Every year, the Argentine Center for Textile Arts (CAAT) in Buenos Aires, curates and sponsors a national competition, which is also presented at the Rómulo Raggio Museum.

I remember my excitement at being selected in 2008, thanks to the help of friends who paid my entry fee in local currency. As a foreign participant, this was the only way to be considered in this prestigious competition.

The museum is a stately jewel—elegance indoors, and fragrant beauty on the outside, where its Foundation holds artistic activities on a monthly basis.

This year’s exhibit was open to the public for most of November. We hope to see photographs of the entire selection of works, which represents the latest edition of contemporary textiles in Argentina.

This year’s First Prize National Salon for Textile Art 2014 went to Claudia Contreras for her”National Bank for Genetic Data”. 2010. Acrylic paint over cotton, gold thread, silk embellishments, perforated, hand embroidered, framed.

For information about the artist, you may refer to her Website as well as her interview in Leedor.com magazine:

http://www.claudiacontreras.com.ar/

It is also my pleasure to congratulate Dina Resca, whose work I have shown here in the past: Dina is the recipient of the Third Honorary Mention for her work, “Chrysalis II,” accompanied by its customary poetic referent.

Chrysalis II

Copy my hands in your eyes!

Your half-open mouth to the pen

In candid caress my caress.

Silently cure 

The horror of a motionless body

Turn and face life…

Show your moving curves

Like a bowl that holds

Like a nest being inhabited.

There you will place upon me, for you

Your back of longed-for sweet nothings.

Copy. Turn around

Pose for me

Be my insurgent.

That within my threads I sealed my crevices

Wrapping, and each one

With the tenderness of feeling you mine

Although in reality, you were not.

—Dina Resca

If you’re in Buenos Aires and would like to visit the Raggio Museum, you can contact

http://www.fund-romuloraggio.org.ar/centro.html

—Silvia Piza-Tandlich