For the Wall: Tapestry and Wall Art
Chemo, Leukemia and Beyond
Solo Exhibit at The Center for Advanced Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis MO, September 18-November 1, 2018
This small-tapestry series was inspired and informed by some of the physical, mental, and emotional challenges I experienced as I traveled from diagnosis to recovery along a sometimes-bumpy road paved by modern medical science. While chemotherapy attacked the blight within, my body became weak and listless, and my mind became devoid of words. Only my dreams were vibrant with bizarre shapes in psychedelic colors. As mind and body began to revive, a far worse specter, acute myeloid leukemia, appeared. More than a decade and a half has passed since I received a stem cell transplant, and I am ever grateful to the scientists who developed the necessary protocols, the medical professionals who delivered excellent care, and to my sister, a matched donor, who provided the cells.
In these intricately-woven tapestries, I have tried to express, in fiber, my experiences, my indebtedness to medical science, and my appreciation for the support and solace given to me by family and friends throughout this involuntary, but awe inspiring trek. Words still escape me, but it is my hope that art will prevail over words.
Crossovers: DNA and me. Tapestry and Surface Design.
Chemo Brain II. Tapestry.
Syncopated Synapse. Tapestry and Surface Design.
Choate Contentment. Tapestry.
Where are my Words? Tapestry.
Chemo Brain I. Tapestry.
Synergy. Tapestry.
Chemo Casualties. Tapestry.
Chemo Dreams. Tapestry.
Fiber Folding: A New Twist on an Old Theme
Weavings Inspired by Motifs in Folded and Folding Protein Molecules
Solo Exhibit at the American Association of the Advancement of Science, First Floor Atrium 1333 H Street, NW, Washington DC, February 16-April 16, 1993
curated by Jeanette Murray, AAAS Art Advisor
“The inspiration for the works in this exhibit came largely from various motifs found in folded protein structures and from the protein folding process itself. The symmetric and not-quite symmetric geometric designs of the weavings are not representations but explorations of the various patterns, dimensions and repeats found in the folded protein structures. With innovative methodology and technique, Holtzer produces work that is both intellectually stimulating and beautifully designed.” Jeanette Murray, AAAS Art Advisor
“…Holtzer is a world-class weaver. She works with equal mastery in silk, linen and wool, in patterns that delight and defy the eye. At times Holtzer uses texture to cue us to a repeating repeat in a pattern, at other times to tease us into losing our way. Usually she adheres to a conventional framework, but often her work abandons planarity and scorns its frame, threatening to leap into the fourth dimension. While all 14 of these works share a common thread, each is as distinctive as an individual genotype.” Hank Burchard, The Washington Post, March 5, 1993
Iterations II: Collection of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Meet Cross and Separate technique. Photo by Martin Schweig Jr.
Gradations; Photo by Martin Schweig Jr.
Coiled Coil; Meet Cross and Separate technique..
Heptad; click photo to learn more
Tropomyosin. Tablet weaving and Collage.
Kinetic Trap "...conflates the ancient ritual of weaving with the genetic process of protein production... This coupling of women's crafts with generativity can suggest a feminine viewpoint. Holtzer's works are inspired by protein folding, and her motifs are loosely based on the sequence of amino acids in a particular protein chain... The repetitive elements that define her weavings also, therefore, imply a genetic process." Ellen K. Levy "Repetition and the Scientific Model in Art" ART JOURNAL, p 79, Spring 1996.
WALLS AND WINDOWS: PROTECT OR PROHIBIT
WALLS AND WINDOWS; PROTECT OR PROHIBIT? I: Wall, Hanging: Brick
WALLS AND WINDOWS; PROTECT OR PROHIBIT? II; Wall, Hanging: Stone
WALLS AND WINDOWS; PROTECT OR PROHIBIT? III; Garden Wall with Moss and Flowers
WALLS AND WINDOWS; PROTECT OR PROHIBIT? III: Garden Wall with Moss and Flowers (detail)
WALLS AND WINDOWS; PROTECT OR PROHIBIT? V: Ellis Island c. 1913; Photo by Garry McMichael
Other Weavings for the Wall
Waiter, There's a Weevil in My Waldorf Salad; linen warp and natural dyed weft: cochineal, apple leaves, apple bark, walnut, marigold, indigo.
Waiter, There's a Weevil in My Waldorf Salad (detail)
Erika
"Symmetry 2MM"