A new contemporary art exhibition from three Virginia Tech School of Visual Arts faculty members opens today at the Armory Art Gallery at 203 Draper Road in Blacksburg, Virginia. The exhibition opening is 5 to 7 p.m. today and the show runs through March 16.

“Sew and So” features the work of artists Jennifer L. Hand, Simone Paterson and Amelia Salisbury.

The exhibition will highlight the juxtaposition between craft and lens/technology-based art, and brings together seemingly disparate creative elements into a unified, exciting display. 

“Sew and So” will also be featured at Artspace in Richmond, Virginia, this summer, June 24 through July 17.

The exhibition is entitled “Sew and So” because each artist uses the process of sewing to inform their art. Paterson, Hand, and Salisbury also use creative technologies as part of their visual language.

“Sewing brings to mind a quiet contemplation; something that is handmade and joins pieces or fragments together, it suggests a unifying activity. However, sewing can also be done by machine and can incorporate high-end technology for mass production,” explained Paterson.

According to Paterson, the name also references other meanings. “The phrase ‘so and so’ implies a forgotten name of an individual. We embrace this meaning as many artists have labored without recognition, particularly female artists. Additionally, the colloquial phrase ‘you mean old so-and-so’ may reference a person who is disliked or is considered to have a negative or unfavorable characteristic,” she said.

The artists are also happy to adopt this inference because they feel it empowers them to make the art they want to make, and sometimes what is considered powerful and meaningful is not necessarily thought of as pretty.

The Armory Art Gallery is free and open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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