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Rachael Mayer Art

Fiber. Paper. Intermedia.

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Gathered

2018

Approximately 12ft x 4ft; dimensions variable on installation

Powermesh, resin, synthetic dye

Installed at Military Reserve, Boise, ID

Converge

My mother is a quilter. And my family memories are rooted in the mountains. I am a fiber artist because it was inherited matrilineally through many generations. My work references family, communities, social networks, and systems. I draw influence from landscape and topography to communicate ideas around the social structures we influence and are influenced by.

30in x 27in x 4in

2018

Untitled (Context)

Revitalize

2017 

Quilted cotton, thread

21in x 39in x 6in

Confer

2017

Free-motion quilted cotton, hand-dyed eco-felt

48in x 132in x 23in

Yellowstone

Entropy

PVC pipe, hand-dyed yarn, paper clay, hand-dyed eco-felt

2017-2018

Installed at Idaho State University's John B. Davis Gallery

 

Entropy is the culmination of my graduate work at Idaho State University. My written thesis can be found here. 

Aggress

Aggress

2016

Hand-dyed Eco-felt, hardware cloth, zip ties

29in x 53in x 4in

Ecdysis

Cardstock, letterpress printed cardstock

2017

Installed at Frontier Space Gallery, Missoula, MT

Suspend

2016

Installation at Idaho State University's Transition Gallery

Fleece

Shroud

34in x 34in, 96in at longest point

Bamboo/cotton yarn, flax roving, bamboo rayon roving, synthetic dyes

2016

Shroud reflects the turmoil and resistance we face when healing from loss and grief. Created in honor of a previous student who took her own life, Shroud traces my healing process. Reflecting upon the connections between decomposition, decay, grief, and healing, Shroud consists of loose and tight weaving, different widths of yarn and holes interspersed in the tapestry. 

At the bottom of the piece, there is a looseness and the dullness to the color of the fibers but as the eye progress upwards, the weaving becomes tighter and fuller—there are fewer holes and the color is increasing in vibrancy. There is a progression between something that is dead and stagnant and something that is becoming increasingly more alive—is changing. This reflects and traces healing processes. 

Aquifer

84in x 24in x 12in

Recycled plastic and chiffon polyester dyed with synthetic dye and Portneuf River water

2016

Aquifer is heavily influenced by trauma that is inflicted upon the environment by humans. Using Portneuf River water and recycled materials, the piece’s materials are conceptually tied to its belonging within my oeuvre. Yet the piece itself also speaks volumes about what we choose to see or what we can readily see. Aquifers exist beneath the surface of the earth and can be difficult to determine in size and magnitude. So much of what impacts our environment is hidden—it is an iceberg’s bottom that we can’t easily see. 

Collapse

Revere Suede Soft White cotton paper, davey board, book cloth, embroidery floss. 

Screenprinted and embossed on a Whelan press. 

8.5in x 3.5in x 1.25in (21.5in when open)

2016

Collapse, an artist’s book is about the depth in which we must look in order to fully understand what is going on around us. Much of collective environment is beneath the surface and by truly listening and reflecting, we can find those spaces where most never contemplate. These hidden spaces and dimensions beneath and above our world fascinate me. 

 

Protect

2016

Installation at Idaho State University's Fine Arts Building, 4th Floor

Paper tetrahedrons

Scarred

52in x 94in x 10in, 112in at longest point

Handmade bamboo paper, pine

2015

Scarred is a play upon preservation and decay. Comprised of monochromatic, handmade bamboo paper tubes, the piece is meant to reflect the movement and change within landscape. The shorter parts of the piece create a canyon in the otherwise tall and fluid tubes. Reminiscent of topography, it makes us question what has happened to the middle of the piece and what could have impacted it so significantly. The pieces around the middle scar are interacting with this trauma as they pull away from the center. However, this movement is meant to continue. One day, when the landscape heals, those pieces so strongly angled agains the center may one day slowly move back. There is a healing within the landscape even as trauma has occurred. And yet within the piece itself trauma is not inherently apparent. Trauma influences my work but is not always represented in it. There is a calmness, a serenity that accompanies the preservation and mourning and healing that is serves as a continuation throughout my pieces. 

Latitude

2016

Intaglio solarplate with embroidery

Crumble

2016

Intaglio solarplate with hand dyed eco felt and embroidery

Extend

2016

Installation at Idaho State University's Fine Art Building, 3rd Floor

Reclaimed polyester string, dye

Gravesite

2016

Recycled plastic, naturally dyed cotton, dirt, wood

102in x 84in x 36in

 

In honor of my grandmother, Barbara Robinson-Wilcox. 

Expel

Expel

2016

Bamboo/cotton yarn, synthetic dyes

Gathered

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Converge

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Untitled (Context)

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Revitalize

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DSC_9245 (1).jpg

Confer

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Mayer, Rachael_06.jpg

Yellowstone

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Entropy

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Aggress

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Ecdysis

— view —

Suspend

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Mayer_Suspend_Detail.jpg

Shroud

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Aquifer

— view —

DSC_1998.jpg

Collapse

— view —

Protect

— view —

Scarred

— view —

DSC_1683.jpg

Latitude

— view —

Crumble

— view —

Extend

— view —

Mayer_Extend_Detail1.jpg

Gravesite

— view —

Mayer_Gravesite_Detail.jpg

Expel

— view —

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