Press Room

A Moment to Breathe
March 26—April 11, 2021

New York, NY (March 15, 2021)

From March 26 through April 11, the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) will present the work of the Museum’s ninth Artist Fellow Mia Wright-Ross. An art installation in The Theater at MAD combining leather tapestries, performance, film, and the rhythmic beats of a sewing machine needle, A Moment to Breathe examines the healing process as it relates to grief—familial, ancestral, and global—and the instinctual commitment of a craftsperson to create through sorrowful experiences.

During her fellowship at MAD, Wright-Ross expanded her research and craft through new iterations of leatherwork, including leather sculptures, tapestries, film documentation, and installations. A Moment to Breathe is the culmination of Wright-Ross's year-long residency.

The installation will challenge viewers to reconnect with the humanity behind luxury craft, value artisanship as a skill for meditative healing, and realize the necessity of the African American artisan. Two of the artist’s monumental leather tapestries and a large sewing machine will be on view alongside a film produced with collaborators Akeema-Zane and Starnilas Oge.

On April 2 and 9 from 6 to 7 pm ET, Wright-Ross will be present on stage working at the sewing machine, giving audiences an immediate experience of her journey as she creates representations of grief’s weight felt through personal and collective consciousness.

The installation will be free with Museum admission and will be available for viewing on Fridays through Sundays from March 26 through April 11. For tickets and information, visit madmuseum.org.

A Moment to Breathe is organized by Marissa Passi, Manager of Artist Studios and Docent Programs, Museum of Arts and Design.

RELATED EVENTS

A Moment to Breathe: Directors’ Screening

Thursday, March 25, 8 PM ET

$10 general, free for students, Members, and Patrons

Join artists and collaborators Mia Wright-Ross, Starnilas Oge, and Akeema-Zane for a virtual directors’ screening of A Moment to Breathe, a film and craft installation that examines the healing process as it relates to grief—familial, ancestral, and global—and the instinctual commitment of a craftsperson to create through sorrowful experiences. Following the virtual screening, Mia, Starnilas, and Akeema will discuss their collaboration.

Mia Wright-Ross and Bill Gaskins in Conversation

Thursday, April 1, 7 PM ET

$10 general, free for students, Members, and Patrons
Free for students, Members, and Patrons

Join artists Mia Wright-Ross and Bill Gaskins via Zoom for a conversation held in conjunction with Wright-Ross’s installation A Moment to Breathe, on view at MAD from March 26 through April 11.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Mia Wright-Ross is a leather artisan, designer, educator, and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Wright-Ross studied art from the early stages of her youth and continued her exploration through her studies at Parsons School of Design.

The artist’s leather cording techniques appear as a signature motif across her luxury lifestyle brand, MWR Collection, and represent her design philosophy that each material is essential to the unity and completion of the purpose of each work. Wright-Ross's handmade bespoke collection includes footwear, accessories, home goods, and furniture. She also has been a leading designer for several contemporary designer brands, including Calvin Klein, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Saks 5th Avenue, and Tibi. At Tibi, she was the Senior Footwear & Accessories Designer and oversaw all design and development in Italy and Brazil for four years.

Presently, she is an Adjunct Professor at Parsons School of Design and the leading footwear and accessories design consultant for multiple brands. Her design client list includes J. Cole, Solange, Robert Glasper, Carmelo Anthony, Jimmy Butler, Mary J Blige, and her work has been featured in American Craft Magazine, WGSN, Footwear News, Harper’s Bazaar, Ebony Magazine, and Vogue. She received a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design and has trained at the Ecco Tannery Holland and Arsutoria Institute in Milan.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers across creative fields and presents the work of artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill. Since the Museum’s founding in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, the Museum’s curatorial program builds upon a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize a cross-disciplinary approach to art and design, and reveals the workmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our everyday lives. MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who are influencing the direction of cultural production and driving twenty-first-century innovation, and fosters a participatory setting for visitors to have direct encounters with skilled making and compelling works of art and design. For more information, visit madmuseum.org.

#MiaWright-Ross @MADmuseum @mwrcollection

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