Denise Burge

This folk artist lays down her needle and thread to take a musical leap into film

By Mengly Taing
Published: November 6th, 2006 | 10:17am

Denise Burge may be known for her unique textile collages that can span entire rooms, but these days, the Cincinnati-based artist is experimenting with a new medium in her latest project, "The Dozens."

Having grown up in North Carolina and been raised by the women in her family after her father's death when she was six, Burge was exposed to all sorts of artistic influences in her youth.

"My great-grandmother lived on a washboard road way out in the country and made lots of quilts," Burge said. "She even grew her own cotton for the batting, so she was the real deal."

It was Burge's aunt who taught her the way of the needle, but it was her mother's old drawings from her days as a struggling artist that sparked Burge's first trek into the art world. Though Burge, now 43, began her career as a painter, she gained recognition for her use of textiles to create subversive quilt paintings — not quite the stuff her great-grandmother and her friends produced at their quilting bees.

"The main struggle has been to get people past the initial response when they hear the word 'quilt,'" Burge said. "Once they realize that I'm not just making nice little coverlets, I think they get really into it."

Burge collaborated with five of her close friends; all visual artists and all of whom she has met through the University of Cincinnati where she teaches Fine Arts. They call themselves "The Dozens," inspired by the many pair of things they share in common as a group of six: eyes, hands, feet, breasts, etc.

Filmed and produced in Cincinnati, the Dozens spent nearly over a year putting together their experimental social project. Each film took about a month of intense planning and work to put together, including time needed to construct each costume and prop by hand, which the women created together. Burge fused together music and moving images, rather than her usual fabrics and recycled materials, to paint a portrait of her relationship with each woman. The women say the films portray a different aspect of each of their personalities in some way.

Each piece is vastly different from the other and it's hard to interpret exactly what each is trying to say, but that's because its meaning is shared between these women. It's clear that the Dozens share a great deal more than just anatomical parts. They understand one another and it shows in the details of each film, whether it's a song, a photo, or a particular memory of a time or place. In today's world of pseudo-friends, Burge said she hopes these films will create more than an excuse for people to get to know one another on a real basis. It's something she hopes all friends will do together.

Burge, who wrote and sang on each track, said she tried to channel an eclectic mix of music, from country artist Will Oldham to '70s rock bands such as Electric Light Orchestra and Judas Priest to classical Chopin.

"I don't pretend that these are great songs," the first-time songwriter said. "It was really humbling to try to write a song."

The film premiered last August at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland — the world's largest arts festival - and after receiving an enthusiastic response, the film has since appeared in various film festivals and garnered future gallery dates.

"We're all so enthusiastic about it," Burge said. "We've got t-shirts and buttons and stuff that we are giving out."

So does this mean Denise Burge will be giving up her first love? Not quite.

"If I can work up the courage, I'm going to go it alone and write a whole album of songs about quilts, and make some of my own videos for it."

For more information about Denise Burge, please visit her website at myoriginaldirt.com and videos by "The Dozens" at myspace.com/dozensmultiply.