May 5 – 28, 2006
“….a gathering ” constructions by Libbie Soffer
Soffer’s work is social commentary. “….a gathering” combines the image of a household iron in its many permutations. This” iron” art evolved as a continuum of her laundry installations. Lengthy visits to Mexico and India exposed the artist to the cultural landscape where women constitute much of the “street commerce.” Her dimensional forms address the cultural mores and relationships she observed in those settings.
Soffer’s first art experience as a child was drawing and sewing simultaneously. Sewing became the backbone of her fiber studies while at Moore College. Three-dimensional form as image prevails as her major focus using stoneware, wood, paper, fabric, and construction materials. While using more universal references, her personal narration dictates the shapes. She then rubs color into the surface to let the forms evolve into three-dimensional drawings. Her subdued palette keeps the viewer focused on the forms and the newly revealed nuances.
Soffer was born in Wilmington, Delaware and graduated from Temple University school of Dental Hygiene in 1962. After raising 2 sons and practicing Dental Hygiene for almost 20 years she enrolled in Moore College’s Textile department. She completed Moore in 1984 and began an art career with a one-person show at Delaware County Community College using her senior thesis work. She currently teaches workshops in design, color, and ritual arts. Libbie lives in Wallingford, Pa with her painter husband.