ONE Archives at the USC Libraries is delighted to announce that we will have Sarah-Joy Ford in residence with us this summer. Sarah-Joy Ford is an Artist and Post-Graduate Researcher at Manchester School of Art where she is a co-director of the Queer Research Network Manchester, and member of Proximity Collective.
Ford works with textiles to explore the complexities and pleasures of queer communities, histories and archives. Her practice sits at intersection of digital and traditional: using strategies of quilting, digital embroidery, digital print, applique and hand embellishment. The work claims a femme aesthetic, indulging in shades of pinks, pastel hues, satins, sequins and decadent surface embellishment. Working with decorative textiles situates the practice within histories of gendered marginalization, and a lineage of artists reclaiming cloth as a powerful language for disrupting discrimination, erasure and hetero-patriarchy.
Her PhD research explores quilt making as an affective methodology for re-visioning lesbian archival material. The loving attention and protective qualities of the quilt offer a reparative site for investing in lesbian archives inherently bound to a history of injury and marginalization. Her current solo show is a site specific heritage intervention titled ‘Beloved: crafting intimacies with the ladies of Llangollen’, and is open at Plas Newydd Historic House and Gardens from 30th April – 30th October.
Her work while at ONE will be specifically focused on our lesbian pulp collection. Ford will create new works while in-residence and these, along with previously created works, will be on view during the month of July. Stay tuned for more information on the exhibition and please get in touch if you would like to meet with Ford while she is in LA. She is also available for studio visits, workshops, and lectures.