Melissa Maddonni Haims
ARTIST STATEMENT
in retrospect, will include work from the last decade of my life. Quite arguably, the most informative, the most tragic and the most exhilarating years so far: from becoming a mother, to losing one, from leaving New York City and returning “home” after nearly 20 years and finally, moving slowly but ultimately away from painting and printmaking into fibers full time. I am excited to show some of my largest installations in this exhibition, including Heaven, which will be installed on the second floor of the gallery. This soft sculpture, which took nearly 2 years to knit and crochet, was created in honor of my mother who died in January 2008. Additionally, Offering will also be shown, which was completed in 2013, one year after the heartbreaking death of my best friend of 26 years. This soft sculpture is made up of hundreds of crocheted stones to build a memorial celebrating her life.Also included will be new work in the Purge series, vintage and heirloom fabrics embroidered with phrases we might want to keep to ourselves; reminiscent of the motivational posters from the 1990’s that say things like SUCCESS and TEAMWORK, these wall hung works are more like the anti inspirational messaging for the new millennium. The text is complimented by hyperbolic crochet, which cascades from the base of the work down towards the floor.
My newest work will also be hung in the first floor gallery. 2014 has become the year of the quilt for me and I will continue to experiment with sewing and quilting with paper, specifically, address book pages from my daughter’s great grandfather. This piece is both an honorarium to him as well as the people who passed before him, especially the ones he drew lines and X’s through in his 10 address books over the 50 years of his life in this country.
Of the more whimsical variety, there will be a selection of crocheted chairs, crocheted and knit cakes and, of course, yarn bombing both inside and outside of the gallery.
ARTIST BIO
Melissa Maddonni Haims is a fiber artist based in Philadelphia. She creates knit graffiti, soft sculpture, and large-scale knit + crocheted installations using recycled, reclaimed and rescued textiles. Her career in the arts began in New York City in the mid 1990’s, and life led her back home to Philadelphia in 2004, where she lives with her husband and young daughter.
Her work has been shown in galleries and museums on the East Coast and Midwest and is held in private collections throughout the United States. She has been yarn bombing around the globe since 2010.
For more information on Ms. Haims and to view her artwork, please visit www.melissamaddonnihaims.com.
