About the Artist
Laura Wasserman is a fiber artist and narrative weaver based in Alameda, CA, whose bold, abstract weavings and notably feminist compositions explore the power of fiber to both comfort and evoke. Her mixed media pieces are maximalist in nature, feature rich color fields, experiment with found and recycled materials, and incorporate her own small-batch handspun yarns.
Wasserman’s work has been shown at Dictée Gallery (East Bay Open Studios Emerging Artist Showcase), The Orchard/Galleries on 25 (So Much Magic), and at Faultline Gallery in the Women’s 10x10 exhibition (Heritage)—all based in Oakland, CA. Her work has also been exhibited at ACCI Gallery in Berkeley, CA (We Never Met), Mann Library at Cornell University (All of Us, Mothers), and at the former Flax Art Supply in Oakland, CA.
Intuitive Weaving • Weaving as Healing
Every weaving tells a story—capturing an emotional landscape and marking a moment in time. Personal narratives highlighted in her work include loss, motherhood, the female experience, disability visibility, and family history. As an improvisational weaver, every composition and assortment of colors and fiber used is decided while a weaving is in progress. Formally trained in creative writing, her weavings are mostly self-taught explorations that bring a storyteller's instincts to the loom. Recent studies in tapestry weaving at the Richmond Art Center have opened up a new mode of experimentation.
A percentage of every work sold is donated to nonprofits supporting human causes that do good, including the following:
East Bay SPCA • Planned Parenthood • Sierra Club • Greenpeace • World Wildlife Fund • Natural Resources Defense Council • American Civil Liberties Union
In a culture of hustle, slowing down and taking time to connect with yourself in a creative space, to offer attention to emotions or experiences that need healing as you make art, is pretty radical. Getting out of the way is my most important job—letting my inner experience speak through the materials and the work; honoring heritage and traditions; voicing vulnerability. I practice intuitive weaving, staying open to the natural flow between body, a ritual of movement, and the material—often sitting down to the loom with no agenda or design in mind, the weavings become a record of the moment.
Hands at Work
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The idea that doing the work we love isn’t enough. After the 2016 U.S. Presidential election cycle, I took time to reflect on how my work could in turn be a form of activism — of protest — and offer actual benefits to the causes I care about. As an artist, I’m thrilled if a piece I create reaches the hands of another human and brings light to their heart or beauty to their home. But what if that work reaches beyond the home and inspires change beyond you and me, and translates to the community? And what if this policy of donating part of every purchase in turn inspires other artists and makers and businesses and CEOs to contemplate how their work can give back to the globe — that is pretty radical.
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At this time, there’s no regular schedule for when new items are available and will be posted. Because each item is carefully made by hand, many hours of weaving and finishing goes into each piece. Generally, when new items are available, three to five listings will be posted at once and announced on my Instagram feed: @radcraftstudios.
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I do occasionally take commissions and custom orders. Please reach out for more information so we can create something you love.