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Threshold: No Laughing Matter, 1991
hooked rug technique; latex condoms, cotton
41 x 65 x 4 cm
SK Arts Permanent Collection, C92-93.01a
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Nancy Crites
b. 1951, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Pink and blue condoms—hardened over time to a caramel brown—spell out the word “WELCOME” in Calgary artist Nancy Crites’ unconventional hooked rug, a work created during her early years in Prince Albert, SK.
According to the artist: “This mat is a reflection of my concern with the AIDS epidemic and demystifying the condom to ensure safety and protection. [It] is a statement about crossing the line into private space, be it physically, sexually, or otherwise—respect, permission, and safety for all involved must be considered.”
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Threshold: No Laughing Matter II, 2022
hooked rug technique; hand dyed felted wool, sari silk, cotton
53 x 71 cm
SK Arts Permanent Collection, C92-93.01b
Photo by Dave Brown, LCR PhotoServices
The pink and blue fibres of this hooked rug recall the colourful condoms used to create the first version of Threshold: No Laughing Matter thirty years earlier.
While the original mat spoke to the role of condoms in ensuring “safety and protection” during the AIDS epidemic, her updated version “expresses concern for the role and implications of the Welcome Mat during a global pandemic. Who crosses the threshold into your private space, your home, studio, etc.?”
01.
Nancy Crites working on Reflections, c. 1986. Source: Barbara Terfloth, “Both Sides: Nancy Fortier/Dianne Young,” The Craft Factor 11, no. 4 (Winter 1986): 8. Photo: Loren Teed.
02.
Nancy Crites at work, 2022. Source: Nancy Crites.
03.
Today, Threshold: No Laughing Matter has discoloured and the condoms have hardened and crystalized. Photo: Don Hall.