5 Minutes with a Friend: Allison Glenn, curator of 'Warp and Weft'
Warp and Weft: Technologies within Textiles is a group exhibition from Library Street Collective, running in Detroit, USA from January 25 to May 3, 2025. The exhibition explores the evolving relationship between textiles and technology, showcasing artists who integrate traditional fibre practices with contemporary digital tools and experimental materials.
Historically, textiles have been closely tied to technological advancement - from the Jacquard loom, a precursor to early computing, to modern digital weaving. Warp and Weft examines this lineage through the work of artists who engage with fibre not only as a material but as a conduit for storytelling, cultural identity, and technological evolution.
Gary Tyler, Big Toe, 2024: Burlap, yarn, metal snaps, fabric and batting. Panther has googly eyes.
The exhibition features a diverse range of more than 30 artists pushing the boundaries of textile art. Notably, Gary Tyler - an LA-based fibre artist - presents a quilting practice born out of injustice after being wrongly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, Akea Brionne, a local artist working with Afro-Surrealism analysis the impact of colonial systems on American and Caribbean society, and Tyrrell Winston, whose assemblages are a reminder that the things we neglect don’t disappear simply because we’ve moved on, with his piece for Warp and Weft being made from salvaged basketball nets from courts across New York and Detroit.
Tyrrell Winston, The Red Balloon, 2025: Brass rod, hardware, replaced basketball nets.
Envisioned by New York based curator and writer Allison Glenn, 'Warp and Weft' is housed within the The Shepherd in Detroits Little Village, a historic Romanesque-style church recently transformed into a multidisciplinary cultural arts space. The Shepherd’s diverse programming seeks to blur the lines between gallery, institution, and community arts centre, and welcomes opportunities for collaboration with other arts initiatives and organisations. With textiles taking centre stage for their current show, we spoke to curator Allison Glenn about her affinity with fibre:
Allison Glenn
Allison, what is your first memory of a textile?
It has to be a blanket that my grandmother made for me. When I was very young, I would take it out to the backyard to fall asleep in the sunshine.
Can you put into words what you love about textiles?
They're evidence of life, care, and love. A textile has so many meanings and can be endlessly used, reused, repurposed, worn, reworn, and altered.
What has inspired you recently? This could be a book, film or an exhibition you have seen or an artist / designer you admire.
I just visited Jean-Marc Bullet's home and studio in Saint Joseph, Martinique, where he and his family have created a garden where they grow plants and fruit that are harvested and dried to make teas, cacao, and more. Jean-Marc runs the company Heritage Des Iles, alongside a studio practice where he merges interests in design with environmental concerns. Their home is located in a valley, in the centre of the island, and the roads require adept skill to navigate (for a first time visitor like myself). Once up there, Jean-Marc gave me a tour of the property, which was unbelievable.
What is your most cherished textile, and why?
I have so many, but my recent favourite textile is a small handwoven bag that Angélica Serech's gallerist Jimena de Tezanos gifted me while she was in town for the opening of Warp and Weft: Technologies within Textiles. Embroidered on the bag is a representation of a bird that means protection. I brought it with me to Martinique, where I am currently doing research and artist studio visits.
What did you learn about Detroit in the curation of this exhibition and the community working with fibre and textile-based processes?
Detroit is my hometown, and I remain amazed by just how many roads lead back to the city and metropolitan area. Textiles hold deep meanings for Detroiters, and many - like Tiff Massey, Akea Brionne, and Carole Harris - are exploring personal and collective histories through wide-ranging approaches. While in Paris last October, I learned that Olga de Amaral attended Cranbrook, where a course in textiles with Marianne Strengell during her one year in the program (1954-1955) led her to explore both colour and experimentation with textiles, ultimately leading her to be one of the most important innovators of the Fibre Arts Movement.
-
Find out more:
Warp and Weft: Technologies within Textiles
Warp and Weft: Technologies within Textiles:
25th January until May 3rd, 2025 at The Shepherd
1265 Parkview Street
Detroit, MI 48214
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 11AM - 5PM
-
Image Credits:
Lead Image: Cyrah Dardas, Juniper Blue Moon, 2024 Quilt. Botanical dye; Marigold and Indigo. Recycled cotton. Machine bound, Hand Stitched.
All images courtesy of the Artists and Library Street Collective.