Artists In String

Includes chapter on Australian Aboriginal string figures from Cape York.

Rooted in tribal customs and cultural traditions from around the world, making string figures is an ancient pastime that continues to charm people of all ages. This compilation of projects from String Figure Magazine presents easy-to-follow photographs and simple, step-by-step directions for creating more than two dozen captivating string figures that can jump, flip, and perform other tricks. In addition to basic instructions on how to get started, this guide features brief accounts of each figure's historical background. They include "Kidnapped Baby" and "Broken Home, Mended Home" from Hawaii, "A Flock of Birds" and "Old Man Chewing" from the Solomon Islands, and the Australian "Setting Sun." From the Congo come "Leopard's Mouth," "Rubber Band" from Tibet, and from India, "Scissors." Other figures spotlight the traditions of North America's Navajo and Kwakiutl peoples and natives of Brazil, Guyana, and Argentina. A great travel pastime and on-the-go activity, making string figures is a delightful, inexpensive, and easily acquired hobby.

Ranging from the simple to the intricate, these one hundred original patterns, complete with precise instructions, include a falling star, a thunderbolt, a racing car, and a tree in winter

String, Felt, Thread presents an unconventional history of the American art world, chronicling the advance of thread, rope, string, felt, and fabric from the "low" world of craft to the "high" world of art in the 1960s and 1970s and the emergence today of a craft counterculture. In this full-color illustrated volume, Elissa Auther discusses the work of American artists using fiber, considering provocative questions of material, process, and intention that bridge the art-craft divide. Drawn to the aesthetic possibilities and symbolic power of fiber, the artists whose work is explored here-Eva Hesse, Robert Morris, Claire Zeisler, Miriam Schapiro, Faith Ringgold, and others-experimented with materials that previously had been dismissed for their associations with the merely decorative, with "arts and crafts," and with "women's work." In analyzing this shift and these exceptional artists' works, Auther engages far-reaching debates in the art world: What accounts for the distinction between art and craft? Who assigns value to these categories, and who polices the boundaries distinguishing them? String, Felt, Thread not only illuminates the centrality of fiber to contemporary artistic practice but also uncovers the social dynamics-including the roles of race and gender-that determine how art has historically been defined and valued.

In this handy reference for string teachers, Dr. Samuel Applebaum addresses the most frequently asked questions, ranging from the very basic to the most advanced. From his conversations with the greatest concert artists of our time, he covers topics such as positions, intonation, vibrato, bowings, sight reading, practicing and stage fright in a comprehensive question-and-answer format.

Geometric string art is created by winding colorful thread around nail heads to develop wonderfully detailed and complex fractal designs. However, without the proper numbered point patterns, it can be almost impossible to recreate. No longer thanks to String Art Magic. With 20 fun and simple projects, author Rain Blanken brings back the art of geometric dreamscapes crafted in string, nails, and parabolic curves. String Art Magic is not only replete with expert tips and how-to technique, it's a treasure trove of difficult-to-find step-by-step geometric string art patterns. With Blanken's engaging style and easy-to-follow guidance, any crafter can learn the secrets to creating intricate geometric string art while discovering how easy it is to follow these patterns. An expert string artist who discovered the craft as a child, Blanken presents patterns of increasing difficulty to help crafters obtain an understanding of how the geometry behind each design works. By the end of String Art Magic, crafters new to the world of string art will have not only completed some amazing and beautiful art to proudly display, but will also be able to customize designs to create their very own string art patterns.