Harriet Cherry Cheney

Thank you to wonderful friends who were generous enough to contribute fabric, fibers, vintage jewelry, beads, buttons and lots more. These are integral to my practice and lend deeper layers of connection, meaning and love. 
In many cases, they actually inspire the work. “Laid Bare” was a inspired by the gift of a tallit bag that had belonged to a friend’s grandfather. I can’t thank you enough. 

Heartfelt thanks to Mother Nature.

The truth isn’t a destination; it lies in between; you have to read the cracks like runes.

For me, being an artist is being a trickster, provocateur, shape-shifter, spiritual traveler and reveler. I surrender my thinking mind and let my hands take over. What comes out is often a complete surprise.

Through art, I experience a timeless connection with innumerable artisans – often anonymous – who made magic with their hands throughout the centuries. I work in a spirit of continuity and reverence for those who came before. Art connects me to a prehistoric self beyond linear time: beyond any particular reality. 

My practice is to embrace the scraggly, overgrown, out-of-control jungle to find the order. I believe there’s no way around the chaos except through… and my work celebrates the through. So, I hack away with the machete, paintbrush, or needle to reveal the beauty and truth lurking underneath and in between.

The dichotomy is that – for me – it often takes many layers to get to the essence. The pieces often want to grow beyond the their edges… like invasive plants… like moss or fungus. I respect their need to grow. 

Nature is the model for it all. The disregard for nature is the greatest tragedy of our time.

EXHIBITIONS

2018

New Rochelle Art Association Annual Open Juried Exhibition
The New York Armory Show, “The Gallery,” de Sarthe Gallery, Hong Kong
Bojagi Forum, Park Museum of Art, Suwon, Korea
Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY
The Noho Gallery, New York, NY 

2017

The Donald Gallery, Dobbs Ferry, NY
Cedar Lane Arts Center, Ossining, NY
New Rochelle Council on the Arts, New Rochelle, NY Benheim Gallery, Greenwich Arts Council, Greenwich, CT
Bojagi Forum, Park Museum of Art, Suwon, Korea 

2016

State University of New York, Newburgh, NY 

2015

92nd Street Y, New York, NY

2014

Rockland Center for the Arts, Nyack, NY

EDUCATION

University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA 

Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
American University, Washington, DC 

Rockland Center for the Arts, Nyack, NY

92nd Street Y, New York, NY 

Professional Affiliations:
Textile Study Group of New York 

Studio Art Quilt Associates, Juried Artist Member 

RiverArts, Irvington, NY

Fiber Art Network 

PRESS

PUBLICATIONS