Skyway 20/21: A Contemporary Collaboration
June 14 – September 1, 2021
USF Contemporary Art Museum + Online
USFCAM HOURS + ADMISSIONS
Monday-Friday 10am-5pm; Closed Weekends and USF Holidays (July 5) – Reservations required for visits June 14–25. No reservations required starting June 28 when USF lifts COVID restrictions on public access to campus.
Admission to the Museum is free; however, a USF parking permit ($5.00 daily) or pay-per-space parking is required. Please call (813) 974-4133 for questions regarding reservations, parking, directions, or more information on events associated with the exhibitions.
CAM EXHIBITION ONLINE
Exhibition Home // Essay by Sarah Howard // Foreword + Acknowledgements
Rosemarie Chiarlone // Danny Dobrow // Babette Herschberger // Akiko Kotani
Cynthia Mason // Ry McCullough // Casey McDonough // Kodi Thompson
AKIKO KOTANI
In her monumental installation Red Falls, Akiko Kotani expands her exploration of crochet stitching as a transformative act which honors the strength and resiliency of abused women, materially interwoven with the trauma and power carried and contained within their bodies and psyche. Using thread created from red plastic trash bags, Kotani’s stitching process symbolizes the repetitive and patient nature of women’s domestic labor, which is often unrecognized and undervalued. The softness of the material and expansive scale of the work exaggerates each stitch, a part of her process she considers as a journal, recording and reflecting her emotions as she works.
Artist's Website: akikokotani.com
INSTALLATION VIEWS
Installation view of Skyway 20/21 exhibition at USF Contemporary Art Museum. Left to right: works by Kodi Thompson and Akiko Kotani. Photo: Will Lytch.
Akiko Kotani, Red Falls, 2021. crocheted polyethylene, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view of Skyway 20/21 exhibition at USF Contemporary Art Museum. Photo: Will Lytch.
Akiko Kotani, Red Falls, 2021. crocheted polyethylene, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view of Skyway 20/21 exhibition at USF Contemporary Art Museum. Photo: Will Lytch.
Akiko Kotani, Red Falls, 2021. crocheted polyethylene, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view of Skyway 20/21 exhibition at USF Contemporary Art Museum. Photo: Will Lytch.
Akiko Kotani, Red Falls (detail), 2021. crocheted polyethylene, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view of Skyway 20/21 exhibition at USF Contemporary Art Museum. Photo: Will Lytch.
Installation view of Skyway 20/21 exhibition at USF Contemporary Art Museum. Left to right: works by Akiko Kotani, Rosemarie Chiarlone, and Ry McCollough. Photo: Will Lytch.
ABOUT AKIKO KOTANI (b. 1940, Waipahu, HI)
With a distinguished career of national and international exhibitions, Akiko Kotani has been recognized with multiple awards and residencies including being named the 2019 Artist Laureate by Creative Pinellas and 2013 Pittsburgh Artist of the Year. Her works are found in several private, corporate, and public collections including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. Kotani received her BFA in Painting from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, and her MFA in Textiles from the Tyler School of Art, Eakins Park, PA. She lives and works in Gulfport, FL.
Skyway 20/21: A Contemporary Collaboration at the USF Contemporary Art Museum is supported by the Gobioff Foundation, the Stanton Storer Embrace the Arts Foundation, the Lee and Victor Leavengood Trust, and Dr. Allen Root in honor of his late wife Janet G. Root.
