This Show Me Research Week exhibition of fiber art, paintings and drawings explores the relationship between artists and the process of art making through materiality, the physical substances that artists use to bring their visions to life.  

Some undergraduate and graduate students selected for this exhibition make their own supports, or surfaces such as handmade papers, to showcase their artwork. Others find ways to incorporate the history and origins of fabrics and textiles in their work. 

Artists have always experimented with materials from their surroundings, using the technology available to them. Paint used in the Lascaux cave paintings, for example, was made with pigments and natural binders, such as vegetable juices, plant oils, tree sap, animal fat, bone marrow, blood and albumen. While it is common for artists to purchase ready-made art supplies, some reflect on the cultivation of ingredients, processes and origin of materials in their works.  

In partnership with the School of Visual Studies