Kansas City artist, Gerry Trilling, debuts a new body of work entitled “Memory Ponds: Crocheting by the Light of Netflix” at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in St. Joseph, Missouri, from Sept. 25 – Nov. 8. “Memory Ponds” marks Trilling’s first solo museum exhibition and is a departure from her previous work. More than 150 unique crocheted “drawings” will be exhibited, from palm-sized to room-sized works. The exhibition opens to the public Friday, Sept. 25, from 4 to 7 p.m.
In 2018 Trilling started on an open-ended project using donated yarn remnants and, as she shared what she was doing, bags of yarn started showing up — enough to fill 12 large containers. In two years this project became the 16-foot original “Memory Pond.” From this work Trilling developed the forms and textures of “Memory Ponds” into a remarkable series of new work.
“Anyone who has ever worked with yarn has some left over,” the artist explained. Whether it was a sweater for their kid or a scarf from grandma, yarn often carries people’s stories and memories, which Trilling has crocheted right into her colorful, complex drawings. “The intentionality of the donations touched me, as if to say, ‘Here is something precious to me, please honor it,’ ” she shared.
“The Albrecht-Kemper Museum is excited to host Gerry Trilling’s ‘Memory Ponds.’ These pieces will invite our viewers to think about how the bits and pieces of our memories form into the larger stories of our lives and that of our communities,” said Megan Benitz, interim museum director at the Albrecht- Kemper Museum of Art.
“Memory Ponds: Crocheting by the Light of Netflix” will showcase an incredible variation of color combinations and different yarn textures made both before and during the pandemic. Trilling has collected numerous stories about the donated yarn and invites the public to “Tell Me a Story” at a dedicated story contribution station in the exhibition.
The exhibition will also feature a full-color exhibition catalogue produced in collaboration with Brian Hearn, independent curator. The catalogue features essay contributions from Jamilee Lacy, director and chief curator of Providence College Galleries, and Anne Gatschet, arts writer and museum educator, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. The catalogue will be released in conjunction with Gerry Trilling’s artist talk at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17.
The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art is located at 2818 Frederick Avenue in Saint Joseph. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; and 1-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call 816-233-7003 for more information.
Trilling is best known for making art using domestic materials and handiwork, occasionally combining them with text. Her art draws from contemporary material culture, transforming the mundane into conceptually rich territory in which she explores themes of generational memory, connection and loss. Her work insists that you, the viewer, reach into your own personal place of memory and association.
Trilling earned a BFA in painting from the Kansas City Art Institute. She traveled extensively collecting materials and conducting independent studies in Asia, South America, Australia and Europe with an emphasis on how patterns fit into the larger visual landscape.
