Sara Cogswell
Hand made jewelry by Sara Cogswell will be featured in the gallery the night of Vista Lights November 15, 2012 from 5 - 9 pm be sure to stop by!
Sara Cogswell is a resident of Columbia, SC having moved in October of 2011 from Dayton, OH. Her thirty-year career in arts administration has included time as Program Associate at the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art in New York, Director of the Crafts Festivals at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Museum Administrator for the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Gallery Director of Gallery 115, also in Greensboro. For two years, Sara curated the material culture exhibitions for the nationally known Cityfolk Festival held annually in Dayton, Ohio over the July 4th weekend.
Sara’s love of fiber began as early as she can remember. Growing up in Japan as the daughter of missionaries, she was surrounded by the rich textiles unique to that culture. After taking a weaving class in college, she was enduringly hooked. She wove for many years, but following the birth of her first child found it difficult to keep an eight-harness floor loom out of the reach of a toddler. Inspired by the work of two artists from Berea Kentucky, Sara began to work with fiber on a much smaller scale.
Her current work is made up of hundreds of silk, nylon, cotton, or linen threads, knotted into wearable art. The earrings, which sometimes incorporate beads, or at times just combinations of color, begin with these hundreds of threads, not always with a specific end in mind, but evolving as the piece progresses. Though labor intensive, the repetition and rhythm of tying the knots is a very meditative process.