Ascension, 1976
Linen
62 x 74 inches
Private Collection

Crocheted in linen in 1975, this was Harriet Bart’s first major work. In making this tapestry, she meant to evoke a garment that would transfer power to the wearer. The piece’s shape is abstract but its wide span and long tassels of loosely hanging black thread call to mind a bird and the upward motion of flight. As its title and form suggest, Ascension marked a triumphal moment in Bart’s early career. It represents the culmination of her formal training in textiles at the University of Minnesota.

In her course of study in fiber arts at the University in the College of Design, Bart studied with Charlene Burningham, who Bart recalls as an artist who “was doing crazy things with fiber.” Burningham introduced Bart to new sculptural and conceptual possibilities for the medium.

Publications:

  • Bart Belvo Exhibition catalog 1978 essay Lights and Shadows by Kathryn Johnson/Art Historian

  • Abracadabra and Other Forms of Protection, Laura Wertheim Joseph editor and curator, Weisman Art Museum

Exhibition: