Sam Jaffe constructs uncompromising sculptures from yarn and fabric, giving form to soft materials, often by knitting or sewing. These works are bold efforts, enhanced by an authoritative use of color, with a defined point of view. Jaffe is intensely focused, her work always astute. Appreciating the possibilities of ordinary materials, she skillfully exploits her medium beyond expectations. Though she trained at the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA, 2005) and the School of The Art Institute of Chicago (MFA, 2009), her sensibilities are shaped and delineated by interests beyond academic art school concerns. Describing her influences, Jaffe says, “Other contemporary artists who use soft materials – like Tracy Emin, Louise Bourgeois, and Do Ho Suh – are particularly interesting to me. That being said, I spend more time looking at items in the world, like the sale rack at Forever21 or window displays at the dollar store, and wondering about how these things came to be. You are much more likely to find me dumpster-diving than in Chelsea. I am also heavily into craft practices like Amish quilt-making, Shaker spirit drawings, religious costuming, mask making, and other types of folk art. I don’t reject the art world at all; I just don’t look there for input all the time.” Sculpture…see the entire article in the print version of March’s Sculpture magazine.
