Artists Statement: In the early 90s, beginning my academic career, I enrolled at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute. At that time the discussion of empowerment was veering away from the idea of equality and towards a narrative of women’s strength defined by women, and uncovering women’s history.
As an artist I originally worked with oil on canvas and photography but discovered my talent for fibre after taking it up to produce household items during my first pregnancy. That same year I began exhibiting fibre productions.
In 1997 I began my association with a neighbourhood art group called Images de Femmes whose mandate it is to encourage women to take control of their artistic destiny and show work in the community, both at their exhibition (held at the Bibliotheque Mile End/Richler up until 2013) and throughout the neighbourhood in vendors storefronts. I coordinated the 2002 (9th annual) show.
I am consistently finding intersections between the practices women have invested in for thousands of years in the field of fibres and the empowerment we are in search of at the present historical moment.
At that time the discussion of empowerment was veering away from the idea of equality and towards a narrative of women’s strength defined by women, and uncovering women’s history.
Bio: Pandora Hobby is a fibre artist living and working in Montreal, Quebec. She specializes in fibre techniques, cultural analysis and educational theory. Her crocheted works vary between artistic and artisanal. Her crochet and craft workshops revolve around free-form and recycled art themes and she has expanded into work-shopping felt techniques in collaboration with FiberAlley. . Her first essay/zine on creative process hooked in was released 2010 and Ms. Hobby later spoke on this subject of yarnbombing as public art at the Greasygoose symposium entitled scraps. Ms Hobby is a member of the artist coops Le Milieu & Ame Art and a managing partner of Galerie Mile End.
