Victoria van der Laan, "Emblem 2"
15" x 15"
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is an abstract interpretation of the traditional quilt-making techniques I learned from my Grandmothers. The painstaking handwork of my forebears never far from my mind as I work, I am committed to revealing the inextricable connection between the traditions of Women's Work and fine art.
I deliberately maintain the quilt form: three layers connected by running stitches, bound and finished with hand stitching. My intention is to champion Women's Work broadly and quilts specifically as dually powerful: encompassing both function and art and embodying the ingenuity and artistic voice of marginalized folk, and my distinct voice among them.
I am passionate about equitable access to art and subverting the gate-keeping that is so pervasive in the art world. I believe in alternative economies and want my work to be accessible to all. For more than a year I have made a weekly offering of 5 small textile pieces that folks can purchase at their chosen price (pay what you can). My goal with this project is to promote equitable access to art and to cultivate a spirit of generosity. The project has grown far beyond my expectations and become an integral part of my practice, allowing me a space to experiment and play with color, forms, and composition and pushing my work in new directions, all while making my work accessible to everyone regardless of their means.
Gravely concerned about the climate crisis and the harmful role the textile industry plays in it, I use no new textiles in my practice, relying only on secondhand, vintage, or repurposed textiles to make my works. Even the tiniest clipping of fabric and thread is kept for use in future work as I strive for a zero-waste practice.
BIO
Victoria van der Laan is a textile artist working in Albany, NY. Victoria's heritage is quilt-making and she carries this knowledge and tradition forward in her sewn paintings, echoing the work of her forebears while innovating new possibilities for the form. She has been awarded multiple residencies including the Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency, Millay Arts Residency, and Weir Farm Artist Residency and has exhibited her work widely throughout the Northeast, including her first solo show at the Spring Street Gallery in Saratoga Springs, NY in 2022. In 2021 both The Albany Institute of History and Art in Albany, NY and The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, NY acquired a piece of Victoria's work for their permanent collections. A strong proponent of the Solidarity Economy and passionate about equitable access to Art, Victoria increasingly offers her work for sale with a pay-what-you-can model.
15" x 15"
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is an abstract interpretation of the traditional quilt-making techniques I learned from my Grandmothers. The painstaking handwork of my forebears never far from my mind as I work, I am committed to revealing the inextricable connection between the traditions of Women's Work and fine art.
I deliberately maintain the quilt form: three layers connected by running stitches, bound and finished with hand stitching. My intention is to champion Women's Work broadly and quilts specifically as dually powerful: encompassing both function and art and embodying the ingenuity and artistic voice of marginalized folk, and my distinct voice among them.
I am passionate about equitable access to art and subverting the gate-keeping that is so pervasive in the art world. I believe in alternative economies and want my work to be accessible to all. For more than a year I have made a weekly offering of 5 small textile pieces that folks can purchase at their chosen price (pay what you can). My goal with this project is to promote equitable access to art and to cultivate a spirit of generosity. The project has grown far beyond my expectations and become an integral part of my practice, allowing me a space to experiment and play with color, forms, and composition and pushing my work in new directions, all while making my work accessible to everyone regardless of their means.
Gravely concerned about the climate crisis and the harmful role the textile industry plays in it, I use no new textiles in my practice, relying only on secondhand, vintage, or repurposed textiles to make my works. Even the tiniest clipping of fabric and thread is kept for use in future work as I strive for a zero-waste practice.
BIO
Victoria van der Laan is a textile artist working in Albany, NY. Victoria's heritage is quilt-making and she carries this knowledge and tradition forward in her sewn paintings, echoing the work of her forebears while innovating new possibilities for the form. She has been awarded multiple residencies including the Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency, Millay Arts Residency, and Weir Farm Artist Residency and has exhibited her work widely throughout the Northeast, including her first solo show at the Spring Street Gallery in Saratoga Springs, NY in 2022. In 2021 both The Albany Institute of History and Art in Albany, NY and The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, NY acquired a piece of Victoria's work for their permanent collections. A strong proponent of the Solidarity Economy and passionate about equitable access to Art, Victoria increasingly offers her work for sale with a pay-what-you-can model.
15" x 15"
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work is an abstract interpretation of the traditional quilt-making techniques I learned from my Grandmothers. The painstaking handwork of my forebears never far from my mind as I work, I am committed to revealing the inextricable connection between the traditions of Women's Work and fine art.
I deliberately maintain the quilt form: three layers connected by running stitches, bound and finished with hand stitching. My intention is to champion Women's Work broadly and quilts specifically as dually powerful: encompassing both function and art and embodying the ingenuity and artistic voice of marginalized folk, and my distinct voice among them.
I am passionate about equitable access to art and subverting the gate-keeping that is so pervasive in the art world. I believe in alternative economies and want my work to be accessible to all. For more than a year I have made a weekly offering of 5 small textile pieces that folks can purchase at their chosen price (pay what you can). My goal with this project is to promote equitable access to art and to cultivate a spirit of generosity. The project has grown far beyond my expectations and become an integral part of my practice, allowing me a space to experiment and play with color, forms, and composition and pushing my work in new directions, all while making my work accessible to everyone regardless of their means.
Gravely concerned about the climate crisis and the harmful role the textile industry plays in it, I use no new textiles in my practice, relying only on secondhand, vintage, or repurposed textiles to make my works. Even the tiniest clipping of fabric and thread is kept for use in future work as I strive for a zero-waste practice.
BIO
Victoria van der Laan is a textile artist working in Albany, NY. Victoria's heritage is quilt-making and she carries this knowledge and tradition forward in her sewn paintings, echoing the work of her forebears while innovating new possibilities for the form. She has been awarded multiple residencies including the Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency, Millay Arts Residency, and Weir Farm Artist Residency and has exhibited her work widely throughout the Northeast, including her first solo show at the Spring Street Gallery in Saratoga Springs, NY in 2022. In 2021 both The Albany Institute of History and Art in Albany, NY and The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, NY acquired a piece of Victoria's work for their permanent collections. A strong proponent of the Solidarity Economy and passionate about equitable access to Art, Victoria increasingly offers her work for sale with a pay-what-you-can model.