http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=40985 Artist http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=232088 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=232088"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/bb0aedb3f697b0abcc9a937d5ddde526/bb0aedb3f697b0abcc9a937d5ddde526_scale_107_80.jpg" height="80" width="107" border="1" alt="Memory Clothing by Jon Coffelt" /></a><br/>[b]And then the story ends?[/b] In these changing times it is the simple things, the intimate things, the things that bring the community together that satisfy. It is the old things that sustain: home cooked meals; Sunday suppers; family albums. Not a facile nostalgia for a mythic time, but actions the embrace and nourish. These are ideas that Jon Coffelt knows intimately. Raised close to the farm and the church in the rural south, he drank from the deep well of southern storytelling: the stories of his Amish grandparents, the secret meetings among the sacred trees, the overbearing relative whose stories were so ubiquitous that community slang used her name to describe anyone overbearing. On a personal basis, he has always told these stories, the stories of his childhood. Jon Coffelt also believes that things often contain stories waiting to be set free. Why else would we so tenaciously hold onto our otherwise worthless treasures? Our teddy bears; the dime store gifts we received from our children; the Grand Canyon sweatshirt with holes in it? Because their implicit stories comfort us. Since 1993, he has been helping other people to share and preserve their stories through the unusual medium of clothing. Jon, a mid-career artist known primarily as an abstract and geometric painter, began his career in fashion design, working for the renowned designer Willy Smith. He has brought these skills to bear on the over 400 tiny, soft sculptures of clothing he has re-designed, working instinctually and utterly by hand. At Susan Hensel Gallery, 3441 Cedar Ave S, Mineapolis, MN, through May 15, he is showing 115 tiny articles of memory clothing. Each piece used to be a larger item. For instance, there is an old beaded cashmere sweater in the show that used to belong to Frank Lloyd Wright's grand daughter. To create the miniature, he cut up the left sleeve of the sweater to make the left sleeve of the artwork. Beads from the bodice were re attached to the bodice. The silk lining was downsized to line the new item. Elsewhere in the room is a piece made for the late photographer Ruth Bernhard. It is made from cloth resembling a brick wall. For Ruth, it was an emblematic reminder of the Stonewall riots that began the ongoing legal rights reform for GLBT citizens of this country. She personally inserted the little piece of hankie in the shirt pocket. There are other pieces made for famous people and simple pieces made for simple people to help them remember Grandma, the prom dress, the first date, a wild adolescence, the Navy uniforms of a retired lesbian couple who can now be public with their relationship or pajamas representing the most endearing characteristic of the beloved wife. Each little piece, lovingly stitched by hand, has its own story to tell. Somehow by miniaturizing the clothing, the stories are able to escape and become real for the rest of us. Even if we never knew the people who wore these shirts, pants, pajamas, uniforms, sweaters, flak jackets, we now share their stories as though they are our own. It is a simple thing, story. It can never be taken away from us and it is something we can always afford to freely share. And then, the story never ends. COMMUNION: miniatures by Jon Coffelt Through May 15, 2009 At Susan Hensel Gallery, 3441 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis Phone 612 722-2324 Email: susan@susanhenselgallery.com Web:www.susanhenselgallery.com Gallery hours: Monday, 10-5 and by generous arrangement on other days. Please call to set a time.<br/><br/>image: <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/410195035e7d77a6c81718eb4406ce28/410195035e7d77a6c81718eb4406ce28.jpg">Communion: Cousin Lisa</a><br/><br/>image: <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/fa1c0d6a1b61c1c9db37dabcb342bffc/fa1c0d6a1b61c1c9db37dabcb342bffc.jpg">Communion: an indian shirt</a><br/><br/>image: <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/8c1d7c6cc79def13858b1dad8c478b09/8c1d7c6cc79def13858b1dad8c478b09.jpg">Communion: Jon's favorite Pajamas</a><br/><br/>image: <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/c0aa19170566abb7d1cfc4b5f378d824/c0aa19170566abb7d1cfc4b5f378d824.jpg">Communion: installation </a><br/><br/>image: <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/7424b6b683f305fa4dab392aed3cdc3b/7424b6b683f305fa4dab392aed3cdc3b.jpg">Communion:installation 2</a><br/><br/>image: <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/065a9ee318a66f44d4c8e6b2e1966eff/065a9ee318a66f44d4c8e6b2e1966eff.jpg">Communion: uniform</a><br/><br/>image: <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/462246b2b3f920071a478823291533de/462246b2b3f920071a478823291533de.jpg">COMMUNION by Jon Coffelt</a><br/><br/>image: <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/071d733e5b414755061deaae28517b92/071d733e5b414755061deaae28517b92.jpg">COMMUNION by Jon Coffelt</a><br/> Wed, 06 May 2009 20:17:09 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141348 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141348"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/8bf20165f4f3393bd078ec7a1a5e0c26/8bf20165f4f3393bd078ec7a1a5e0c26_scale_110_72.jpg" height="72" width="110" border="1" alt="Shoah" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:10:49 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141347 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141347"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/11d7cc14e526f3a871e5d62353e878df/11d7cc14e526f3a871e5d62353e878df_scale_47_80.jpg" height="80" width="47" border="1" alt="No Matter What Prophet...It Is" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:10:31 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141346 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141346"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/805dc330da835a328a0570a63753d483/805dc330da835a328a0570a63753d483_scale_58_80.jpg" height="80" width="58" border="1" alt="From the Soul (open)" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:10:14 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141345 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141345"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/51a071a7c7751d7bf65269e0f48b847b/51a071a7c7751d7bf65269e0f48b847b_scale_52_80.jpg" height="80" width="52" border="1" alt="From the Soul" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:09:52 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141344 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141344"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/af53bf3eb0bbb9674b70560c2f1a2529/af53bf3eb0bbb9674b70560c2f1a2529_scale_64_80.jpg" height="80" width="64" border="1" alt="The Gift" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:09:26 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141343 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141343"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/94a95b918822a105032b824ba0fbecad/94a95b918822a105032b824ba0fbecad_scale_107_80.jpg" height="80" width="107" border="1" alt="Tenderheaded (open)" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:09:05 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141342 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141342"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/a228a275e53893bfde37d8d0724aae64/a228a275e53893bfde37d8d0724aae64_scale_91_80.jpg" height="80" width="91" border="1" alt="Tenderheaded" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:08:23 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141341 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141341"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/a03079bba078d75b8a4e8ce8ac8f8802/a03079bba078d75b8a4e8ce8ac8f8802_scale_75_80.jpg" height="80" width="75" border="1" alt="Right Hand Redemption" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:07:30 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141340 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141340"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/b36372345bb2f2281ef83365b1193cfd/b36372345bb2f2281ef83365b1193cfd_scale_57_80.jpg" height="80" width="57" border="1" alt="One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" /></a><br/>In the collection of the Museum of Modern Art Library<br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:03:34 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141339 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141339"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/b981449d69059e02abc29ff664c6907e/b981449d69059e02abc29ff664c6907e_scale_59_80.jpg" height="80" width="59" border="1" alt="Family Album" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:02:48 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141338 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141338"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/01801fd4d487534fb9a821401b1a1252/01801fd4d487534fb9a821401b1a1252_scale_59_80.jpg" height="80" width="59" border="1" alt="Surgery" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:02:34 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141337 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141337"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/fcaba0ee0819f83b413704b2aa7ef625/fcaba0ee0819f83b413704b2aa7ef625_scale_49_80.jpg" height="80" width="49" border="1" alt="Surgery" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:02:10 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141336 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141336"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/9638cf0fb45a2a5535bc80a6c29da88f/9638cf0fb45a2a5535bc80a6c29da88f_scale_56_80.jpg" height="80" width="56" border="1" alt="Whispers" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:01:54 GMT Susan Hensel http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141335 <a href="http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=141335"><img src="http://www.mnartists.org/uploads/users/user_6033/eae7b702dae521f67a86e2a7b126443b/eae7b702dae521f67a86e2a7b126443b_scale_107_80.jpg" height="80" width="107" border="1" alt="Portals (open)" /></a><br/><br/> Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:01:38 GMT Susan Hensel