Julie Kornblum

My artwork is a combination of the immediate and the ancient. By using post-modern materials, I reinterpret the traditions of weaving and basketry. The materials are cast off, surplus, or waste: copper wire from the recycle yard; audio cassette tapes that even the thrift store wanted to throw away; yarns and materials of unknown purpose that were donated to the fiber arts program at my university. The materials couldn’t have existed physically or conceptually until the modern age. They are the by products of industrialization; as are the concepts of disposability, one-time-use, and waste.

Julie Kornblum grew up sewing and doing needlework under the tutelage of her mother and grandmother. She studied fashion design at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, and was a patternmaker in the garment industry in Los Angeles. Julie taught patternmaking and sewing for seven years at Otis College of Art and Design. Her interests evolved further as she explored textile design and weaving in the Fiber Art studios at California State University Northridge, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Art. Julie uses traditional basket making and loom weaving techniques to create works of art out of surplus yarns, recycled materials, and discarded plastics.