Breakfast for all was delightful, off we went to workshops, excursions including a private viewing of select Emily Carr rugs and twined pieces and the Robert Bateman Gallery , panel discussions (videoed for our archives), lunch together and more of the same variety of fibre/art experiences for the afternoon.
Jan Ross, curator of the Emily Carr House with hooked pieces depicting Emily’s work and Back to Nature
The rug display opened in the early evening to members and invited guests in the region including Jan Ross from the Emily Carr House, dinner was on our own with new friends.
Sylvia Olsen presentation
This day ended with a presentation by Sylvia Olsen: the Coast Salish Legacy including knitted sweaters and historical images as she wove the story of handwork supporting families.
180 of the nearly 300 members have converged in Victoria, BC. Sunny weather, beautiful Inn at Laurel Point, colorful welcoming committee and instant friendships abound.
Arriving at Inn
Registration
Our Meet and Greet included the exchange of friendship mats resulting in new friendships. The rug display includes the mats, special theme Emily Carr and her influence and a wide variety of techniques, sizes and designs.
Friendship mat registration
Emily Carr and Brigitta Phy
Monday will be filled with workshops, panels, guided museum tours, meals and friends.
Emily Carr courtesy of Emily Carr House www.EmilyCarr.com
Emily Carr in Studio
On March 2, 1945 Emily Carr died. Vancouver author, artist (fine and craft including rug hooking and pottery) she was born in Victoria, BC, the site of our Triennial in October. Her birth house is a heritage site at EmilyCarr.com.
During the Triennial we will celebrate Carr’s modernist style with hooked works inspired by her paintings and subjects of First Nations’ lifestyle, spiritual nature landscapes featuring the forests and lonely trees of the region in a members’ exhibit with details at Theme Exhibits.
Some pieces worked by members are:
Wendy Halsall, Emily Carr totem
Red Tree hooked by Sunny Runnells, BC from Emily Carr original
Painters and Painting hooked by Sybil Mercer, Canada pattern RHM with permission BC Archives PDP00931
The Raven, hooked by Anne Boissinot, ON Canada, original by Emily Carr
Northern Lights a la Emily Carr, designer Karen Larsen, Hooked by Deb Smith
Kispiox hooked by Sheila Stewart, BC Canada work in Royal British Museum collection by Emily Carr
Greensboro Weekend by Stephanie Allen-Krauss VT, USA Original design hooked with hand dyed wools
September brings changes in family routines. The rughooking community is gearing up too with exhibits, celebrations, shows, and gatherings around the world. Check out our Calendar on TIGHR.NET
Narwilly Ruggers of New South Wales, Australia
Australia will be entering Spring on September 5 celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Narrawilly Proggy Rugmakers with a tea and reunion at the Rug Room in Milton, NSW.
The Strathalbyn RugHooking EXPO October 11-12 will be the third time workshops and exhibits fill the town in South Australia.
Village Ladies Matmaking by Heather Ritchie, Great Britain Original design hooked recycled and dyed fabrics wooden hooks attached
The United Kingdom can be a destination all Fall with the Knitting and Stitching Shows popping up around the Kingdom. The largest is October 8-12 in Alexandra Palace, London where Jenni Stuart-Anderson will demonstrate rag rugging, recycling into mats.
Wool Festivals are in a variety of communities in Great Britian, Cilla Cameron can be found at a few and co-coordinating the Reeth Retreat with Heather Ritchie in the Yorkshires mid September.
In the United States October 15- 18Hooked in the Mountains, Essex Junction Fairgrounds, Vermont exhibits hundreds of hooked art pieces, special features of Rachelle LeBlanc and Peg Irish’s work
October 25- November 29 Hooked Art 2014 at The Gallery, UConn, Stamford, CT will be the largest collection of contemporary hooked art curated by Liz Alpert Fay and sponsored by Newtown Hooked Art Shows
Culminating the excitement is December 4 The International Hook-In Day celebrating TIGHR’s 20th Anniversary. Call up a fellow fiber friend and go out for lunch, tea or a chat with your rughooking. Demonstrate at a local library or community center. Set up an exhibit of hooked work in a gallery. Promote rug making around the world. Use our site for background information and links. TIGHR.NET
Marilyn Bottjer, 'Labyrinth', hooked, knitted cording, felted
The Gathering by Rachelle LeBlanc
The Gallery, UConn, 1 University Place, Stamford, CT will be the site of an exciting collection of fiber art with hooking as one of many techniques. Coordinated by Newtown Hooked Art Shows and curated by Liz Alpert Fay the opening reception is Saturday, October 25, 2014 from 1-4 pm. Click the link for The Gallery to find directions and hours. If unable to attend and meet the artists who will speak about their process, the show is up through November 29, 2014.
The following 18 artists contributed fifty-five pieces- (TIGHR members are in GREEN with sites hot linked)
Liz Alpert Fay, CTLizAlpertFay.com Mary Jane Andreozzi, RI MJAndreozzi.com Marilyn Bottjer, NY Molly Colegrove, NY Linda Rae Coughlin, NJTheArtRugs.com Gail Dufresne, NJ GoatHillDesigns.com Susan L. Feller, Augusta, WV ArtWools.com Leslie Giuliani, CT LeslieGiuliani.com Tracy Jamar, NY TracyJamar.com Beth Kempf, CT HappyRugHooker.com Lori LaBerge, NCLoriLaberge.comRachelle LeBlanc, AB, CanadaRachelleLeBlanc.com Lara Magruder, CA LaraMagruder.com June M. Myles, Elkins, WV Constance D. Old, CT ConstanceOld.com Alice Rudell, NY Michelle Sirois-Silver, BC, CanadaMichelleSirois-Silver.com Missy Stevens, CT MissyStevens.com
Here is a preview of the show from our TIGHR participants.
TIGHR members Rachelle Leblanc and Peg Irish featured
October 15-19, 2014 along with Roslyn Logsdon, Rachelle Leblanc, Alberta Canada and Peg Irish, New Hampshire USA will be the featured artists with their collections of fiber works during Hooked in the Mountains XVII at Champlain Valley Eposition, Essex Junction, Vermont.
Vermont Vignette, Peg Irish
Peg Irish is a founding member of TIGHR, past Editor and active contributor to our online site. Her work tells stories and portrays an artistic skill in the dye pots. The piece illustrated includes a hand painted scene for the view out the window. Planned for the shrinkage of loops the wool fabric was dyed, cut and hooked into a Vermont landscape.
Bed of Violets, Rachelle Leblanc
Rachelle Leblanc lived in the eastern provinces of Canada until recently. Her move to Alberta did not halt exploring visual art using rug hooking. The sensitivity to her subjects (often family members) is evident from Bed of Violets. Self described as a Fine Craft Artist concentrating in the medium of rughooking, Leblanc is using traditional craft as an artist’s tool. Artsquest.ca produced an interview click here for the text and images.
Sunrise at Cape Leveque, West Australia looking into King Sound
Fiber Art Now Premier Issue
There is a new international magazine focusing on the multitude of Fiber Arts… FIBER ART NOW premiered this past Fall and will be a quarterly magazine. Subscriptions and archival reports are available at www.FiberArtNow.net
Rug Hooking was predominate in the first issue with a review of the Beyond Rugs! exhibit at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland Maine by co-curator Mildred Cole Peladeau covering two pages and including several images of the contemporary works.
TIGHR member Liz Alpert Fay was interviewed in her studio surrounded by work in progress and completed series. The article is titled Coming of Age, Contemporary Rug Hooking Gets Its Day, by editor Marcia Young.
Knowing the medium of our choice would be featured in the magazine, the TIGHR board placed an advertisement in the first two issues. We look forward to seeing fiber enthusiasts perhaps at the Australian conference in Strathalbyn this October.
The Farnsworth Museum, Rockland, Maine, USA has opened their second exhibition focusing on the traditional techniques used in making rugs. The approach in Beyond Rugs! was to introduce the contemporary direction this craftform is being lead.
Log onto http://www.FarnsworthMuseum.orgclick Beyond Rugs! for details and to view an online catalog. Several TIGHR members are included in the collection.
Liz Alpert Fay, of Conneticut delivered a talk and slide presentation featuring international fiber artists active today who are incorporating the traditonal techniques with uncommon materials and innovative designs. RUGS ARE NOT JUST FOR THE FLOOR.
