Tonight was the artist reception for an exciting juried exhibit of textiles at the IMAGO Foundation for the Arts Gallery in Warren, RI. Called "Multiplicities: New Directions in Fiber" it was a show with a broad range of work within the textile field. Works pushing the boundaries of embroidery, weaving, quilting, felting, and dyeing were mixed with sculptural forms utilizing some very interesting materials such as seaweed, plastic bottle caps, thorny branches and pine needles. The opening reception was very well attended and the gallery is spacious, bright, easy to find, and the show was extremely well curated and hung.
My husband Tony took this shot of Allison Wilbur, who lives very near the gallery, and myself. We had a lovely time walking through the show discovering the many interesting secrets within each piece. SAQA members were well represented in this show with pieces from Natalya Aikens, Betty Busby, Nancy Bardach, Wen Redmond and Marianne Williamson.
Hanging behind Allison and myself, detail to the right is a woven piece called "1364 Threads Pulled One at a Time" by Debbie Barrett-Jones. My terrible old digital camera does it no justice. Beautifully dyed warp threads were pulled to create tension and texture and through the middle of the piece you saw only the warp threads hanging. It really was captivating and won a Juror Award. The Juror for this amazing show was Elin Noble, a textile artist and SAQA member who lives in the MA/RI region.
Another captivating piece was done by Marianne Williamson. My camera again, does this no justice. It is literally covered with multicolored thread, fabric and paint. Allison and I spent a good amount of time soaking it all in. You can see other works by Marianne on her website at: www.movinthreads.com/news/
This piece was created by New York artist, Natalya Aikens. I have loved watching the progression of Natalya's work over the past few years. She has a finely tuned understanding of architecture and a playful hand with unusual materials and color. Made primarily of plastics, "Sunset" screamed with innovation and pure excitement. You can view her work on her website: www.artbynatalya.com
My husband Tony was as enthralled by this piece by Betty Busby as I was. "Dichotomy" is rich with colorful dyed fabrics and a wildly flowing structure of stitching which punctuates and defines both minute and large areas. The colorplay and stitching skillfully seems to undulate areas of the piece so that it creates depth and movement. A master, you will find more of Betty's work on her website at: bbusbyarts.comIf you would like to see this exhibition it is showing at the IMAGO Foundation for the Arts Gallery, at 36 Market St. in Warren, RI 02885. This show runs now through November 8. Gallery hours are Thursdays from 4-8pm, Fridays & Saturdays from noon to 8pm and Sundays from 10am to 2pm. You will find information about the gallery and this show at their website: imagofoundation4art.org/IFA/Welcome.html
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