January Issue 2002
Cultures Revealed: Appliques from Around the World at Waterworks Visual Arts Center in Salisbury, NC
A dazzling combination of bold color, intricate pattern, myth, and imagination, Cultures Revealed.- Appliques from Around the World will transport both children and adults to places most of us can only imagine. This exhibition, featuring traditional 20th century fiber handcraft from cultures throughout the world, is on view at the Waterworks Visual Arts Center in Salisbury, NC, through April 7.
The artistry and workmanship are extraordinary. The highly decorative but functional pieces include items as diverse as a Chinese Bai baby carrier, an Egyptian Arabic tent panel, and an Inuit wall hanging. While this exhibition has been scheduled for over a year, in light of the world events of the past months, seeing this collection offers a particularly timely and significant opportunity for us to increase our appreciate of other cultures. The Nell Battle Booker Sonnemann collection of appliqué is on loan from the Gallery of Art & Design, NC State University.
Patricia Malarcher writes in the exhibition catalogue, "The Nell Battle Booker Sonnemann collection of appliqué is the confirmation of a quest. As in every true quest, the process of discovery has been as important as what has been sought. Embracing the world, Sonnemann's search for traditional appliqué has touched every continent. Within two decades, she traveled from the Canadian Arctic to a tributary of the Amazon River to remote areas of the Philippines and Japan; from a Bedouin tent in northern Africa to a textile factory in China to a procession of appliqué-bedecked elephants in Sri Lanka. She flew in tiny planes over treetops, bounced in jeeps over improvised roads, snaked in motorized dugouts down jungle rivers. She went to find people piecing fabrics together as their ancestors did. The collection of the appliquéd hangings, garments, and accessories for ritual and everyday life - all told, close to 500 items - documents the disappearing ways and values of cultures that the work represents."
For more information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings or call the center at 704/636-1882.
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