My husband was in Washington, D.C. recently on a business trip. On his way to a meeting, he saw this:
Knowing I would be intrigued, he inquired about the bicycle. The crochet-bombed bicycle is by the Polish artist Olek, one of the artists to be featured in the upcoming “40 under 40: Craft Futures” exhibit. The exhibit will take place in the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum from July 20, 2012 through February 3, 2013.
According to the museum’s website, “These 40 artists are united by philosophies for living differently in modern society with an emphasis on sustainability, a return to valuing the hand-made and what it means to live in a state of persistent conflict and unease.”
Amongst other art works in various media, these are some of the knitting and fiber arts-related works you can see and experience first-hand.
Vintage military knitting needles by Dave Cole (image source).
Glass spinning wheel by Andy Paiko (image source). Apparently, this is a fully functioning spinning wheel.
Protest knits by Cat Mazza (image source).
Crochet urban pigeons by Laurel Roth (image source).
Quilted coat by Jeff Garner (image source).
You can read about all 40 artists and view a slide-show preview of the exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s website. Better yet, if you are in D.C., go see it in person. I hope I can.
Agujas 
They are all wonderful.
I would love to see them in person!
Interesting items! The spinning wheel is amazing!
Isn’t it?! If you click on the link, you can see a video of it.
The Renwick is a ” must-see”, never disappoints! Thank you for the link, I haven’t gotten there in too long.
It’s been years for me. Good reason to go!
Gah! Coolest ever! AND I am near enough to DC to go see this! Thanks!
So glad you will be able to see it live. Tell us all about it.
The crocheted pigeon is fantastic!
Did you link to the artist’s website? Very interesting form of protest and more pictures.
The pigeon is absolutely my favorite.
The detail of the crochet is quite beautiful.
if you are interested in supporting the show and helping the museum acquire Laurel Roth’s pigeons: http://www.americanart.si.edu/support/renwick40/index.cfm
I’m so glad you pointed out this link. I made a contribution and encourage others who loved the pigeons to do the same. You can even make a donation of $10 via text! Thanks for your comment.