By Kathy Chouteau
NIAD Art Center in Richmond will come alive with “A Little Bit of Everything: Fashion & Fiber at NIAD” this July, to encompass a fiber/textile work exhibition in its gallery accompanied by a fashion-inspired art book, a virtual artist talk and gallery walkthrough and an onsite runway event that will also be live-streamed on Zoom.
Called “a creative and colorful celebration of NIAD’s common threads and our tight-knit community” by NIAD organizers, A Little Bit of Everything’s “centerpiece” is a Runway Event Sat., July 30 from 1-4 p.m. at the center/on Zoom, which organizers say will feature “eight NIAD artists wearing one-of-a-kind designs by fellow NIAD artists” on the runway. Virtual Studio Director Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh will serve as emcee.
Exhibition organizer and Fashion Class Facilitator Shantanice Swain said the colors and the designs she selected for the runway “represent who we are at NIAD—adventurous, bold, always stepping outside our comfort zone.” Food by the NIAD kitchen, drinks served by Robin Biles and tunes spun by NIAD Studio Director and DJ Liam Golden will add to the eclectic fabric of the event.
Other related happenings will include the Gallery Exhibition for A Little Bit of Everything, which will be viewable in NIAD’s Main Gallery Fri., July 8 through Sat., July 30. Highlights of the exhibition will include
singular garments, drawings, accessories and fiber fabrications on display throughout the month, per organizers. The aforementioned Runway Event July 30 will do double duty as the closing reception for the exhibition.
“The Book Launch”—namely, Me & My Gal, is a publication that was produced and edited by former NIAD facilitator Nan Collymore and will be unveiled at the San Francisco Art Book Fair (SFABF) July 14-17 at 1275 Minnesota St. in San Francisco. Collymore said it grew from an idea “to gather together some of the work being made by artists I’ve been working on textile projects with at NIAD,” with the end result reflecting the meaning of fashion to NIAD artists. Per NIAD, SFABF attendees will get early access to the limited first edition; it will also be available via NIAD, at the aforementioned Runway Event and through local vendors following the fair. For pre-sale orders, email [email protected].
A final facet of A Little Bit of Everything will be “The Virtual Artist Talk” Fri., July 29 at 1 p.m. on Zoom, featuring Exhibition organizer Shantanice Swain and Gallery Manager Julio Rodriguez live in NIAD’s Main Gallery. Together, they will take a stroll throughout the exhibition to chat with some of the artists about their creative processes and inspirations, per NIAD, which said that ASL and captioning will be available.
NIAD artists participating in A Little Bit of Everything will include: Shantae Robinson; Shana Harper; Julie MacDonald; Deatra Colbert; Kiesha White; Heather Hamann; Maria Radilla; Shawna Kinard; Esmeralda Silva; Samantha Kershnar; Rebecca Jantzen; Christian Vassell; Louie Spagnola; Karen May; Jonathan Valdivias; Felicia Griffin; Alice Sampson; and Fabian Arias.
NIAD Art Center is located at 551 23rd St. in Richmond. For more info, click here.
