Shirley Frey McConahay
A Softer World
Opening Reception
Saturday, July 20th, 2 -5 PM
Artist Reception &
Last Fridays Art Walk
Friday, July 26th 6 - 9 PM
Music 7 PM ~ Les Trois Chats
Artist Statement
After teaching American History for many years at Santa Monica City College and the University of Bridgeport, I abandoned academia for art - painting and creating masks out of macrame. This coincided with a move to Durham in 1974 with my first show at the Craft House in 1975. The mask making continued until I could produce a portrait in knots that could be easily recognized. In 1978, I received a commission from Durham City Hall to do a major Soft Sculpture of the Recreation Department. I had done something unique with macrame and I thought maybe I could eventually do something unique with fabric so I spent the 80’s learning how to sculpt fabric and showing my work. During these years I taught at Duke, Durham Tech and the Durham Arts Council. I had one person shows at Yale, Duke, UNC, NC State and the North Carolina Arts Gallery. I showed with the Carolina Designer Craftsmen and the Tri-State Sculptors.
I decided early on to make realistic replicas of animals, birds, fish and reptiles believing that viewers would be able to judge my skill level and might grow attached to the real creatures and want to preserve them in the real world. I have long been a serious environmentalist. This lead to the next phase of my life - believing that native peoples shared my love of the natural world and being ready to begin teaching - I reached out them.
Beginning in 1992, I devoted my time to developing the non-profit organization, Art for Indigenous Survival. We had a board of 7 women although Irma Stein and I did the majority of the teaching. We taught Soft Sculpture to the Lakota, Chippewa/Ojibway, Kekoldi, BriBri, Navajo, Cherokee, Occaneechi, Innu, Quileute, Anishinaabe, Arapaho, and Algonquin people. We journeyed from Labrador and Ontario, throughout the United States and down to Costa Rica. I would develop the patterns and be making the creature a couple of days ahead of the class. Irma would cut out pieces and bag them up for each participant. We always made the favorite plants, animals, fish and reptiles indigenous to their lands. We received grants from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Lifebridge Foundation (an affiliate of the United Nations), the Orange County Arts Council and the Durham Arts Council. Due to family and health difficulties, we closed this chapter in 2015 by distributing our remaining funds to the Shiprock Women’s Center, the senior centers in Pine Ridge and White Earth, and to the three young artists that we mentored along the way.
It was a wonderful journey and I learned about the rich histories of the Indigenous Peoples of this hemisphere and made some wonderful friends.
~ Shirley Frey McConahay