CLOTH: 100 Artists

Contemporary & Heritage Techniques

Twenty One Tonnes is thrilled to announce the release of "CLOTH," a stunning new book by renowned artist, textile designer, and author Lena Corwin. This comprehensive volume showcases the work of 100 diverse and talented American fiber artists who are both preserving and reimagining traditional heritage techniques.

Corwin explores four essential categories of fiber art: Weave & Braid, Sew & Quilt, Loop & Felt, and Print & Dye. The featured artists represent a rich tapestry of backgrounds, ages, genders, and geographic locations, each bringing their unique ancestral influences to their craft.

We're especially proud that our maguey textile collaboration with FIBRA x Hermano Maguey and master weaver Susana Vicente Galan is featured in the book, along with images by our friend photographer Rosalinda Olivares. Our maguey collection showcases the extraordinary process of transforming maguey leaves into exquisite woven pieces: harvesting and pressing the leaves, washing and combing the remaining fibers into smooth strands, twisting these into slender cords, and finally weaving each piece by hand on a treadle loom. This collaboration exemplifies the preservation and reimagining of craft that is celebrated throughout the book.

As Corwin writes in the book, weaving is simply "a process of overlapping materials to make a new intertwined material." This ancient craft, whose basic principles have remained consistent through millennia, finds new life in the hands of today's innovative artists who both respect its historical significance and continuously discover fresh ways to expand its creative potential.

"CLOTH" is a beautiful art book featuring the work of so many artists we admire. It is also an invitation to explore the endless possibilities of fiber arts and to appreciate the hands that create them.

Releasing April 29, and available for purchase through Abrams.