A renown weaver, Janice Lessman-Moss’ work is a meditation on universal patterns and order. Her dynamic constructions offer a point of entry and marked presence along a shared and unfolding continuum. In this Member Monday, Lessman-Moss guides us through these networks of connection made material.
Textile Society of America (TSA): Hello, Janice! Would you share a bit about your work process and inspiration.
Janice Lessman-Moss (JLM): The process of weaving provides me with a vocabulary of form and meaning that inspires my work. The metaphors inherent to making, the connection of materials, integration of surface and structure, dualities, accumulation in space and time, etc. provide a wonderful foundation upon which to build.
The binary language linking the computer and the loom is my point of departure. As a young weaver, I created the plans for my work on graph paper. When the computer was introduced as a tool for the design and output of the woven cloth – near the end of the last century – the options for expanding the complexities of my work, were enhanced. The iterative potential of the computer aligns so beautifully with structural patterning of weaving on the loom. Hence, I have greater flexibility in the development of mathematical relationships and more opportunity for serendipity during the design/drawing process.
Written and filmed by Carrie Wise, for Applause, March 4, 2022
Materials have also played a critical role in the shaping of my ideas. Within the past several years I reintroduced shiny metal wire into the structure of my woven compositions. Embedded in the field of patterns, they provide geometric markers of light and hope. I also like that these shiny metallic shapes or lines induce the viewer to explore the weaving from different vantage points experiencing an array of perceptions in real time. Sometimes the motifs appear luminous, from other positions, they seem to disappear. The elusiveness of the reflective surface combined with the lyrical/rhythmic flow of patterned shapes, are grounded in a matrix of circles, squares and diamonds. The finished piece is intended to engage the viewer in concentrated contemplation.
I also enjoy the parallel associations of my interest in walking to my devotion to weaving. They are both slow activities that keep me focused on the present moment; the accumulation of steps, like wefts, provide a sense of order and connection to something that is real, concrete and fascinating. The linear progression of my movement in space corresponds with the slow unfolding of the weaving under my hands at the loom; while the composition reveals a choreography of paths, coming and going, snaking and curving in a topography of networks.
TSA: What is your first or favorite textile memory?
JLM: When I was growing up I had no particular affinity for textiles aside from having sewn many of my own clothes. My first exposure to textiles that really resonated with me as a medium for artistic expression came in 1977 when I was newly married and moved with my husband to Philadelphia to study at the Tyler School of Art. Out of curiosity, I enrolled in a course listed as Weaving or Fiber Art…something like that….and that experience changed my life! Although I was not immediately captivated with the work, by the end of the semester I recognized that the connection of process and meaning was significant. It all made sense to me as a young artist, and the challenges inherent to constructing the form were exciting. At the same time, an exhibition of work in textiles in the school’s gallery, the likes of which I had never seen before, moved me to consider art making in a new light. Pieces by Dominic DiMare, Lewis Knauss and Joanne Brandford were especially impactful. Their work exhibited a sensitivity for material while the repetitive processes of wrapping, weaving and netting were so poetic. I was profoundly inspired.
TSA: Does your work tend to reflect a communal process or more of an individual practice (or both)?
JLM: My forty year engagement with teaching at Kent State University provided a wonderful opportunity to work in a communal studio with my students. Although I enjoyed sharing my enthusiasm and knowledge of the field of textiles with them – my own practice depends on solitary concentration and construction. The importance of staying in “art shape” requires a consistent effort and because textiles are a “slow art”, all explorations, insights, and development demand a significant, disciplined time commitment. Building with threads is an exhilarating experience and I continue to enjoy the discoveries of making.
TSA: If given the power to master any skill instantaneously, what would it be?
I understand the value of learning something slowly as it makes sense to be introduced to vast amounts of information in small doses; providing time to grasp complexities. But, given that I do not seem to have an aptitude for learning languages, I would like to be able to master Spanish instantaneously! Language is quite abstract to me and I’m curious to know how this new knowledge/skill would contribute to my ability to absorb other structures, rhythms and patterns. I would also like to be able to communicate with the Spanish speakers in my family – my sister-in-law is Peruvian – and when traveling in Peru and/or Spain.
TSA: What projects are you currently working on / looking forward to?
JLM: Upon retirement from teaching at Kent State, the time in my studio has increased and opened the opportunity to pursue large scale commissions. The end of 2022 and first half of 2023 was spent immersed in the design and construction of a large scale weaving for a medical research center in Wisconsin. It was an exciting logistical challenge to conceive and construct a 15×10 foot weaving and one which I really enjoyed. In addition to continuing to pursue my personally motivated practice, I am actively seeking other opportunities to make work for permanent installation in public spaces.
Having enjoyed a long and fulfilling career as a Professor in Textiles at Kent State University, Janice Lessman-Moss recently stepped aside from teaching to devote extensive time to her studio practice. She has been awarded numerous Individual Artist Fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council beginning in 1984, and received an Arts Midwest/National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Crafts. Lessman-Moss won the prestigious Governor’s Award for the Arts in Ohio in 2016, the Cleveland Arts Prize Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, and a coveted United States Artists Fellowship also in 2019. Her work has been presented throughout the United States and internationally, including solo exhibitions at the Kent State University Museum, Galleria Willa in Lodz, Poland, the Museum of Fine Art and Culture in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Praxis Gallery in Cleveland. Other exhibition highlights include: “Neo Geo,” at the Akron Art Museum; “Fiberarts International 2013 and 2016,” Society for Contemporary Craft and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, PA; “New Material World,” Sheldon Museum, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; “Rijswijk Textile Biennial 2011,” Museum Rijswijk, Netherlands; the second and seventh ”Cheongju Juried Craft Exhibition,” Korea; and the first, second, third and fourth “International TECHstyle Art Biennial,” San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, California. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Lessman-Moss resides in Kent, Ohio with her husband Al Moss, where she is Emeritus Professor at Kent State.
Website: www.janicelessman-moss.com
Instagram: @janicelessmanmoss
Facebook: @janicelessmanmoss
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