art! Drink your Rum and Cider! The Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market is back for another fantastic event. Saturday, December 22, from 5-8pm, at Big Bear Cafe in Washington, DC.

A small sampling of local Artists, Artisans, and Crafty Bastards alumni will be setting up their work to sell. Vendors include Sean Hennessey, DeNada Design, Andrea Haffner, Rachel Pfeffer Designs, Sweet Pepita, Leafyhead Lotions & Potions, and goshdarnknit. Big Bear Cafe will be open, Special Holiday Drink will be served, and on the last Saturday before Christmas, you know you'll want to do all of your gift shopping here.

Details:
What: Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market
Where: Big Bear Cafe (First and R St NW, DC)
When: Saturday, December 22
Time: 5-8pm

Invite your friends!

printing up a storm.

During Hurricane Sandy, the time I didn't spend looking at this wind map, or fretting over what was happening outside and in far away places, I was in my printmaking studio late into the night of howling wind, printing up a storm. In some cases, very literally a storm. So many gocco screens were burned, the photo above shows just some of the bulbs that fell victim to my printing frenzy.

I drew this lighthouse a week after a trip to Chincoteague this past summer over pony week. The walk to the top of the lighthouse was one of my most favorite parts of the visit. When we reached the top, in the far away distance we could see the ponies swimming.


All of the artwork I screenprint onto the covers of Moleskine notebooks come from pages of my own notebooks. What a coincidence that I'd selected my drawings of crazy weather, underwater adventures, and then end up printing them during the worst storm ever.

Crafty Bastards is this Saturday, November 10, from 10am-5pm at Union Market in DC. My super talented husband Sean Hennessey and I will be set up side by side, booths 108 and 109. Special 2-for-1 tickets are still available here. I hope to see you there!

countdown to crafty bastards.

Saturday is Crafty Bastards, the most fantastical day of the year. It'll be my 8th time participating! This year is very special, as not only am I participating as a vendor, I also helped curate the show as a judge!

My whole house is pretty much an art studio, and over the past few weeks there's been art making going on in almost every room and it's the most amazing thing ever. So what does the weekend before Crafty Bastards look like? Let me break it down into two parts of what I do: Painting and Printmaking.

My Painting Studio:
A lot of magic happened in here this weekend. As usual, one week before is the perfect time to come up with a whole new direction for artwork! But first, on Friday I snuck out and got my already short hair trimmed even shorter.
Then I dove into painting all day. On Saturday, while my canvases were drying, I printed up a storm in...

My Printmaking Studio: This is where I screenprint all of my notebooks by hand. I printed four whole layers that day. That's a crazy amount! By the end of the day, every part of me was aching. But there were so many pretty notebooks on the drying rack! Some complete, some left to dry for more layers. Here is one of my newest drawings, forever gocco printed on the cover of a notebook. Still not sure what to title this one. Sometimes that's the hardest part! Crafty Bastards is this Saturday, November 10, from 10am-5pm at Union Market in DC. My super talented husband Sean Hennessey and I will be set up side by side, booths 108 and 109.

*While cats figure heavily in this post, this is just one cat, and she's just posing for the camera. As soon as work starts, she's done!

knit dress: dancing [fancy]

My latest mixed media fiber installation, Knit Dress: Dancing [Fancy], was inspired by Eadweard J. Muybridge to show moments in time of a tiny dress suspended in air. The day after I made the decision to go in this direction, I learned it was Muybridge's birthday. I knew then I was on the right track.

 A friend, and fellow artist, Andy Cleavenger wrote this about the work:
...Her pieces have always shown an element of interaction between them, but that interaction was usually physical, such as a knitted element that stretched between two painted canvases. Well, with these the element that connects them is the implied passage of time, as though we were looking at individual film stills displayed in sequence. Each one is strong enough to stand on its own, but it is as a group that they start to tell a story. And I love the sense that I am seeing the passage of a moment all at once.

To fully appreciate the sequence, I put together this stop motion animation:


The piece was installed at Artomatic, and will be on display through June 23. Prince George's County Parks and Recreation purchased the whole bottom row for their permanent art collection. There are still some panels of the upper row available in my shop.

There are only two days left to see the full installation in place on the 9th floor [space 140] at Artomatic 2012:
May 18–June 23, 2012
1851 S. Bell Street | Arlington, VA 22202

holiday shows.

It wouldn't be December without some holiday shows! Here are some upcoming events I'll be at:

GRUMP [Give Rad Urban Made Presents]
20 of your favorite Crafty Bastard Vendors will show and sell their awesomeness. You will find something for everyone on your list. Plus. DJ. Bar. Fortune Telling. Carnival games. Cupcakes. For reals, it will be rad.
Saturday, December 10, 11am–5pm
American Legion | 224 D St SE | Washington, DC

Rock-n-Shop at the Black Cat.
Hunting for that perfect holiday gift? Looking to augment your hardcore collection with some essential records? Searching for the perfect T-shirt? Stop right there, my friend! Rock-n-Shop is where it's all at.
Sunday, December 11, doors open 8pm
Black Cat | 1811 14th St NW | Washington, DC

Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market at Big Bear Cafe.
Shop local and support your favorite artisans and designers at DC's best coffee shop. We'll help you finish your holiday gift shopping list as you pick up some treats for yourself, sing along with the carolers, and enjoy everyone's favorite winter treat, spiked cider!
Sunday, December 18, 5–9pm
Big Bear Cafe | First and R St NW | Washington, DC

I hope to see you there!
ps....Thanks to everyone who made it out to visit me at the west elm show last week, and thanks to Etsy and west elm for hosting!

Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market

It's happening again! The Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market at Big Bear Cafe in Washington, DC, will take place on Sunday, December 18, 5–9pm.

Shop local and support your favorite artisans and designers at DC's best coffee shop. Vendors include Sean Hennessey, De*Nada Design, Tigerflight, Van Wagoner Studios, Leafyhead Lotions & Potions, Highway to Hill, and Goshdarnknit.

We'll help you finish your holiday gift shopping list as you pick up some treats for yourself, sing along with the carolers, and enjoy everyone's favorite winter treat, spiked cider!

Details:
What: Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market
Where: Big Bear Cafe (First and R St NW, DC)
When: Sunday, December 18
Time: 5-9pm

Invite your friends!

west elm + Etsy: Handmade Holiday

I recently announced that I'd been selected by Etsy and West Elm to participate in their Holiday Pop Up Shop. Well, that day is almost here! This Thursday, December 1, find me at west elm, Tyson’s Corner, in McLean, VA, from 6–9pm.

The Tyson's Corner west elm + Etsy pop up event will feature Goshdarnknit along with Pickwick Papers, Naked Decor, Herban Lifestyle, and Rachel Pfeffer Designs. The featured local charity for the Tyson's Corner event is Jill's House.

From the west elm blog:
It’s time! Join Etsy + west elm on the evening of Thursday December 1 for a Handmade Holiday Workshop in your local west elm store! We’re super excited that all 37 of our stores* will be hosting a workshop to create handmade ornaments and there will be a mini-market of local Etsy sellers set up to share their wares. Come find something for everyone on your list and contribute gifts and decoration for a tree that will be donated to a local charity. Each store chose a charity in their community!....


Knit Dress VIII . 2011 . by Rania Hassan . Available here

I hope to see you there!

Similar events are happening at all west elm shops, so if you're not in the area, maybe you'll find one nearby. Click here to see the full list.

Details:
What: Etsy + West Elm Holiday Pop Up Shop
When: Thursday, December 1, 2011
Time: 6–9pm
Where: west elm, 7866L Tyson’s Corner Center, McLean, VA 22102
Click here for a mall directory.

etsy+west elm.

I'm thrilled to share that I’ve been selected by Etsy and West Elm to participate in their Holiday Pop Up Shop at West Elm, Tyson’s Corner, on December 1 from 6–9pm. And I would love for you to be there!

I’ll have notebooks:

...and lunchbags:

....and even some of my new Knit Dress pieces:

If you see something specific in my shop you’d like me to bring for you, please drop me a message I’ll be sure to save it for you!

More about the event from West Elm:
On December 1 from 6-9 p.m. we are hosting a Handmade Holiday Workshop and Mini Market with Etsy in every single one of our West Elm stores. At these events you can enjoy drinks and snacks while you shop from local Etsy sellers and make ornaments with Etsy to help decorate a tree we’re donating to a local non-profit.

Details:
What: Etsy + West Elm Holiday Pop Up Shop
When: Thursday, December 1, 2011
Time: 6–9pm
Where: West Elm, 7866L Tyson’s Corner Center, McLean, VA 22102

I hope to see you there!

crafty bastards 2011.

Super excited to announce I'll be participating in this year's Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair. Save the date! Saturday, October 1, 10am–5pm, Adams Morgan, Washington, DC.

Above are the limited edition buttons I designed for a Hello Craft promotion at Crafty Bastards 2010. Other packs were designed by El Jefe Design, and Kelly Towles. To the right of the buttons is my Castaway illustration, shown here hand printed on a Moleskine notebook:

This pocket size notebook is available in both ruled and plain pages in my shop.

My hand printed notebook collection has been growing. To make more of the cover artwork visible, Sean designed and built these awesome display racks:



Only 62 days to go till the best event in DC. This will be my 5th year as vendor, and I'm just as excited as I was for my very first Crafty Bastards show.

What will this year bring? What are you doing to prepare?

Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market

Get your Art! Drink your Rum and Cider! Buy your Christmas Trees!
The Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market Returns!

On Sunday December 5th, from 4-9pm, the Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market returns to the Big Bear Cafe in Washington, DC.

A small sampling of Artists and Artisans selected from the Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair will be setting up their work to sell. Big Bear Cafe will be open, Special Holiday Drink will be served, and fresh cut Christmas Trees will be available.

Vendors Include:

Goshdarnknit:

Ghost writers, imaginary friends, runaways, unite! Goshdarnknit is illustrated notebooks for your pockets and knit paintings for your walls, all by DC artist Rania. She knits, paints, embroiders, and gocco prints every surface imaginable with swirly tales of cherry swallowing, bunny spinning, arm doodling fun.

Sean Hennessey:

Sean Hennessey creates beautiful wall sculptures from upcylced glass combined with concrete and steel. Using common and slightly nostalgic imagery, he presents work as archeological remnants of our present world and ways of thinking, with hopes to inspire and make your life better.

60bugs:

"60 bugs" is a punk rock song written by a 5 year old. 60bugs is the line of awesome hand-embroidered and gocco-printed stuff inspired by it. Sometimes funny, sometimes absurd, mostly always cute, Debbie Lee of 60bugs makes fun items for all ages like tee shirts, pins, greeting cards and reusable coffee sleeves.

Tiger Flight:

I have a compulsion to make stuff. Lately (at least for the past 2 years) I have been really taken with making stuff out of other stuff. I use recycled materials in the creation of my animals which forces me to incorporate the patterns and shapes inherent in the found materials and work within the limited size and availability of the materials. Each piece I make is unique and done mostly without pattern which helps to reinforce the idea of originality inherent within each creature.

Eve VanDalsen:

Since taking summer classes at Parsons many years ago and apprenticing for a leather smith, I have slowly developed my own business of designing, making, and selling handbags, wallets and dog collars. I use material from deconstructed old leather bags and clothing as well as odd lot remnants and past season skins. Very rarely are two pieces the same. Every single piece is made by me from start to finish in my Capitol Hill basement and dining room table.

Figs & Ginger:

Figs & Ginger makes recycled Sterling Jewelry for all stages of life. Pieces are inspired by Forests and designed to grow with you. A new line of charms & family critter necklaces has been added to the Figs family. Pieces start at $10 and none go above $80. We're affordable, well made, and oh so cute!


And more! Here are the details, we hope to see you there!

What: Bloomingdale Holiday Art Market
When: Sunday, December 5, 2010
Time: 4-9pm
Where: Big Bear Cafe: 1700 1st Street NW, DC [First and R NW]

Crafty Bastards!

Yes, it's that time of year again! Crafty Bastards, the best show in the DC area, is this Saturday, October 2nd, 10am–5pm. If you’ve been, you know how awesome it is.

Sean has a new series of small glass sculptures that are ready to hang on your walls. I'll have knit paintings, a whole new collection of notebook designs, and a really cool new series...a surprise that you have to show up to see.



You'll find Sean and I on the tennis courts, at 18th Street NW and Wyoming Ave. NW. Here's a handy map on where to find us:

goshdarnknit will be in booth #117, Sean is booth #118. Hope to see you there!

Come early for the best selection, you won’t want to miss this show!

workshop: june 5.

Undocumented Border Flowers
image from consuelojunderwood.com

If you're in the DC area, and interested in the fiber arts, here's an interesting workshop for you.

The James Renwick Alliance have organised a fiber workshop by Consuelo Jimenez Underwood this coming Saturday, June 5. The Renwick Alliance are offering a reduced rate for fiber artists interested in taking the workshop. Details follow below.

There will also be a related lecture [free] by the artist on Sunday, June 6, 3pm, in the Grand Salon of the Smithsonian Renwick Museum. Artist Talk is titled "Political Threads/Hilos Politicos—A Contemporary Perspective on Issues Regarding Spirit, Land and Art” Fiber artist Consuelo Jiménez Underwood has been producing artworks expressing her memories of the indigenous peoples of the Americas for more than thirty years. Join the artist as she discusses the historical, societal, and personal references in her work.


Consuelo Jimenez Underwood, Virgen de los Caminos, 1994
Image from craftinamerica.org

More about the Workshop, from the James Renwick Alliance:
Consuelo J. Underwood has exhibited and lectured and given workshops nationally and internationally for more than twenty five years. She was born in Sacramento, California, and received her BA and her MA from the San Diego State University. She developed the Fiber/Textile program in the School of Arts and Design at San Jose State University after receiving her MFA there in 1987. Her contributions to the contemporary Chicano and Fiber Art movements have been referenced in multiple critical publications and her work is in several museums, including our own Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Shifting from brushes and paint to needle and thread early in her career, she has infused her woven and embroidered textiles with historical and political images from her personal and familial past. She has said she has felt empowered by the voices of her maternal ancestors to cross the intellectual borders that separated the hand and the mind from the “fine” art spirit, and that her “work reflects the quiet rage that has permeated the Americas for more than five hundred years.”

This hands-on workshop will be an interactive journey with Consuelo, revealing how threads have context, meaning and power. Participants, using miniature flags, needles and thread, will learn how to transform basic sewing materials and process into powerful statements that deal with contemporary social and political events.

Date: Saturday, June 5, 10am–3pm
Location: The Art League School
305 Madison Street, Alexandria, VA 22315
Fee: This workshop is being offered to visual and fiber artists at the discounted price of $45.
To register: Call Sarah Frey at the JRA Office at 301.907.3888
or email at admin@jra.org.

tribute to fiber art exhibit.

This Saturday, join me at an artist reception!



My piece titled Knit Circle will be on exhibit at the 3rd Annual Tribute to Fiber Art juried exhibit at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown, Maryland. The show opened on March 3 and will run through March 27. The artist reception is Saturday, March 6, 5.30–7.30pm, hope to see you there!



BlackRock Center for the Arts
12901 Town Commons Drive :: Germantown, MD 20874
Artist Reception: Saturday, March 6, 5.30–7.30pm
Click here for map

Art Gallery Hours:
March 3–March 27, 2010
Monday to Friday, 10am–5pm
Saturdays, 10am–2pm
Free Admission

tomorrow: artists' talk.

Left: Drop Stitch [detail] Right: Anchored II

If you haven't made it to see my newest artwork at Gallery Neptune in Bethesda, tomorrow is your last day! Be there at 2pm to hear Joyce Zipperer and I talk about our work. Details at the very bottom of this post. But first, I have some press to share!

Some press mentions for my exhibit this past month at Gallery Neptune include: dcist, DailyCandy, Washington Post Express, a Gazette conversation and review, as well as a 'Don't Miss' recommendation in the 'Must-See Events of the Week' in the Washington Post Magazine:



Details for tomorrow:

Artists' Talk:
Saturday, November 14, 2pm

Gallery Neptune
5001 Wilson Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 [2nd Floor]
A few blocks from Bethesda Metro Station [Red Line]
Click here for map


Anchored I [detail]

Fashion. Art. Cocktails.

Thanks to everyone who made it out to my opening last week, what an amazing turnout!

The show continues to receive great press mentions, including NBC [thank you!], DC Art News [thank you!], and Washington Post Express [thank you!].



Here's another Saturday night opportunity to mingle around my newest works of art at Gallery Neptune. In addition to being surrounded my art, tonight's event also features models in De*Nada Design's fall/winter collection, shoes by ShoeFly, fashion photography by Violetta Markelou, and yes, complimentary cocktails.



Special Event: Fashion Art Cocktails
October 24, 7:30-10:00 PM

Gallery Neptune
5001 Wilson Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 [2nd Floor]
A few blocks from Bethesda Metro Station [Red Line]
Click here for map

Gallery Hours:
Thursday–Saturday, 12-5 pm, also by appointment
Please see web site for details and additional event information.

My show will be on exhibit through November 14.

opening tomorrow.

My gallery show opens tomorrow night!

All the pieces are up, and I can't wait till the world gets to see them up close. Here's a peek at one of my newest pieces, titled Drop Stitch.

Drop Stitch [detail] size approx 3'x7'

My newest installations are larger than ever before [Drop Stitch is 7 feet tall!] and I've also introduced some found objects and wood into the pieces.

The show opens tomorrow, Saturday, October 17, 7-9pm, and will run through November 14. According to dcist [thank you!], and Daily Candy [thank you!], you'll really want to see this show.

Gallery Neptune
5001 Wilson Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 [2nd Floor]
A few blocks from Bethesda Metro Station [Red Line]
Click here for map

Gallery Hours:
Thursday–Saturday, 12-5 pm, also by appointment
Please see web site for details and additional event information.

my upcoming show.

I'm working on new pieces for my upcoming show that opens next weekend, Saturday, October 17! The exhibition at Gallery Neptune will feature new directions in my Knit Together series in a two-person show with metal sculptor Joyce Zipperer.

Show opens Saturday, October 17 and runs through Saturday, November 14. Here are the details:

Opening Reception:
October 17: 7 PM

Location: Gallery Neptune
5001 Wilson Lane :: Bethesda, MD

October 17-November 14

Gallery Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 12-5 PM

I hope to see you all there!