Julie VonDerVellen: Tailored Narratives

Organized by the Cameron Art Museum, this exhibition represents the first museum exhibition featuring work by this emerging artist, Julie VonDerVellen, a recent MFA graduate from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. A close inspection of these seemingly pedestrian garments of everyday wear reveal highly crafted, intricate constructions made entirely of handmade paper derived from recycled cotton clothing.

This thoughtful reuse of materials is given additional layers of meaning through the words and sentences found on many of the paper components. They tell stories of identity, status, humanity and memory, of which the artist writes: “Along the way to redefining the commonplace book structure – I have developed a body of work that encompasses everything from posters to newsletters to dresses to shoes….

Garments evoke memories; memories evoke garments. My research expands upon traditional storytelling and memoir presentation. Significant moments — personal stories and those of friends and families — are interwoven into handmade paper crafted from recycled cotton clothing. The paper, acting as fabric, is layered with a narrative specifically tailored to the event. The garments are re-creations of actual attire surrounding each of the significant moments. My paper weaving technique — a process of interlacing objects with memories… Memories evoke garments; garments evoke memories.”