Nothing New

media release: Fall Exhibitions in the Playhouse Gallery and Rotunda Gallery run Tuesday, Sep. 1 through Sunday, Nov. 15, and exhibitions in Galleries I, II and III run Tuesday, Sep. 8 through Sunday, Nov. 29.

This fall, five exhibitions examine what it means to encounter the everyday. Artists transform found objects and discarded materials into works that explore sustainability, domesticity and overlooked places. Rooted in curiosity and openness to possibility, these practices locate profound meaning in the ordinary. Together, they demonstrate how careful attention to the mundane can reshape our understanding of ourselves, one another and our interactions with the world around us. 

Nothing New brings together contemporary fiber and textile artworks created from upcycled, recycled, and repurposed materials. Presented by the Textile Arts Center of Madison at Overture Center for the Arts, the exhibition showcases artists who transform discarded clothing, household textiles, industrial remnants, found fibers, and other reclaimed materials into compelling works of art. Through traditional, experimental, and mixed-media approaches, the exhibition demonstrates the remarkable versatility and expressive potential of materials that have already lived one life.

The artworks in Nothing New explore the many possibilities of reuse, revealing how familiar materials can be reimagined in surprising and meaningful ways. Some artists draw on traditions of mending, repair, and resourcefulness, while others investigate themes of memory, consumer culture, environmental stewardship, identity, and care. Together, the works highlight the role fiber artists have long played in finding beauty and possibility in what others might overlook.

Spanning a wide range of materials, techniques, and perspectives, Nothing New invites visitors to reconsider the objects that surround them and the stories they carry. The exhibition celebrates the creativity that emerges through transformation and offers a fresh perspective on sustainability, reminding us that the end of one object's life can become the beginning of something entirely new.

Participating Artists: Rebecca Benedict, Lauren Bradshaw, Courtney Henson Brienen, Kristin Dohm, Marianne Fairbanks, Suzanne Gernandt, Jennifer Hellermann, Annika Keckhaver, Anika Kozlowski, Terri Messinides,Mark Nofsinger, Henry Obeng, Kassandra Palmer, Emily Popp, Lorraine Reynolds, Ellen Rosner Rachel Schindler, Elizabeth Tuttle, Theo Trotter, Kelsey Vickman,Gail M. Willert

Artist Talks: Friday, October 2, 6:00–7:00 PM. Nothing New artists Emily Popp and Lorraine Reynolds will share about their work and artistic practice.

Workshop: Tuesday, September 29, 10:00 AM-12:30PM. Slow Art: Meditative Magpie Stitched Scroll. Create a stitched scroll with artists Deborah Kades using embroidery, buttons, and charms. This workshop will take place at Overture. More information on registration is coming soon!

This exhibition is supported by the Overture Center for the Arts.

If you are interested in information on supporting TAC’s nonprofit mission, and advancing creative expression through fiber art, please contact us.

Other exhibitions:

Gallery I: The Great Stuff Continuum by Pat Kroth and Hilary Christensen

Gathering like magpies, Kroth and Christensen playfully create with collections of the everyday “stuff of life,” inviting the viewer to uncover hidden treasures and re-examine forgotten, discarded objects. Wander amongst skillful abstractions of the natural world and beyond. 

Gallery II: In the Margins by Nathan Pietrykowski and Amanda Crary

Crary and Pietrykowski explore the chaos and order of everyday life. Crary’s paintings translate lived rhythms of mothering in an unsteady world into layered compositions embodying safety and expansion, while Pietrykowski’s prints examine how chance and routine shape communities. 

Gallery III: Everyday Discoveries by David O. Williams and Tori Tasch

Stories unfold when the hidden details of an environment are revealed. Deeper appreciation and understanding emerge, including the beauty in its oddities, whether in Tasch’s shadowy evocations of Victorian children’s tales or in Williams’ glimpses down alleyways. 

Rotunda Gallery: In Between Days by Jenever Graham

Connecting her love of color, folklore and nature, Graham creates expressive abstract paintings layered with patterns and symbols through repeated mark-making. Painting intuitively, she constructs ethereal and lavish interpretations of experience promoting collective understanding, being and healing.