Amy Usdin
Minnesota artist Amy Usdin repurposes vintage fiber nets as armatures for sculptures that speak to memory, nostalgia and the meaning of objects. Trained in graphic communications with a degree from Washington University, Amy spent many years as an art director before reengaging the fiber arts.
“When I first began weaving on discarded fishing nets, I’d been caring for a centenarian father in significant decline. In that, I felt a parallel to the careful but imperfect tending of worn objects that had outlived their use. The slow process of needle-weaving within their borders allowed me space to begin to process the layers of my own history—a meandering journey through eroding memories. As I’ve continued this body of work, I’ve adapted a more outward focus; these nets, similar to those made and mended for thousands of years, recall broader histories, ecologies, and relationships to the earth.”
Her work has been shown in gallery and museum exhibitions throughout the United States, including prestigious surveys representing the diversity and breadth of contemporary craft and fiber art.