34r Bobbin Lace with Openings

Ed Rossbach was an influential member of the blossoming fiber art movement in postwar

California. In this work he fashioned a c. 1600 collar using a surprising combination of

historic lacemaking techniques and modern plastic tubing.

Rossbach gravitated to mundane materials and forgotten or overlooked craft techniques. But

he is best known for his basketry, while lacemaking – historically an overwhelmingly female

and domestic craft - was not an area he often explored. This atypical work therefore

broadens our view of Rossbach’s efforts to understand and elevate marginalized crafts.