[All images copyright by the individual artists.]

Front cover of Beverly Gordon, Textiles, The Whole Story: Uses, Meanings, Significance (New York: Thames & Hudson, 2014 paperback). Detail of printed Kanga cloth, Tanzania, 2002. Collection of the British Museum.

Book of the Month

First published in 2011 by Thames & Hudson, Textiles, The Whole Story: Uses, Meanings, Significance appeared in paperback in 2014. The author is Beverly Gordon, Professor Emerita from the Design Studies Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a past president of the Textile Society of America. Spanning centuries and many cultures worldwide, this comprehensive publication includes chapters on aesthetics, the social meaning of textiles, and the spiritual significance of cloth. 304 pages, with 318 of the 380 illustrations in color—an inspiration to any artist working with fiber and textiles.

Susan Lenz installing Threads: Gathering My Thoughts (2016) at the Mesa Arts Center near Phoenix, Arizona.

Detail of Susan Lenz, Threads: Gathering My Thoughts (2016).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Solo Exhibition of Fiber Art by Susan Lenz

Inspired by grassroots yarn bombings, South Carolina artist Susan Lenz turns her attention to yarn, the most basic material of fiber art. Threads: Gathering My Thoughts is a site-specific installation inviting visitors to explore a labyrinth of threads and baskets that hang from the ceiling and dominate the space. Associations and entanglements created in the installation visually represent the complexity of the human mind. The exhibition runs until August 7 at the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona. This fiber-friendly venue is known for exhibiting innovative work.

http://mesaartscenter.com/index.php/museum/art/exhibits/threads-gathering-my-thoughts

Jette Clover, Metropolis 1 (2013), 45 x 44 in. Photo by Pol Leemans.

Conversations with the Makers

Glenys Mann, who runs the workshop organization Fiber Arts Australia, has posted interviews with 42 fiber and textile artists internationally, inquiring into their aesthetics and ways of making. We learn, for example, that Belgian quilt artist Jette Clover “was interested in art, and I was weaving and spinning and knitting early on, but I always wanted to be a writer. I got a degree in journalism and worked at a daily newspaper in Copenhagen, and a lot of my writing was about art and artists. Later when I moved to America, I got a degree in art history and took studio classes in painting and printmaking and became more and more interested in surface design and fabric.” I find it fascinating to discover how various artists arrive at textiles as their medium, and to learn about their studios and work habits.

http://conversations.jigsy.com

Charlotte Ziebarth, Half Moon Bay detail (2015), overall size 35 x 51 in., one of the quilts in Fiberart International 2016. Photo by Ken Sanville.

    Fiberart International 2016

This 22^nd iteration of Fiberart International was juried by Chunghie Lee, Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, and Tali Weinberg, and can be viewed until August 21 in two venues, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and the Society for Contemporary Craft. Featuring a wide range of approaches to fiber, including sculptural pieces, this exhibition presents stimulating and provocative works from artists worldwide. The opening reception is May 6, 5:30-8:00 p.m., with free shuttles between the two venues.

http://fiberartinternational.org/

Quilts in the CQA show pictured left to right are Cavern by Bonnie Bucknam, River of Light by Janet Kurjan, and Tumble by Bonnie Bucknam.

Contemporary Quilt Art Association’s 30^th Anniversary

Studio art quilts are alive and well in the State of Washington! This year the Contemporary Quilt Art Association celebrates its 30^th anniversary with a stellar exhibition of 69 works by Washington makers. Cutting Edge: Art Quilts of Washington will be open until August 21 at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. I had the good fortune to view this exhibition last month, noting that Washington now includes Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry among its art quilt luminaries since she recently moved there.

To view images of all 69 quilts in the show:

http://www.contemporaryquiltart.com/ExhibitFiles/CuttingEdge.html 

Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry, Watch Master (2008), 53.5 x 53.5 in., in the CQA show.

Creativity Workshop in September

Spaces are still open for my week-long Creativity Workshop: Art Quilt Inspirations, September 25-29, 2016. For more information and to register:

Stony Point Center

Please note that while Stony Point is an interfaith center, there is no religious component to my workshop. The ambiance is quiet and idyllic, and the new Art Center is fabulous, with abundant space, light, and power outlets. All food served is organic, much of it grown in the Stony Point gardens.

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