Vessel 2
steel and stainless steel mesh, 18x17x9
2009
Artist Mary Catherine Floyd
Courtesy of the artist, Mary Catherine Floyd
Floyd studied glass, fibers, and metals in North Carolina and England before coming to Memphis to complete a two-year residency program at the National Ornamental Metal Museum from 2009-2011. This work was made during this time as she began developing fiber techniques in steel, deriving from her interest in the processes of weaving, basket making, and stitching as ways of building with thread, reed, and cloth.
Vessel II is one part in a series of three crescent shaped pieces resembling sailing ships each larger than the other that are 'stitched' in steel 'cloth'. Floyd says of these works, "My ultimate intent with this application was to turn these pieces of cold steel into something that invites touch and sparks a youthful curiosity." In 2010, she was also awarded the first annual Emmett O'Ryan Award for Artistic Inspiration by Metropolitan Bank.
