Artist Profile Lindsay B Randolph

Randolph’s superb pairing of modern slang and vintage sampler motifs highlights how language continuously functions as a measure of social inclusion.

Artist Statement

Needlework has always been regarded as “women’s work” in terms of expressing the virtues of femininity, domesticity, and obedience. My language-based needlework aligns with “subversive stitching” as it creatively disrupts cultural attitudes through satirical social commentary, disarmingly softened by the use of needle and thread. Blending humor with tension, vulnerability with bite, and disruption with whimsy, my artistic practice looks to the past with an eye to the future. Working with vintage textiles and needlework, I add my own hand-stitched layer to update its original purpose and focus on the evolution of cultural norms specific to gender, generation, and relationships. The juxtaposition of this multigenerational storytelling creates a unique dialogue between the past and present.

KIDIOMS represents a (linguistic) time capsule and documents the social and cultural standards of different eras through the same basic alphabet. For one generation, the art of sampler-making is a social skill teaching literacy and instilling virtue while for another generation, modern slang categorizes a social vocabulary that is vital for connection, community, and identity. Both expressions document one’s social standing no matter the historical timing.

Artist Biography

I am a lifelong “maker”and studied at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (currently Villa Arson) in Nice, France where I earned a BFA in sculpture. I have been involved with many aspects of the creative process across many different mediums, from paper to metal to fiber to commercial products and global brands. Moving to New York and then Los Angeles, I had great success influencing and leading creative teams, specifically as the head of a Barbie Design team for Mattel as well as the Global Creative Director for Disney. As a lover of arts & crafts, I feel as though I have come full circle as I now transition to a full-time art practice. Having worked professionally as a Creative executive and unprofessionally as a late-blooming mother of two daughters, I have been deeply influenced by my efforts to cultivate partnerships within male-dominated environments as well as create space and opportunities for female-centered pathways and belief systems. Both jobs have required extremely clever navigating skills and a spirited sense of humor.