Kendall Ross Challenges Craft-Art Divide with Large-Scale Knitted Works
From her residence in Oklahoma City, Kendall Ross produces expansive knitted textile creations that explore the ongoing discussion between craft and art. Her artworks incorporate diary-like reflections on personal relationships and insecurities, merging traditional women's crafts with modern artistic expression. Ross acquired her crochet skills from her grandmother and began knitting locally after unsuccessful attempts on YouTube. With a background in history, she focused her thesis on women’s knitting circles during World War I. Although she was initially reluctant to label herself as an artist, she plans to showcase large-scale pieces in September 2025, including a 250-square-foot installation featuring sixty-three vests. Ross highlights the political aspects of her work, connecting gendered labor history with her own family narrative, and underscores the emotional and artistic significance of knitting.
Key facts
- Kendall Ross creates large-scale knitted textile works in Oklahoma City
- Her work addresses the craft versus art debate through monumental pieces
- Ross learned crochet from her grandmother and knitting from a local yarn store owner
- She wrote her college thesis on women's knitting groups during World War I
- Ross will exhibit large-scale works in September 2025 including a 250-square-foot piece
- One exhibition will be a group show at Oklahoma Contemporary
- Her work incorporates text about women's roles in conservative environments
- Ross initially struggled to identify as an artist before joining Oklahoma City's art scene
Entities
Artists
- Kendall Ross
- Chris Rettman
- Erik Jones
- Mary Iverson
- Amy Sherald
- Bisa Butler
Institutions
- Oklahoma Contemporary
- Claire Oliver Gallery
- The Katonah Museum of Art
- Hi-Fructose
Locations
- Oklahoma City
- Oklahoma
- United States