JOURNAL OVERVIEW:
Each year, Surface Design Association showcases the depth and breadth of international artists and designers working with fiber-based materials, methods and techniques in the pages of its quarterly publication, Surface Design Journal. The Winter 2021 Issue is a collaboration between SDJ Editor Elizabeth Kozlowski and Guest Editor Precious Lovell. We invite artists and writers of the African Diaspora to share their personal stories and material expressions of Solidarity.
Precious Lovell is an artist + designer + maker and associate professor in the Fashion Design and Textile Department at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Art in Fashion Design and a Master of Art and Design in Fibers and Surface Design. The cultural significance and various qualities of traditional textiles and clothing, particularly those of the African Diaspora, heavily influence her creative practice. Throughout her career, Lovell has presented at international conferences and traveled to 45 countries researching and collecting textiles and clothing. Her work has been exhibited in the US and abroad.
WINTER ISSUE 2021: The Solidarity Issue
Solidarity has long been the fabric of Black liberation and resilience throughout the African Diaspora. It is the warp and weft that unites people of African descent regardless of struggle or celebration. The African diaspora is as expansive as the imagination and so are its fiber-related works, which have always been integral to its culture and rituals. Many traditions traveled across continents through enslavement. The sweetgrass baskets of the Gullah Geechee, the Pangi worn by Maroons in Suriname, Siddi quilts in India and Pano da Costa (cloth of the coast) in Bahia are all examples of fiber practices that reflect solidarity within African heritage. At times this interrelationship is obvious; other times, it is hidden—only known to its creator. However, if you pull enough threads, a connection may be revealed through an idea, a motif or pattern, a technique, or a narrative. This issue is dedicated to the makers and writers that construct material imaginations of resilience, capability, and respect.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS:
• A one-page abstract: 500 words max, attached as a Word or Pages document. Please note that text inserted into the body of an email will not be considered.
• Please name your file in the following format: “Title_FirstName.LastName.doc”
• 4-6 representative images (jpg format) attached to email
• Please title the subject/header of your email as follows: “SDJ Proposal: SEASON:THEME 2019” (For example, SDJ Proposal: Winter: Marigolds and Unicorns 2019)
• All submissions must be original, and exclusive to Surface Design Journal. Articles that have already been published, in any form, in print or online will not be considered.
• All articles will be reviewed, but not guaranteed for publication.
• Send submissions to journaleditor@surfacedesign.org no later than September 1, 2021.
For detailed department information please visit
https://www.surfacedesign.org/journal/journal-submissions/
