Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Manch.
Allison, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
My family has a long tradition of working with textiles. My mother sewed many of my toys and my grandmother’s house was full of vintage fabric, lace, buttons, and jewelry. I was introduced to embroidery as a teenager when my mother taught me how to embroidery sea animals on my jeans. My mom’s best friend also ran an embroidery business in LA, making tour jackets for bands and promotional jackets for movies. Her embroidery was pretty much the coolest thing ever and made an indelible mark on me as a kid.
I studied photography in college, but after college found much more satisfaction in revisiting the hand embroidery, I knew so well as a teenager. Photography also moved more towards digital processing at that time, and I was and am still more interested in the tactile nature of the fabric, so I decided to focus my artwork more on embroidery.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I hand embroider fabric and vintage textiles. Embroidery is pretty ubiquitous, and everyone has their memories attached to the textiles in their life, but I like to riff off my personal experiences and find ways to embroider them into a fabric. When people see my work, I hope they can connect with it in some way. Either through their memories of similar fabric or the imagery or text in the piece. Sometimes my work is funny, sometimes it’s sad, but it always comes from the heart.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
My main advice is to always document your work and do it properly. Pay someone if you need to so you are sure that your work is well-lit and reproduces well in photographs. If you can’t afford to pay someone, find tutorials online on how to photograph your artwork with your phone or whatever you have access to. It’s important.
Second to that, apply for lots of shows,grants, and opportunities. If you apply for five shows, maybe you’ll get into one. Maybe you’ll get into all five. Maybe you won’t get into any, but each time you apply you improve your application game and improve your odds of getting a future opportunity.
I have been turned down for many shows and grants, but on that same token, I have received some wonderful opportunities. You need to get eyes on your work and get it out there. The more you are out there, the more people will remember you and your work.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can view my work through my website (http://allisonmanch.com/) or contact me to view the work in person at amanch@allisonmanch.com. I work with a wonderful gallery in Seattle, SEASON, where the work can also be viewed (http://season.cz/). I am also working on some projects in Southern California. People can contact me via email to be added to my mailing list.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://allisonmanch.com/
- Email: amanch@allisonmanch.com
- Instagram: @manchdressing
Image Credit:
All Allison Manch except Dinosaurs, that is courtesy of SEASON.
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