Events

The new exhibit at the Arts for Rural Texas Ross Gallery in Fayetteville – United in Textiles – offers the opportunity to explore the very wide and deep placement of textiles in the art world. The first impression when entering the gallery will be the myriad of colors throughout the room, delighting and drawing one in for closer view. Then the viewer sees the complexity and detail in each composition. From the traditional to the abstract, stitching and painting, whimsical to nostalgic – all are present in this exhibit sponsored by the Austin Fiber Artists.

The use of cloth and threads in art provides an immediate connection for the audience – it’s reassuring, familiar and comforting. Everyone has a daily connection to textiles. But in this venue, the art is expressed through the unusual use of the fibers and transports the viewer to a new way of seeing – the familiar juxtaposed with the unexpected.

Some of the works are woven in playful colors and themes. Others are created with techniques in the surface design world – dyeing, printing, discharging, image transfers – in multiple layers until the desired effect is created. Works are with yarns, cottons, silks, wools, ephemera. Techniques include stitching, felting, sewing, papermaking, trapunto, fabric weaving, pojagi, collage. On some of the work, fabric is cut into small shapes and then formed into breathtaking landscapes. On others, the traditional quilting may be painted over with an abstract design.

The new show in Fayetteville is an outgrowth of a recent juried exhibit by the same name – United in Textiles – which was hung at the Butridge Gallery in Austin’s Dougherty Art Center. Austin Fiber Artists is an organization designed to attract, mentor and support the wide variety of artists who work with fibers. Monthly meetings and frequent workshops are held. More information can be found about the group at http://austinfiberartists.org/.

The exhibit at the Arts for Rural Texas Ross Gallery will run from September 26 through October 15 with an opening reception on October 8th from 5-7pm. Directions and other information can be found at a href=”http://www.artsforruraltexas.org”>www.artsforruraltexas.org or at 979-378-2113.

-Submitted by Diane Sandlin, Austin artist and former president of Austin Fiber Artists.

In case you haven’t heard. . . Austin Fiber Artists is a member of the Texas Federation of Fiber Artists which includes Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. The Texas Federation has a conference every two years, hosted by one (or more, in this case) of the chapters on a rotating basis. The upcoming conference – FIBERWERKES – is being sponsored by San Antonio AND Austin. It will be held February 24-26, 2012 at the Inn of the Hills in Kerrville, Texas. The conference is a great opportunity to meet (or reconnect with) other artists from around the state, learn new techniques in one of the classes, see an exhibition of the latest work done by Federation members at the opening reception at the Hill Country Arts Foundation and much, much more. Early registration continues until 12/1/2011 and is $150 for members; after that date it goes to $175. Registration includes attending the reception for the FIBERWERKES exhibit at the Hill Country Arts Foundation on Friday, 2/24; a breakfast and dinner on Saturday, 2/25, a workshop on Saturday and a breakfast on Sunday 2/26. The keynote speaker for Saturday’s dinner will be Kathyanne White, noted mixed media artist. Diane Kersey, a skilled and inspirational potter, will address the group on Sunday morning. To download conference information, go to http://texasfederationoffiberartists.org.

In addition. . . a juried show will be held in connection with FIBERWERKES at the Inn of the Hills in nearby Ingram. Our juror will be Kathyanne White, acclaimed artist from Prescott, Arizona. The show will hang from February 4-26th, however the deadline for submitted digital images, application and exhibit fee is October 15th. Entry forms and further information is available at http://texasfederationoffiberartists.org or contact AFA member, Diane Sandlin at federation@austinfiberartists.org.