An Amusing Evening - Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, the Hanger, West Palm Beach, FL (March 2024)

Fiber Installation - 100% acrylic yarn, hand-crocheted soft sculpture

Overview

Sugar and Abundance is a fiber installation created for An Amusing Evening, a one night charitable event hosted by the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, where the 2024 theme, Food is Art, invited a select group of five artists to interpret food through their medium. Displayed on an intimate round table, the work featured an eclectic mix of hand crocheted desserts and charcuterie inspired elements, anchored by a multi tiered cake adorned with cascading crocheted fruit. The work was presented as both a visual centerpiece and an auction piece, ultimately sold as part of the event.

Concept & Inspiraton

While the theme centered Food is Art, the conceptual direction for Sugar and Abundance focused more specifically on fruit as art. Throughout art history, from classical still lifes to contemporary studies, fruit has remained a recurring subject, symbolizing beauty, impermanence, wealth and indulgence. this Installation draws from the linage, reinterpreting traditional still life through a tactile, fiber-based lens.

The work also explores the idea of excess. Rather than presenting a restrained composition, the installation leans into abundance, piling, layering, and overflowing with variety. A towering multi-tier cake with cascading fruit anchors the display, surrounded by pies, cookies, sausages, cheeses, olives and crackers, expanding the visual language into something both familiar and unexpected.

By combining sweetness with savory elements, the piece blurs the line between comfort and exaggeration, echoing the sensory richness of celebratory gatherings. through crochet, foods that are typically fleeting become permanent, inviting viewers to experience them as objects of form, texture and composition rather than consumption.

Process & Materials

The installation was constructed entirely using 100% acrylic yarn, with each component hand-crocheted to create sculptural interpretations of both fruit and prepared foods. the absence of a fixed color palette allowed for a vibrant, intuitive approach, reflecting the natural diversity found in fruit and shared meals.

Key Elements

• A large multi-tier cake adorned with cascading crocheted fruit
• Banana cream and key lime pies, along with additional dessert forms
• Charcureri inspired elements including sausages, cheeses, crackers and stuffed olives
• A wide assortment of finger foods and small scale sculptural pieces

Exhibition Details

Event: An Amusing Evening

Theme: Food is Art

Location: Cultural Council for Palm Beach County - The Hangar, West Palm Beach, Florida

Date: March 2024

Format: One night charity event featuring five selected artists

Outcome: Installation presented as a silent auction piece and sold during the event