Artist Rose Camastro-Pritchett lands back in Evanston

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Rose Camastro-Pritchett is a visual and performance-art artist whose work is informed by her experiences living in Saudi Arabia, Europe, North Wales and China. After many decades, she has returned to Evanston where she grew up. (I am thrilled she has returned to Evanston!)

It’s my great pleasure to interview Rose; we are working together to bring several projects of her projects to Evanston. Part of Terrain Biennial Evanston, Rose’s Cocoons are installed at my live/work space, 1100 Florence Gallery, thru Nov. 11. The cocoons in the installation are the result of performances where individuals were wrapped and sewn into yards of sheer cloth, forming a cocoon; at the end of each performance, they were cut out. Rose reworked these cocoons – the remains of the passage- into fiber sculptures that hold their stories. 

We also discuss Rose’s “Comfort Women” project, coming to 1100 Florence in October 2020. ("Comfort Women" refers to the more than 2,000 women kidnapped by the Japanese military and housed at “comfort stations” (brothels) all over China after the Nanking Massacre in 1940.) The exhibit, first show, at Menlo College, CA, includes art made using pulp painting, hand stitching, and silk thread on handmade paper. “I used stitching because that’s considered women’s work. What I really worked hard on was the imaging. I wanted to illustrate the horror of the comfort women story in a way that the audience could engage with rather than be shocked.” Click here to read more about this exhibit.

Learn more about Rose’s body of work www.rosecamastropritchett.com and visit 1100florence.com to see images of the Cocoons on display thru Nov. 17, make an appointment to see the installation evanstonmade[at]gmail.com. 

Terrain Biennial Evanston is a temporary public art exhibition running in Evanston for six weeks, October 01-November 15, 2019. Click here to see a map of installations in Evanston.

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The Lisa D Show podcast features interviews and conversations with creatives living and working in Evanston, IL. Recordings typically happen in the 1100 Florence Gallery. Learn more about host Lisa Degliantoni at thelisadshow.blogspot.com