Terri Friedman
Weaver
El Cerrito, CA, USA
Channelling energy through a loom
- Saturated colours and dense textures are hallmarks of Terri’s abstract weavings
- Core themes in her practice include psychology, materiality and cultural instability
- As a former painter and sculptor, she sees her loom as a tool for creating tactile pictures
Terri Friedman’s loom is both a tool and a metaphor for neuroplasticity. Through it, she facilitates and expresses the process of rewiring the brain against the tendency to lean into fear and negativity. “I treat weaving with the sensibility of a painter, mixing a variety of fibres and experimental materials into my compositions,” she says. Terri’s practice explores the exchange between mind and body to activate DOSE neurochemicals, dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins, to encourage healing and emotional repair as a form of cultural resistance and radical optimism. She is an associate professor at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, and her pieces are held in major institutions, including the De Young Museum and Denver Art Museum.
INTERVIEW
I found my creative path when I was a 16-year-old exchange student in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I went on to become a painter and sculptor and found my way back to weaving in 2014 when I discovered I could use the loom to realise my idea of creating big, hairy paintings.
I have always been a mixed media artist incorporating multiple modalities. I usually choose my weaving materials by colour and then fibre. I use an iPad to design and map out the works.
Though not representational or figurative, my pieces are imbued with a body-like quality. Orifices, uvulas, eyes and cords that appear intestinal, veiny and hairy are central in the work. Gaping holes and cracks allow light to penetrate the piece. My works are by turns personal, psychological, spiritual and political.
I have always valued working with younger generations and enjoy giving back. Being a studio artist is so isolating. I have taught college art for 30 years, and as a mentor to graduate students since 2020.
