{"product_id":"mildred-fischer-mardi-gras-1978-copy","title":"MILDRED FISCHER \"RAIN FOREST\" 1978","description":"\u003cp\u003eTo zoom in, click on each image and mouse over.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDated 1978\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWooven Fibre on Handmade paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSigned and dated lower left \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSite: 7.5 x 8.2 inches (19 x 20.8 cm)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFramed: 13.2 X 14.2 inches (33.6 x 36.2 cm)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle and detailed material description on back\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCondition: Excellent\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFramed under glass\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Artist: MILDRED FISCHER (AMERICAN, 1907 - 2000)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"iNqyIf\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eMildred Fischer\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[false,\u0026quot;\u0026quot;,false,{\u0026quot;u\u0026quot;:0}]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e was born in Berkeley, California, in 1907, she spent the majority of her prominent career as a pioneering fiber artist and educator based in the American Midwest, particularly in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she passed away in 2000. She was a highly influential twentieth-century modern abstract artist. She is celebrated for blurring the line between fine art and functional craft by pushing the boundaries of two distinct disciplines Weaving \u0026amp; Fiber Arts and Hand Papermaking. Mildred Fischer was a pioneering American modernist educator and textile artist who played a monumental role in elevating fiber from a utilitarian craft to an acclaimed fine art medium. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAfter cultivating a sophisticated design vocabulary through studies in \u003cstrong\u003eChicago\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eVienna\u003c\/strong\u003e, she refined her textile practice at the prestigious \u003cstrong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003eCranbrook Academy of Art\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e in 1940 and immersed herself in traditional weaving at at the \u003cstrong\u003eWetterhoff Institute of Handcrafts \u003c\/strong\u003ein\u003cstrong\u003e Finland.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eFischer spent the early half of her career creating intricate, modernist woven wall hangings. she balanced her prolific creative output with a dedicated career as an educator. She taught art and design across various schools in the American Midwest, most notably serving as a professor at the \u003cstrong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003eUniversity of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning \u003c\/strong\u003efrom 1955 to 1972. After retiring, she was named \u003cstrong\u003eProfessor Emeritus\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eHowever, a \u003cstrong\u003etransformative 1969 sabbatical\u003c\/strong\u003e from the University of Cincinnati took her to \u003cstrong\u003eJapan\u003c\/strong\u003e, where she studied traditional \u003cstrong\u003ewashi papermaking\u003c\/strong\u003e directly under \u003cstrong\u003eLiving National Treasure Eishiro Abe.\u003c\/strong\u003e This pivotal trip reshaped her entire practice. Upon her return, Fischer began treating liquefied plant pulp—such as kōzo (mulberry) and linen—as a raw, fluid fiber medium. She pioneered a technique she termed \"paper paintings,\" intricately layering loose threads and miniature, pre-woven textile fragments directly into wet paper sheets to lock them into highly tactile, multi-dimensional fiber assemblages. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eFischer's dual expertise in \u003cstrong\u003einternational loom-weaving\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003etraditional Japanese papermaking \u003c\/strong\u003ecemented her legacy as a highly experimental figure in the mid-century American craft revival. Fischer's masterful fusion of rigid geometric abstraction and fluid, organic papermaking is perfectly encapsulated in her celebrated late-period assemblages, \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"iNqyIf\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"wfWfIf fxyaSe\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"jAOkJc\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003eMardi Gras\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[false,\u0026quot;\u0026quot;,false,\u0026quot;\\u0026zsubQ_m8:aPo2Hd\u0026quot;]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[[[\u0026quot;\/g\/11cjj3xr6n\u0026quot;,\u0026quot;Mardi Gras\u0026quot;,0,\u0026quot;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\u0026quot;,\u0026quot;VISUAL_ART\u0026quot;],\u0026quot;\u0026quot;,0,[null,null,null,1,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,null,[291933,null,1,1],null,null,[{\u0026quot;205\u0026quot;:[null,\u0026quot;\/g\/11cjj3xr6n\u0026quot;],\u0026quot;1219\u0026quot;:[null,null,\u0026quot;VISUAL_ART\u0026quot;,null,null,\u0026quot;\/g\/11cjj3xr6n\u0026quot;],\u0026quot;3524\u0026quot;:[69]}]],null,0,null,\u0026quot;\u0026quot;,0]]--\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRain Forest\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e. In these works, she masterfully used color palettes and dense material textures to evoke distinct atmospheric rhythms. In \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem class=\"zhvwWe\" style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003cstrong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"iNqyIf\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"wfWfIf fxyaSe\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"jAOkJc\" role=\"button\" id=\"gevl-nRGoavDzKJvyruEPkeSv6Qc_r26z5r_112\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003eMardi Gras\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e, Fischer captures the kinetic, festive energy of carnival through a neutral, heavily matted cream base erupted by sudden bursts of jewel-toned threads, loose silk fibers, and overlapping fragments of open-weave textiles that mimic the celebratory chaos of cascading confetti. Conversely, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem class=\"zhvwWe\" style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003cstrong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"iNqyIf\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"wfWfIf fxyaSe\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"jAOkJc\" role=\"button\" id=\"gevl-nRGoavDzKJvyruEPkeSv6Qc_r26z5r_116\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003eRain Forest\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e utilizes long, raw, un-spun plant fibers embedded into overlapping layers of deep, pigmented pulp. By agitating the papermaking vat while the sheet was forming, Fischer allowed the colored fiber streams to mimic natural, fluid currents, trapping structural elements that appear to sway like lush, tangled undergrowth. Displayed alongside her historic 1978 material blueprints, these twin pieces stand as definitive proof of her genius—revealing an artist who could translate complex, environmental rhythms into the quiet, everlasting textures of handmade paper.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThe pinnacle of her late-career material experimentation was crystallized in her \u003cstrong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003elandmark 1978 solo exhibition\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem class=\"zhvwWe\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"iNqyIf\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eHandmade Papers and Woven Textiles\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[false,\u0026quot;\u0026quot;,false,{\u0026quot;u\u0026quot;:0}]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e, hosted by the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center. At a time when the broader American Fiber Art movement was dominated by massive, room-sized structural tapestries, Fischer’s exhibition offered a radical counter-movement. She introduced the art world to a philosophy of \u003cstrong class=\"rQesXe MPyX\"\u003e\"intimate materialism,\"\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e showcasing small-scale, quiet abstractions that forced institutions and critics to appreciate the micro-level behaviors of raw fiber—such as the organic feathering of a deckle edge or the bleeding of rich pigments through matted linen. This institutional validation permanently expanded the boundaries of contemporary art, legitimizing hand papermaking as a primary discipline within the fiber art canon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eFollowing her death, her estate donated an extensive collection of books, personal files, and art samples to the \u003cstrong\u003eMary R. Schiff Library \u003c\/strong\u003eand\u003cstrong\u003e Archives at the \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"iNqyIf\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCincinnati Art Museum\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c!--TgQPHd|||[]--\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, preserving her legacy as a modern art role model.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStory: \u003c\/strong\u003eFrom a private collector in Toronto.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping Information:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePackaging and shipping within Canada is $80. Signature required on delivery. At checkout, you will have the option to insure your purchase for shipping from the drop down menu. International shipping available. If located in the Greater Toronto Area, no charge for shipping and packaging if picked up from Wall Fiction's office; call before purchasing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTerms:\u003c\/strong\u003e All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. See \"Buy Art\" in the main menu for more information.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wall Fiction","offers":[{"title":"Fine Art","offer_id":50597886361793,"sku":null,"price":500.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0678\/0181\/files\/IMG_2075_44f126d4-84c2-433d-8027-9ef361259ead_edited.png?v=1789737012","url":"https:\/\/wallfiction.com\/products\/mildred-fischer-mardi-gras-1978-copy","provider":"Wall Fiction","version":"1.0","type":"link"}