Sarah Shepard Gallery is hosting an Open House with artist Lauren Bartone to celebrate the opening of her solo exhibition, Ribbon Rack, and International Women’s Day. Bartone’s work often considers histories of labor, gender, and domesticity; in this vein, the Open House will honor International Women’s Day with traditional acacia flowers for guests to wear.
Ribbon Rack presents a new collection of hand-dyed and sewn linen canvases occupied by invigorating fuchsias, dusty blues, and shades of yellow from canary to ochre—along with four watercolor pieces—inspired by Bartone’s botanical and archival research. Ribbon Rack is informed by Bartone’s concurrent pursuit of a doctorate in Italian Studies, and considers narratives of Italian national identity, including a framework of colonial history and cultural exchange. Set against a physical backdrop of fabrics that are hand-dyed using materials significant to this history, Ribbon Rack acts as a material and historical survey of Bartone’s archival interests.
Bartone works in an interdisciplinary balance between studio-based work, archival research, and public engagement. She initially studied painting in Florence, Italy, followed by a BA in fine art from UCLA in 2002, an MA in Education from UC Berkeley in 2005, and an MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2012. Bartone is a current PhD candidate in the Italian Studies Department at UC Berkeley, with a designated emphasis in folklore.
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