2:21 p.m., April 28, 2009----Is it a backpack or a cocoon? A worm or a cyborg's arm? The biggest compliment you could give to Jennifer Dillner's sculptural fabric art would be to spend an extended period of time looking at it, questioning it and pondering the possibilities, the master of fine arts degree candidate at the University of Delaware says.

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Dillner's work definitely is attracting attention.

Her piece “Jacket” was selected from more than 250 entries for the North American Graduate Art Survey (NAGAS), a juried international exhibition of artwork open to all media and to master of fine arts candidates in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The exhibition was hosted by the University of Minnesota's Department of Art from Jan. 20-Feb. 19 at the Regis Center for Art in Minneapolis.

Another one of Dillner's works, “Furnished,” also has been accepted into the Tallahassee International 24th Annual Juried Competition, organized by the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibition will launch in August and continue through the beginning of October.

More locally, two of her pieces, “Gelato Dress” and “Outer Fluff Garment,” have been on display since March 13 at Gallery 125 in Trenton, N.J.

A native of Milton, Vt., Dillner has always had an interest in art, architecture and “the mechanics of things.” Her mom has a talent for painting, and her dad is an engineer.

In college in New England, Dillner signed up to be a painter. Then she took a 3-D class and knew she wanted to be a sculptor.

“One of the things I love about it is that you can do so many things,” Dillner said. “I can do video art, clay, metal, fabrics.”

She looked into the University of Delaware for her graduate degree on the advice of her undergraduate adviser. Once she checked out Delaware's programs, she said, “It was a no-brainer.”

“I really like the program. It's been amazing,” she said. Her adviser is David Meyer, UD assistant professor of art.

Dillner says the general idea around her abstract clothing is protection.

You might find family crests on her pieces, or beetle markings, representing camouflage and personal protection.

“The key starting points are vulnerability as strength,” she notes. “It's about being open, being yourself, letting your guard down -- the safety of being your raw, 'nasty self' and knowing that people will still stick around. Think of the people closest to you. No matter what, they're still there for you.”

Whether that theme comes through or not, she says, she wants to create work that raises a lot of questions.

“If you completely understood it in seconds, you would forget it,” she says. "'Getting it' isn't always the goal."

You can view more of Dillner's work online at [http://www.jenniferdillner.com/] and at the Graduate Thesis Show from 6-9 .m., Thursday, May 14, at the Crane Arts Building in Philadelphia. The show will feature the work of eight graduating UD fine artists, including Dillner.

Article by Tracey Bryant