Razzle Dazzle
Starting in the spring of 2023, Amanda Browder led a massive community-based art project all over Sioux City and the Siouxland Region. It began with an invitation to donate fabric and contribute time to create, what would become, an unforgettable project installed on the the Sioux City Art Center. That invitation was answered by hundreds of volunteers who donated thousands of hours to cut, pin, and sew fabric at Public Sewing Days at the Sioux City Art Center and at other local spaces, including libraries, breweries, schools, recreational centers, and businesses.
Amanda was the creative force behind Razzle Dazzle, and it is her generous spirit and mobile studio format which makes her projects so successful. Razzle Dazzle was a contemporary artwork that challenges assumptions about materials, public art, and museum display. But equally important is that it’s rooted in collaborative sewing traditions that are not acknowledged as fine art and are, oftentimes, underappreciated. It is because of her process and use of donated materials that anyone who contributed even a small amount of time and materials, could look at Razzle Dazzle and say, “I did that.”
It is uncommon for textile artworks to achieve the scale of Razzle Dazzle. This was an important project because it elevated the impact of fabric to the monumental level, challenging the tight geometry of brick and glass on the Art Center and contrasting the clean contemporary aesthetic of the Gilchrist Learning Center. While Razzle Dazzle was on view, visitors saw the Art Center, therefore art, in new terms. When describing her work, Amanda has said, “It’s easy to take buildings for granted, especially when you're driving past. If you add something that's visually very bright and eye-catching, it starts making you more aware of what you see on a regular basis. It changes people’s whole concept of their daily environment. When the work is gone, the building’s still there but it seems different—it becomes charged. My bright, colorful pieces energize the buildings even after the work is gone.” Browder transformed the exterior of the Art Center into a luminous patchwork of bold patterns and vibrant hues. The massive textile installation draped the building’s façade in a dazzling array of color, creating a temporary landmark that could be seen from across the Missouri River in Nebraska. It was an unmistakable beacon; art on a civic scale that drew attention, curiosity, and admiration from near and far.
What set this project apart was the depth of community involvement. Every inch of fabric and every stitch in Razzle Dazzle was donated and sewn by the people of Siouxland. Hundreds of residents volunteered their time to help bring the project to life. Fabric came from homes, schools, businesses, and community centers. Sewing days became social gatherings, where strangers became collaborators and the line between artist and audience blurred. Razzle Dazzle was a shared expression of civic pride and the creative spirit that thrives in Sioux City.
Razzle Dazzle opened on August 25, 2024 in conjunction with Art Center’s annual ArtSplash festival. It was on view for a just a few months, but in that short time, it made a huge impact on Sioux City; transforming not only the Art Center’s exterior but the way people saw the building, themselves, and art in their community.
Amanda Browder’s Razzle Dazzle received the 2025 Governor’s Arts Service Award from the State of Iowa.
Amanda Browder: Razzle Dazzle, August 25 – October 31, 2024.
