Return to Earth: Spirit and Memory
An exhibition curated by Carol Blank

Thom Corn

I began my first woven pieces back in 1982. At that time I wanted to recycle various materials accumulated in my studio--a kind of variant on the "found art" aesthetic. As I worked out my formula I became conscious of blending high and low artistic approaches and on another level--commenting about gender and work in western society and culture. I became aware of the Dogon people of Mali, West Africa and their systems of initiation. Men would weave cloth, and women would spin thread. The resulting clothing covered and protected--the fabric of civilization was artfully expressed, the checkerboard of warp and weft being a gridded symbol of positive human interaction. Fields and villages were constructed with the same grid system.

		Cityscape: E flat, 26" x 12"