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Champion of Craft: Drawn Home

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As we celebrate the influence of art and design on impressions, the focus of issue six of the Mohawk Maker Quarterly, we’re taking a closer look at the group of talented makers featured within.

Today we follow up with owner and creator Stacey Beach, of Drawn Home, hand-made quilts, throws and pillows. Read on to learn more about Stacey’s thoughts around design.

This issue of the Mohawk Maker Quarterly focuses on Impressions: The kind we strive to leave on our peers, customers, influencers, culture and history. What kind of impression do you want to leave behind?

I greatly admire authenticity in others and hope that that is what people see in me. I want to be seen as someone who follows her own path, and is not influenced by what should be done, but is guided by my own voice.

Stacey Beach
Drawn Home
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What makes everyday objects meaningful to you? Do they have a special power to influence us?

Textiles are the everyday object that we wrap ourselves in for warmth, protection and decoration. Those humble purposes are meaningful to me, an object with such basic utility that we as a group have been producing for century upon century. Additionally, I am interested in how we decorate these pieces of cloth, and how that influences us, transports and transforms us. Art made for everyday use that enriches our lives is meaningful to me.

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What characteristics tend to capture your attention? Why do these traits stand out to you?

Color is a main focus of my designs. I love playing with color swatches and combining them with one another.  Some can be soothing, some energizing, some recede and let the pattern take over, others highlight where the pattern falls away. Color is what tells the story and creates meaning.

Can you share with us any formative moments that have left a lasting impression on you?

Several years ago, I worked as a studio assistant to the artist Takashi Murakami, who champions dissolving the line between high and low art. My work has always been informed by the decorative and folk arts, and over time my interests merged and blended. I became a painter who quilts and designs textiles. I now see the work of an artist as one who is master of her craft, no matter the context or venue for viewing. This can be ‘fine’ art work and at the same time utilitarian design. These are all aspects of the same conversation.

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Champions of Craft: Calico Wallpaper

As we continue to celebrate the influence of art and design on perception with the Mohawk Maker Quarterly, we’re taking a closer look at the group of talented makers featured in issue six. Today we follow up with Rachel and Nick Cope, of Calico Wallpaper, a design studio that specializes in gilded, metallic and marble wallpapers and bespoken wall murals.