Bethany Moody: With Give
In the Summer of 2024, The Old Bailey Gallery was honored to host multidisciplinary Alabama-based artist Bethany Moody during her residency at Studio By The Tracks, a nonprofit art studio serving artists on the autism spectrum in the Birmingham area.
With Give was an evolving, interactive exhibition which relied on community participation to be fully realized. Over the course of the exhibition, participants assisted in the natural dyeing and processing of yarn, rope, t-shirts and bedsheets into strips of material that were then woven on the BFL (Big Friendly Loom). Hand built by Moody with support from Jason Lake at the University of Alabama, the BFL was an eight foot wide jumbo loom whose warp spanned the entire eighteen foot width of The Old Bailey Gallery. The gallery hosted events including a community dye workshop and a community weaving workshop, where components of the installation came together through collaboration. Several of Moody’s interactive soft sculptures were also available for gallery visitors to interact with. Through touch, participants felt their way through making, giving, and being with one another.
