Fiberworks 2004 Exhibit

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- The 26th annual "Fiberworks" exhibition sponsored by the Handweaver's League of Oklahoma will be featured in the Eleanor Kirkpatrick Gallery at City Arts Center March 13 -May 8, 2004. Oklahoma artisans working in a very tactile medium are infusing innovation into a traditional artform creating a new genre of contemporary "fiberworks.' This unusually beautiful exhibit includes objects made of felt, woven cloth, paper, dyed fabric, photo transfer onto fabric, basketry, knitting, quilting, beading and more. Artwork will be accepted for entry into this juried exhibit at City Arts Center Friday and Saturday, March 5th & 6th noon to 4pm. Awards are given for outstanding entries. A "Magic of Indigo" workshop will be offered in conjunction with the exhibit on Saturday and Sunday, March 13 – 14, 2004 from 9am – 4pm at Center City Arts Center. The workshop cost is $80 for non members $60 for members. Artists interested in submitting work for the exhibition or attending the "Magic of Indigo" workshop should call Dorothy Dinsmore at (405)348 4666. City Arts Center is located at the State Fair Park, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., OKC, OK. Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. with no admission charge.
"Fiberworks' began in 1978 by the Handweaver's League to provide Oklahoma fiber artists with an opportunity to enhance and expand the artform and offer a venue for exhibiting and selling these unique works of art. Oklahoma City artist Elia Woods won best-of-show in 2003 for her "photo transfer on silk' quilt entitled "Amazing Grace' Ms Woods began exploring quilting and surface design in the mid-1980's. She has taught numerous workshops on photo transfer, screen printing and other fiber processes to children and adults and is currently the weaving studio manager at City Arts Center. Ms. Woods primary medium is fiber, with a particular interest in using photographic imagery on fabric. Ms Woods relates, "Most of the images I use are drawn from my daily life: my gardens, neighbors and neighborhood. My current work is a series of photo quilts entitled "Vegetable Prayers," which celebrate the tremendous beauty and diversity of ordinary vegetables in gardens and the soil in which they grow. I hope my work conveys a sense of the importance of community, the beauty of everyday life, and our relatedness with all of creation.'
The juror for the 2004 "Fiberworks" exhibit is Laura Strand, Director of the Textiles Program at Southern Illinois University and Assistant Professor of Art. Fiber artist and juror Laura Strand will lead workshop attendees through the magical process of indigo dyeing. Indigo is an ancient dye with a deep history in the world of textiles. Ms. Strand will use examples of extraordinary textiles and traditions to embed imagery and pattern into fabric through stitching, clamping and folding to create white and toned areas against a rich blue ground.
Laura Strand's work includes commissioned artworks in public and corporate collections. As Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Design and Director of Textile Arts at Southern Illinois University she teaches surface design, weaving, basketry, papermaking and bookbinding. Her work was recently featured at the Anheuser-Busch Gallery at the Center of Creative Arts. Strand comments, "I experience textiles as a language, which has the extraordinary power of familiarity through which it may speak to and about our experience as human beings. We all have daily contact and emotional associations with the clothing we wear, the curtains on our windows, sheets, quilts, rugs on our floors, and hand towels in our kitchens. These objects have entered our lives as metaphors for hearth and home, for covering and protecting, for warmth and vulnerability.'
This exhibit is sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council. City Arts Center 2003-2004 Season Gallery sponsors include: Allied Arts, Classical KCSC 90.1FM, Kirkpatrick Family Fund, Mattison Avenue Publishing Corporation and Oklahoma's News Channel 4.