Feeling soft at the hardware store

by Elaine Bradford

Looking around Hinn’s Hardware you find several locations of Elaine Bradford's (Sandhills Institute Fellow, 2018) artwork defined by their crocheted embellishments. Elaine Bradford has been crocheting objects for her whole artistic career. In her unique installation at Hinn’s Hardware she plays with aspects of labor and work, specifically the tools that play a vital role too often taken for granted. These classic, time-worn tools— always handy and dependable—have earned a degree of affection from their owners and in Elaine’s work they are given pride of place and a rest from their chores.  Through the medium of crochet she draws attention to their myriad forms, their timeless perfection for the purposes they serve and, in a humorous way, elevates and celebrates their honorable laborious history.

This project is sponsored by the Sandhills Institute and is part of a larger exhibition called Art aRound Town (Aug-Sep 2024).