The Raw Materials Of Escape

The Last Run by Coulter Fussell
76″x48″; hand pieced and hand stitched of various discarded textiles; 2019
Courtesy of the artist.

COLLAGE ON VIEW

The Raw Materials Of Escape

at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
January 17-February 29 2020
Curator-led Tour: February 27, 6PM

Coulter Fussell’s early-developed artsview perceives craft and other arts as indistinguishable from one another. Painting, sculpture, and textile work are one solitary entity in her mind. From youth, the combination developed into an unintentional mash-up, resulting in quilts and textile works that defy expectations of the medium. Fussell relies on the no-holds barred nature of contemporary painting rules to free her compositions from the constraints of pattern. In turn, she simultaneously relies on the strict discipline of traditional craftwork to act as a self-editing tool.

The curator, Katie Hirsch, states, “Fussell’s work challenges traditional quilting practice in that she creates pieces that are composed like paintings. The interplay between light and dark in her work makes reference to foreground and background while retaining the wholeness traditionally associated with a quilt.”

The Drift and The Bear by Coulter Fussell
92″x64″; hand pieced and hand stitched of various discarded textiles; 2019
Courtesy of the artist.

About the artist:
Coulter Fussell was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia, an old textile town situated on the Chattahoochee River, on the eastern border of Alabama. The culture of Columbus and the surrounding river valley—including the neighboring military base of Fort Benning, housing Infantry and Airborne—play a significant role in Coulter’s work. Fussell’s father was an arts museum curator throughout her childhood while her mother is a life-long quilter and educator. Running through museum galleries on any given day after school and then going home to watch her mother sew for hours was standard. The combination resulted an early-developed artsview where craft and other arts are indistinguishable from one another. Painting, sculpture, and textile work became one solitary entity in her mind. From youth, the combination developed into an unintentional mash-up. Fussell relies on the no-holds barred nature of contemporary painting rules to free her compositions from the constraints of pattern. In turn, she simultaneously relies on the strict discipline of traditional craftwork to act as a self-editing tool.

She now lives in Water Valley, a small town in the northern Hill Country of Mississippi. There, she runs her store and studio, Yalorun Textiles. Having been in the service industry for most of her life, Coulter is also a waitress in the neighboring town of Oxford, Mississippi. Fussell lives in Water Valley with her two young sons, Amos Henry and Booker, and their cat Janet.

Coulter Fussell’s website is www.coulterfussell.com

(adapted from the gallery’s press materials)


INFORMATION

Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art
161 Calhoun Street
Charleston, South Carolina 29401 USA
(843) 953-4422

Hours:
Monday-Wednesday, 11AM-4PM
Thursday, 11AM-7PM
Friday-Saturday, 11AM-4PM

MAP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK