The current exhibit on display at our own Arno Maris Art Gallery on campus at Westfield State University on the second floor of the Ely building is Cutting Loose: One Medium Maximized by artist Sooo-z Mastropietro. Sooo-z is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design and Textile Design. Her background in fashion and textiles shine through her works on display with a variety of wardrobe, headpieces, and accessories amongst other textile art. Early in her career, Sooo-z designed costumes for a rock and roll band and for a local community theater. On her website, www.mastropiece.com, Soo-z states:
“As a multi media artist, I utilize elements of intrigue, pun, and theory to carry out my concepts in a unique medium of my own creation. The parameters and guidelines that are innately present with these fiber tubes are the very things that fuel my inspiration. They represent the parts of the sum which inevitably give way to the whole of bigger parts. Ultimately my goal is to achieve infinite boundaries with a finite form.”
Upon returning to campus this semester, upon seeing the gallery I was drawn into it, intrigued by Soooo-z’s work. Not only are her designs and colors intriguing, but also their texture of fiber tubes and other textiles. After years of working as a multi-disciplinary artist, eight years ago Sooo-z honed in on the medium that had been with her all along, fabric, which has inspired her since her childhood. The Cutting Loose show is a collection of works that span the eight years Sooo-z has been working primarily in this medium and represents her creative range within it. If you have not had a chance to see it in person you really should and there is still time as this show will be up through October 29!
