The Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) is pleased to present Soft/Cover, a major exhibition spanning three galleries that will be on view from now through August 17, 2025. Soft/Cover surveys the many surprising ways artists have used fabric and screenprinting to create objects that relate to the body. Focusing on the connection between textiles, fashion, and architecture, the exhibition includes new and rarely-shown works from The Fabric Workshop and Museum’s collection—each created by Artists-in-Residence in collaboration with FWM’s Studio team.
Founded in 1977, FWM has dedicated nearly five decades to helping artists experiment, often introducing them to textiles and the process of silkscreen on fabric. This creative journey has historically been known to change the direction of an artist’s practice by emphasizing new materials and techniques.
Soft/Cover draws inspiration from some of the Workshop’s earliest residencies in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During its first decade, celebrated artists such as Richard Tuttle, Lynda Benglis, Roy Lichtenstein, Vito Acconci, Louise Nevelson, and many others benefited from intensive three-week opportunities to explore the possibilities of screenprinting. Artists-in-Residence have created wearable objects from everyday workwear to costumes, suits, dresses, and pants. While their works primarily focused on the body, these artists also expanded beyond garments to design upholstery, bedding, umbrellas, furniture, room dividers, large-scale installations, and shelters.
Seven artists were invited to work in residence with the FWM Studio to develop new works for this exhibition: Mildred Beltré Martinez (b. 1969), Julia Chiang (b. 1978), Brendan Fernandes (b. 1979), John Killacky (b. 1952), Aimee Koran (b. 1982), Borna Sammak (b. 1986), and Armando Veve (b. 1988). Milan-based artist Jenny Walton (b. 1990) was also commissioned to contribute new works in conversation with FWM’s collection. This new cohort has created new garments, yardage, furniture, shelters, and more. True to the Workshop’s history, the residencies have opened pathways for these artists’ ideas, introducing new materials and forms to their ever-evolving practices.
DJ Hellerman, FWM’s former Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, who conceived and co-curated the exhibition with Katy Donoghue, Editor-in-Chief at Whitewall Magazine, said “This deep dive into FWM’s collection has been a great adventure and has allowed us to show the tangible and expansive ways the Workshop has delivered on its mission and ethos from 1977 through today. Katy and I set out to answer the question, ‘What happens when artists bring imaginative thinking to fashion, garments, and objects that relate to the body in space?’ The results are wildly experimental. I don’t expect audiences will have experienced a textile show like this before.”
Visitors will encounter wearables such as shirts, boxers, capes, uniforms, swimwear, and jumpsuits displayed on concrete-coated armatures that jut into space and crisscross the gallery. The curators’ dynamic display seeks to create the opportunity for viewers to experience garments in the round while attempting to avoid the use of traditional mannequins, plinths, or pedestals.
“Performance certainly plays a role in how we understand works that imply activation by the body,” said co-curator Katy Donoghue. “Beyond costumes, these artists are exploring the performance of everyday life. We had to ask ourselves, ‘How can we convey performance when the body is removed?’ We envisioned a deconstructed department store arranged in a way that leads your eye around the dimensions of a piece. We hope it sparks curiosity and conversation.”
