MARBLEHEAD — The Society of Arts + Crafts started its Craft Innovation Jumpstarter grant program with the goal of equipping artists with the resources to impact communities. The society recently announced its next two recipients and out of more than 100 applicants, Laura Petrovich-Cheney, of Marblehead, was one of them.
Growing up, Petrovich-Cheney first expressed her creative side as a self-taught quilt-maker. After earning her Master of Fine Arts at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, she now specializes in fiber art.
Fiber art is a technique that involves using natural materials that are not designed for artistic use. Petrovich-Cheney’s material of choice is wood, some of which is gathered from the aftermath of natural disasters.
Petrovich-Cheney found her niche when she combined her quilt-making skills with newly acquired woodworking techniques.
“I wanted to do something different than just painting,” Petrovich-Cheney said. “I went back to graduate school and discovered woodworking, and I combined, on kind of a weird whim, woodworking with my quilts.”
She began her first wooden quilt piece by taking an old boat and using its vibrant orange and turquoise palette to create a checkered two-tone quilt pattern.
Boston Children’s Museum is hosting Petrovich-Cheney’s “Weathered Shapes, Wooden Quilts” exhibition until Sept. 4. The pieces are designed to engage and inspire children with the inclusion of vibrant colors, alphabet blocks, and an homage to “community things” like houses. Petrovich-Cheney said she drew a lot of inspiration from her favorite childhood program, “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
The museum was also the site of a panel discussion, which Petrovich-Cheney organized, on June 13 about play. Petrovich-Cheney invited five multi-faceted artists who work with different mediums to speak with each other and the community about how they find their inspirations. This was the first use of Petrovich-Cheney’s $3,000 grant.
“Both craft and play are essential in promoting creativity, problem-solving, self-expression, and providing a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, ” Petrovich-Cheney explained. “The core of play for me is experimentation, imagination, and freedom, which allow me to step outside my comfort zone and explore new possibilities.”
She explained that the panel had the goal of inspiring both attendees and the artists themselves as they shared their creative experiences. She said it was very important for her peers be compensated for their contributions, and was incredibly grateful the grant allowed her to do so.
“I believed in this so much that I was willing to do this on my own, but the grant just helped it out a lot,” Petrovich-Cheney said. “So many times you’re invited to speak and you’re told ‘This is great exposure,’ but exposure just doesn’t pay the bills and you have to be compensated for your time as an artist.”
Petrovich-Cheney was made aware of the grant program when she did a residency at the society’s former facility. The society’s interim executive director, Marcia Young, gave insight as to what made Petrovich-Cheney such a stand-out candidate.
“It’s so valuable to be able to support fine craft artists in general, and specifically one like Laura,” Young said. “It’s because of how unique her work is, how she includes multiple mediums, and the backstory behind the materials she uses. To top it all off, she builds community behind her work.”
Leather artist Sarah Madeleine Guerin, of Wakefield, was the other recipient of the Craft Innovation Jumpstarter grant.
