Martha Buskirk: Surrounded by Fiber

As the first in a series of public lectures by Montserrat faculty, Professor Martha Buskirk delivered a talk on the work of her mother, fiber artist Mary Balzer Buskirk. Enjoy a full recording of the lecture above!

Art historian Martha Buskirk discusses growing up surrounded by the work of her mother, fiber artist Mary Balzer Buskirk, as well as the ongoing process of responding to her mother’s legacy.

After taking up weaving during graduate studies at Cranbrook, Mary Balzer Buskirk maintained an active studio and exhibition practice integrated into the rhythms of family life via a studio adjacent to the living room. Martha wrote the catalog essay for a 2001 retrospective of her mother’s textile work at the Monterey Museum of Art, and since then she has been engaged in various efforts to find appropriate homes for pieces that remained in the family collection. As part of the talk, Martha brought examples of her mother’s work.

Video Recording by Joe Saunders.