Alicia Scardetta

Name: Alicia Scardetta

Pronouns: she/her

Studio location: Brooklyn, NY

Website / social links: aliciascardetta.com, @aliciascardetta

Loom type or tool preference: Frame loom

Years weaving: 12

Fiber inclination: Cotton Rope, Wool

Current favorite weaving book: Not exactly weaving related, but fiber related: Next up on my library holds Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater by Peggy Orenstein

Contact information for commissions and collaborations: email address

 

 

1. How did you discover weaving and was what your greatest resource as a beginner?

I first became interested in weaving in college while studying Fine Arts. At the time I was creating works on paper and was taking a lot of 2D classes - painting, drawing and printmaking. It was during this time that I started to become curious about taking the line off of the page in order to create a physical object. For me, fiber and thread felt like the most intuitive way to interpret a line.

There weren’t fiber arts classes within my program so I looked for other opportunities outside of school to learn more. I interned at the Textile Arts Center, where I learned how to operate a treadle loom and weave tapestry. It was here that I first started weaving. I think the greatest resource at the beginning was having the time and space to explore new mediums without any pressure of producing work to sell or promote.

2. How do you define your practice – do you consider yourself an artist / craftsperson / weaver / designer / general creative or a combination of those? Is this definition important to you?

I think of myself primarily as an artist, probably because I went to art school. I think if my training had been different in the beginning I may relate more to craftsperson or designer. The titles and definitions aren’t really that important to me as long as I can make work that I enjoy and it resonates with people.

3. Describe your first experience with weaving.

During my internship at the Textile Arts Center I took a Weaving 101 class where we warped and threaded a four harness loom. In this class I really learned the fundamentals of weaving and from here I started creating small pieces on a lap loom. The first weavings I made on that lap loom were very free-form and created from a place of just having fun and exploring different fibers and color combinations. It felt really magical to use a new-to-me medium and materials.

4. What is your creative process, from the initial idea to the finished piece? Are there specific weave structures, looms, or fibers that are important to your process?

I’m interested in exploring the structural variables of tapestry and experimenting with color in my work, so I usually start each piece with an overall structure in mind and color palette. From there I may make sketches of what I want the finished piece to look like or create some color studies. When creating a commission for a client, it’s a similar process. We decide on the overall size and structures and then I create digital mock-ups where we finalize color palettes together.

My work is created on a frame loom. To begin each piece I warp the frame and start weaving. I make a lot of color decisions while I’m actually weaving the piece, seeing how one color interacts with another and making changes as I go. I work this way even on commissions. Although there are digital mockups, the actual color placement will vary.

 5. Does your work have a conceptual purpose or greater meaning? If so, do you center your making around these concepts?

My aesthetic is bright and playful. When I first started creating my work, the vibrant colors, wrapped elements and unexpected compositions were largely drawn from objects associated with girlhood; including friendship bracelets, jump ropes and hair braids. As my work has evolved I am still interested in exploring color and composition but draw on experiences from travel and nature.

 

6. What is your favorite part of the weaving process and why? What’s your least favorite?

My favorite part is once I am really in the flow of weaving. This usually happens after warping the loom and weaving the first few inches of the piece, but before getting near the end of weaving the piece. I love being in the state of weaving, weaving, weaving and seeing the piece coming together.

My least favorite part of my process is packing and shipping, it’s always a little bit of a game of tetris and then feeling anxious about the piece being in transit. I always feel relief when the works are delivered and so much joy when clients send images of the piece on display.

7. Do you sell your work or make a living from weaving? If so, what does that look like and how has that affected your studio practice?

Right now I am only making commission pieces. I live in Brooklyn and my space is limited. I need to be able to create work and then send it out into the world. I have very little storage space. I really enjoy working on commissions, it’s fun to collaborate with clients and interior designers on site specific works, it definitely feels more purposeful for me and I work best with a timeline.

That said, weaving isn’t my full-time job, I also hold an outside job with benefits and paid time-off. Having a job that supports me and my family outside of weaving has been crucial for me to continue to love my art practice. I’m able to take breaks from weaving when I need to and feel excited and recharged when I am weaving, rather than dealing with the freelance anxiety of “Am I working enough?” or “I am working too much!”

8. Where do you find inspiration?

I find that it’s important for me to experience new things and see new places in order to remove myself from my routines and feel inspired. I live in Brooklyn and sometimes finding a new place is as easy as seeing a museum exhibition or venturing to a different part of the city. I became a mom a year and half ago and checking out different New York City playgrounds has become quite a place for inspiring forms and colors!

9. What other creatives do you admire – weavers, artists, entrepreneurs – and why?

I admire anyone who has a drive to make things and carves out the space and time to do so. Our world has become increasingly more virtual in recent years and it feels busier than ever, so I am inspired by those who continue to create tangible, beautiful objects, whether they are utilitarian items or for display.

10. If you could no longer weave, what would you do instead?

I’ve always loved reading and writing, I think in another life I’d be a longform journalist.