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Michelle Grabner, Untitled, 2024-25, sand-cast bronze, oil paint, courtesy of the artist
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Sand Casting
The first written record of sand-casting was in 1206 in Mesopotamia, but it wouldn’t become widely documented until the 1500s. Sand casting, like slip-casting, is a type of mold used primarily for metalwork. The technique has improved over the years through multiple cultures, making their own progressions and sharing their knowledge with each other. Different sand make-ups and binders, and the creation of parting compounds, allow for more variety in the already flexible and expansive medium. While sand casting is the most popular kind of metal casting, it is still a tedious process. On top of this, there is often a poor surface finish because of the small and abrasive grains of sand. Artist Michelle Grabner turns this challenge into a charm with lacework. By using lace as the base for a mold, the granular, uneven texture adds to the homey, well-worn feel. Learn more about the sand casting process with the link below, and find Michelle Grabner’s bronze lace pieces in the Main Gallery of the Schneider Museum of Art.
https://engineeringproductdesign.com/knowledge-base/sand-casting/
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Michelle Grabner, Untitled, 2019, oil, acrylic on burlap, courtesy of the artist
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Burlap
Traditionally made from the jute plant, burlap is recognizable as a thick, itchy fabric associated with a rustic aesthetic. Burlap is a popular material in the agricultural industry due to its durability, flexibility, and breathability. It’s commonly used as sack material for grain, potatoes, and coffee beans because of its ability to keep these things dry. Many different kinds of burlap have emerged to meet different needs. Original burlap is preferred for its sustainability and practical use. Faux burlap and equinox faux burlap both emerged as more decorative types of fabric, but still hold some flexibility and weather-resistance. In art, there is a distinct working-class, domestic connotation. Artist Michelle Grabner plays with this association and adds to it with her Untitled pieces, a collection of burlap painted to look like Gingham picnic blankets. Learn more about burlap as a material with the link below, and find Michelle Grabner’s Gingham collection in the Schneider Museum of Art’s Main Gallery.
https://hellosewing.com/what-is-burlap/
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Michelle Grabner, Untitled (potatoes), 2024-25, bronze, Courtesy of the artist
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Food and Art
From decadent feast spreads to a banana duct taped to a white wall, food art has a surprisingly political history. The representational nature of food in the cultural sphere allows artists an arsenal of symbols to play with, subvert, and call upon. Add different art movements, racial identities, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and the relationship between the art and the viewer changes. Artist Michelle Grabner is aware of this connection and utilizes it in her exhibition Underdone Potato, jam jars, cabbages, and canned ham tins create a narrative of domesticity, working-class relations, and the traditionally feminine while subverting these roles with the inclusion of bronze and references to fine art. Learn more about the connection between food and art with the link below and find Michelle Grabner’s work in the Schneider Museum of Art.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/food-art-cultural-travel-180961648/
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From the Archive
(VIDEO) Creative Industries Discussion: Louise Mandumbwa
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