On the outside of the Sioux City Art Center and the Gilchrist Learning Center, colorful fabric stripes run in geometric directions.
“I think there’s every color imaginable in this project, and it all works,” said Todd Behrens, director of the Sioux City Art Center. “All the scraps, all the labor, all the variety of materials – it’s a comprehensive representation of the Siouxland area.”
The creation, titled “Razzle Dazzle,” is the brainchild of New York-based artist Amanda Browder, who specializes in large-scale fabric installations outside buildings and public spaces. The exhibition will be on display until October – unless winter comes sooner.
Sheila Brummer
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Iowa Public Radio
Bringing a colorful creation to life
Browder uses different shades and textures to create her massive masterpieces.
“We know that looking at fabric triggers a feeling of nostalgia. And we know that because we wear fabric every day,” Browder said. “This is where the fabric comes together. And as we sew it together, to me it represents the city and the people who live here.”
Browder immersed herself in the community, first encountering the public a year ago when she collected textile donations from people attending the annual ArtSplash festival.
They cleaned out drawers and closets, looking for unique objects – some new, some at least 100 years old. Everything from ball gowns to Grandma’s old curtains and even flour sacks from the Great Depression.
“In the early days of the Depression, they were just raw cotton with no pattern on the outside,” Browder said. “But when they saw women cutting them up and making dresses and different kinds of garments out of them, they started printing them. I’m really proud that those were included in the project.”
I was looking for a project that was somehow accessible, that was contemporary art, that was something that everyone could participate in.
Christopher Atkins, curator of the Sioux City Art Center
Sheila Brummer
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Iowa Public Radio
Also pleased with the process is Christopher Atkins, the art center’s curator. He came up with the idea of bringing Browder to Sioux City when he saw a project she had completed several years earlier for his hometown of St. Charles, Illinois.
“I said to myself, the universe is trying to tell me something, I need to somehow reach out, talk to her and see what we can do in Sioux City,” Atkins said. “I was looking for a project that would kind of push the buttons in terms of accessibility, be contemporary art, be something that anyone can get involved in, but also allow people to see contemporary art in a whole new way that isn’t too difficult. It’s very accessible. You can do it.”
Volunteers share talent and solidarity
Gaylene Ironhawk’s passion for sewing is evident in a section featuring about two dozen detailed doilies adorning a black background—doilies of the type that were common in homes from the Victorian era through the early 1950s.
“It took me about a week because they are such small pieces and I had to cover every little piece,” said Ironhawk. “I also took other bundles of fabric home and brought them back finished – that was my homework.”
It was simply a colorful togetherness – spiritually.
Gaylene Ironhawk, volunteer at Razzle Dazzle
The professional seamstress also enjoyed meeting others who were following the same innovative path – people aged 2 to 90 – who helped her with pinning, cutting and sewing.
“It was just a colorful gathering – spiritual,” she added. “It was fun. We went home feeling great,” Ironwood added.
Because her handiwork was part of something bigger, she shared the joy she felt when she saw the finished work for the first time.
Sheila Brummer
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Iowa Public Radio
“When we got there, my husband and I thought it was painted, even though we knew it wasn’t,” Ironwood said. “Then we kept driving and got closer. It’s incredible – spectacular. There are no words for it.”
Other sections of the project tell the stories of who owned the fabric and who sewed it together – an estimated 400 to 500 volunteers at various locations around the city.
A core group of a dozen local and loyal seamstresses contributed hundreds of hours of help, including Ironwood and experienced quilter Sue Mullin of Sioux City.
Sheila Brummer
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Iowa Public Radio
“We started last year and just got fabric and said, ‘Here, make these stripes,'” Mullin said. “It was very freeing for someone who normally follows patterns and stuff. It’s like anything you want to do and it’s all good. And that was wonderful.”
Even more fulfilling for Mullin than sharing her skills were the connections she made with others, which she said was a testament to Browder’s bright and inclusive personality.
“She’s just a team builder. She’s versatile. She’s full of energy. She loves people. She’s so passionate about what she does,” Mullin said. “She would always say, ‘Are you OK? How are you? What can I get you to do? Do you feel included?’ She did that with everybody, no matter where we went. She was just this little person who was bouncing around everywhere, making sure everyone was having a good time and feeling comfortable.”
Mullin said her journey will continue with newfound collaborators and friends.
Sheila Brummer
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Iowa Public Radio
“Another benefit of this job is that I’ve met a lot of other people that I’ve never spoken to before and didn’t know sewed or were artists,” Mullin said. “We’re planning a road trip to Amanda’s in New York and she’s going to show us the Garment District and MoMa. We’ve really become such a close-knit group.”
It is an overall representation of the Siouxland area.
Todd Behrens, director of the Sioux City Art Center
A great success
Razzle Dazzle measures an estimated 25,000 square feet and contains miles of fabric and thread. Five large sections are prominently placed in the Gilchrist Learning Center and the Main Building.
“We have the south wall, which is about 65 by 55 feet. We have the rotunda, which is two parts — one is 109 by 34 feet, and the back wall is 56 by 15 feet. Then, in Gilcrest, that’s 51 by 45 feet. And the corner is 51 by 30 feet,” Browder said. “It’s crazy. It’s a lot.”
To ensure a smooth installation, all measurements must be taken precisely.
I feel very honored to be welcomed here.
Amanda Browder, artist
“I went up on the roof to make sure everything was done right. When we draped the rotunda piece, it finally came down and fit perfectly. I just jumped for joy. It was the best day ever,” Browder said. “I have to say, I cried when the first south wall went up, because when you take something flat and then raise it to about five stories, it becomes immensely more important, exciting and celebratory. So I’m very happy about that.”
Amanda Browder plans to attend her second ArtSplash in Sioux City this Labor Day weekend before moving on to her next project.
“I have two projects in the pipeline. One of them will be in Nashville in September,” Browder said. “Everything here will be archived – nothing will be chopped up and turned into something else. This is an art installation that needs to be preserved for the future.”
Weather permitting, visitors have about two months to see Razzle Dazzle in Sioux City.
“This piece may hang somewhere else, on another building,” Browder said. “But it will always be called ‘Razzle Dazzle.’ And I will always come back to Sioux City. I am truly honored to have been welcomed here.”
