On Aug. 23, from 4 to 6 p.m., The Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, or ATHICA, hosted an artist reception and talk to celebrate the opening of “Material Archive,” an exhibition containing collaborative and individual work by textile artists, Amanda Britton and Johanna Norry.
The event was open to the public, allowing Athens residents and local artists to appreciate and discuss the featured art. Outside of the artist reception, the exhibition runs through Sept. 28, 2025.
ATHICA is an independent, non-profit gallery that promotes innovative contemporary artwork and artists through rotating exhibitions of different themes and events including lectures, workshops, performances and children’s programming.
Britton and Norry’s collaborative works were united through fiber arts as well as contemporary and traditional techniques and materials. The artists reused material from previous projects, weaving materials, color and memory, which allowed the artwork to organically develop over time.
Textile work by artists Amanda Britton and Johanna Norry is displayed in ATHICA’s “Material Archive” exhibition in Athens, Ga., on Aug. 23, 2025. The collaborative installation incorporates recycled materials and woven designs to explore memory and materiality. (Photo/Jessica Ryan)
The exhibition’s title, “Material Archive,” reflects the artists’ natural process of gathering physical materials. Working together and reusing scraps, the artists re-shaped the material to organically re-define their meaning and purpose, creating a story built off memories.
Material such as fabrics, seashells, paper and vellum were incorporated with cool tones such as blues and greens that were contrasted with warmer colors like pink and orange. Some of the works also had pops of neon color or stitching.
There were art pieces displayed on the walls, as well as smaller pieces displayed in glass and presented on tables for viewing. Some of the smaller art consisted of leaves, flowers and patchwork designs while the larger works consisted of woven tapestries.
Detail of a textile piece by artists Amanda Britton and Johanna Norry is shown in ATHICA’s “Material Archive” exhibition in Athens, Ga., on Aug. 23, 2025. The work incorporates found objects and stitched fabric to highlight memory and material reuse. (Photo/Jessica Ryan)
Samantha Young, a docent at the exhibition, said the art resonated with her as both a viewer and a new knitter.
“I love, I just love textile artwork,” Young said. “I’m a very new knitter, and so I’m learning about all of this, and the way they talk about reusing [materials], like, it’s so important with the environment now just to think about that, even in art.”
She pointed to a vertical woven tapestry in blended cool and warm tones as her favorite piece.
“It’s just the colors I mean that’s so beautiful,” Young said. “And you know it took so much time to complete, and it can have so many interpretations of what it’s meant to be, it’s just so beautiful.”
The exhibition drew a mix of University of Georgia students, Athens residents and local artists, providing the community with an opportunity to view traditional contemporary works in fiber and textile arts.
More information about upcoming ATHICA exhibitions and volunteer opportunities is available on the gallery’s website.