Featured Press

 

The Art and Activism of Dress with Michael Sylvan Robinson

In celebration of the Met Gala 2021 and American design, we speak to Michael Sylvan Robinson, the textile artist and queer activist behind Jordan Roth's show-stopping collaged "coat of many colors" worn to last year's festivities. Robinson joins us to discuss their thought-provoking use of textiles, clothing and the (dis)embodied form to explore entangled themes of identity, sexuality, violence, and healing.

Interview with Barbara Pavan, November 2022

Nestled among the snippets of text and Botticelli faces, the classical busts and butterflies, are many eyes, which give the coat a talismanic aspect. “I thought of those as witnesses, but also symbols of protection,” explains the artist, who thinks of this work as a kind of wearable art. “I come out of the queer activism of the ’90s, so that idea of using clothing to share words or images to be evocative is definitely one of the places that my work comes out of. And I am also a collector of all kinds of prints, fabrics and textiles, so it’s kind of like queer activism meets decorative arts meets fashion meets street art [meets art history].” What better place for all of those elements to come together than at the Metropolitan Museum of Art?

Dutch model & artist Saskia de Brauw wears Michael Sylvan Robinson in Vogue Germany editorial. Photography by Guinevere Van Seenus featuring the Priestessing the Work of Healing gown.

Holding the Line with textile-artist Michael Sylvan Robinson

With a Medieval Flair, Spring Break Art Show Celebrates the Eccentric

From bread sculptures to fabric galore, the pent up energy of the pandemic was overflowing at this grassroots art fair that continues to wow.

Additional Met Gala 2021 Coverage

Go Fug Yourself Met Gala 2021 Review September 2021

Vanity Fair Met Gala 2021: The Best Couples September 2021

Women’s Wear Daily Celebrities at The Mark Hotel Before the 2021 Met Gala

The New York Times A Star-Spangled, Star-Studded Met Gala September 2021


 

Continued Press

Instinct Magazine “Each Garment Is Layered with Imagery That Is Queer…”October 2021 Interview with Robert Dominic

Kolaj Magazine Review of Remnants at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg, Wisconsin

Gothamist The Riotous Spring / Break Art Show Takes Over Midtown Office Building September 2021

Vogue It's Been 5 Years Since The Pulse Nightclub Shooting, And Gays Against Guns Won't Let The World Forget June 2021

Textile Talk Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts Presents A Panel Discussion with Artists Linda Marcus, Heidi Parkes, Michael Sylvan Robinson February 2021