April 2011

Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, NC, Offers Textile Exhibit

The Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, NC, is presenting the exhibit, Ladies in New Textiles (L.I.N.T.), on view in Gallery 86, through Apr. 30, 2011. A reception will be held on Apr. 1, from 6-8pm.

The show features work by LINT members Norma Bradley, Peggy DeBell, Diana DeNardis, Sandra Dorn, Vicki Essig, Suzanne Gernandt, Carmen Grier, Susan Webb Lee, Kathie Roig, Judy Simmons, Janice Maddox, Mari Stori, and Jude Stuecker, paired with poems in celebration of National Poetry Month.

LINT was founded in 1996 by Janice Maddox and two other fiber artists. The Academy of American Poets started the first National Poetry Month in 1996 and every April since has been filled with special events focused on poetry in American life. The LINT exhibition at Gallery 86 will examine the many faces of fiber art and pay homage to this special literary art as each artist has selected a favorite poem to show alongside her artwork.

For instance, LINT member Carmen Grier grew up on a farm in Iowa where she recalls evening drives with her parents, taking in views of purple-red skies and inhaling the distinct smell of coming rains. She reflects, “For as long as I can remember, I have been captivated by the mysteries of the organic world. As a child, even without words to describe my feelings, I was aware of nature’s power and beauty.” Carmen begins with a piece of white cloth and either dyes or prints the cloth before she manipulates it using color alterations to achieve a balance among the selected pieces of fabric. One of the pieces Carmen has selected for the show is, First Green Growth, which hints at spring and pairs beautifully with a poem written in 1984 by her friend Louis Bickett:

Like It Had Always Been Before

When the summer
was over one more time
and after all the trees
in the little square I
called a backyard
gave up to winter
spring
was then my hope
like it has always been before.

Louis Zoellar Bickett Feb.11/1984

LINT members challenge one another to expand the concept of fiber art and to not only look at quilt making in non-traditional ways to include other fiber arts. The group now includes thirteen members who meet once a month for support, suggestions, and to have a bit of “show and tell.” LINT also assists the Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC, with its Fiber Weekend each May on Mother’s Day weekend.

The mission of the Haywood County Arts Council is to build partnerships that promote art and artists, explore new cultural opportunities, and preserve mountain artistic heritage. This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

For further information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call 828/452-0593 or visit (www.haywoodarts.org).

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