Stories are Made Loop by Loop features seven artists using hand hooking. The Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg, VA is the first stop for this traveling exhibit. Open Tuesdays-Saturdays 10-4 the show is up through October 7, 2023. Here is a video as I walk you through the exhibit.
On September 23 I am conducting a workshop 10:30-1:30 titled Beginner Rug Hooking – a make-do workshop . We will pull some loops creating a mat with applique’ and embroidery. Learn about the make-do textile craft of the McDonald sisters from Gilmer County WV in the 1960’s. Registration details in this link.
Hooked, Applique’ project
I am traveling to Athens, West Virginia later this month to see the solo exhibit Black History Month of Robby Moore’s mixed media work. Following his social media posts as the work was in progress and now reading the artist statement I felt drawn to see the work in person. Robby has offered to meet me at Concord University gallery for a conversation. Follow this creative advocate @RobbyMooreArt Look forward to reviewing the show and seeing where it travels next.
The September post will begin introducing the artists in Stories are Made Loop by Loop with personal interviews.
The rugs, display items, books, and frame with pattern were loaded into my car and driven to Harrisonburg, VA on July 11. I turned them all over to the curating team and learned some tips for installing exhibits. One, add screw eyes to the end of dowel rods so wires are secured when installing. Another, prepare a layout ahead and place painters tape where each item will be placed. Put the tape at top and cut wire(s) the length from moulding to display plus enough to wrap for hanging. Have all tools ready including multiple ladders and a full prep table.
Screw eyes for wiringMark wall and cut wire to hangwork laid out on table
Part of this exhibit includes an interactive area with hooking frame, a design saying WELCOME and fabric strips set up for the public to try their hand. Simple directions are on a poster right next to the frame. By the end of the exhibit the completed rug will become an item to benefit the museum. The curating team was the first to pick up the hook and pull some loops.
Pattern for public
For those of you who will not be able to visit the Virginia Quilt Museum during this exhibit here is the digital catalog. The full catalog includes the traveling schedule, more work and artists, the bios and artist statements, links and resources to learn more about contemporary rug hooking.
QR for Catalog at VQM
Several of the artists are also authors. Their books are available to peruse in the exhibit and many are for sale in the Museum Shop. You can also purchase a colorful pin.
Books for salePins by Meryl CookPins by Susan Feller
I can’t say it often enough seeing fiber art in person is such a learning experience. There are several other exhibits at the Virginia Quilt Museum featuring contemporary mixed media, art quilts, heirloom treasures which will open your creative tool box to many new ideas.
The full traveling schedule and link to catalog can also be found at SusanFeller.com/calendar. We all look forward to comments and the networking opportunity this opens.
In the lead-up to opening of ‘Stories are Made Loop by Loop’ at the Virginia Quilt Museum on July 12 this post highlights themes explored by the makers. The artists chose to spend hours alone with fiber, color, shapes and simple tools developing work that visualized a personal experience or important issue. They used the rhythmic slow process of pulling loops to meditate and heal, advocate, resolve personal problems.
When you visit the exhibit or read the digital catalog, available in mid July, we invite the viewer to LOOK at the work before reading the stories. THINK how you react to the design. Is there a story in your life you are reminded of? Are you curious to know the maker’s story? Does a piece have you thinking about the topic differently?
Motherhood and Identity are explored by Elizabeth Miller and Karen D. Miller. “I imagined the words on the staircase in Breaking the Cycle as representing aspects of motherhood while I stumbled upward accompanying my sons to their adulthood. “Elizabeth Miller
Karen D. Miller is a contemporary textile artist and writer using rug hooking to create conversation around the consequences of motherhood on women’s identity, perceptions, relationships and value. The series In the Shadows captures moments of life.
Healing from a diagnosis of breast cancer has led to a career as an artist and writer, inspiring others to connect with their joy and sense of purpose. The meditative rhythm of loop pulling and journaled words inspiring a design help along the creative journey. Meryl Cook
Doodles from a time of depression, years later during covid became larger – now statements that visually demand to be heard. Terri Todd
Veterans’ Social Issues are visible and personal. “The work ‘Urban Icons’ depicts the result of society and legislative reactions to the mental illness, drug and alcohol addictions experienced by many veterans as they re-enter civilian life.” Cheryl Bollenbach
As a female veteran, Mary Lopez de Morales (@byJanesDaughter) can use the symbolic language of her military experience to highlight inequities within the ranks and public. A thistle represents ‘Pain – Strength ‘ Survival’.
Rug Hooking is an example of using waste materials to make a new object. Generations of frugal homemakers passed these skills on. Each person picked up the hook, gathered fabrics and recorded their life. See what these artists save from the land fills.
“My goal is to continue the craft heritage of my family making objects this time with the 21st C heirloom material plastic. Domenica Zara Queen
A background in environmental regulatory compliance predisposed Laura Salamyto experiment with all kind of fibers and textiles, specifically those that might otherwise end up in landfills.
This project lives up to my chosen word for 2023 – PROMOTE. I am officially announcing the exhibit ‘Stories are Made Loop by Loop’opening July 12 at Virginia Quilt Museum, 301 S Main, Harrisonburg, VA extending through October 7. I have curated hooked work by seven international artists. Meet the makers this month. In the June 20th post I will provide details from their stories . Plans for July’s post include a link to a virtual catalog for our global network and on-site photos.
Colour, texture, joy and self-compassion define Meryl Cook’s work as a fibre artist and writer in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is the author of two books, One Loop at a Time, a story of rughooking, healing and creativity (2016) and One Loop at a Time, The Creativity Workbook (2017). Follow her social media posts @MerylCook
Cheryl Bollenbach has been driven to create with her hands from early childhood. Encouraged by her grandmother to observe the world around through the eyes of an artist, Bollenbach studied figurative sculpture in college. Dimensional work has carried through in the mixed media work today. She teaches and sells rug hooking materials through cdbStudios.com located in Tennessee.
Mary B Lopez Morales resides in Canada holding dual citizenship with the US. Her experiences as a US Veteran are echoed in the textile art she creates. Many pieces have supported organizations through sales and conversations the images inspire. Represented in the United States by UnitingUS.org, her work has welcomed visitors on exhibit at Dulles Airport and in Washington, DC. She tells her story as @byjanesdaughter
Elizabeth Miller is a Maine fiber artist, writer, and teacher. Her sources of inspiration are North Atlantic landscapes and matters evolving around love, motherhood, trauma, and grief. She is the author of Heritage Skills for Contemporary Life: Seasons at the Parris House, published by Down East Books in 2021. Her work has appeared in several publications and is included in The Art ofMothering: Our Lives in Colour and Shadow, by Karen D Miller. Elizabeth posts at @northatlanticfiberarts
Karen D Miller is a contemporary textile artist and writer from Ontario, Canada using the traditional technique of rug hooking to create conversation around the consequences of motherhood on women’s identity, perceptions, relationships, and value. She is the author of The Art of Mothering: Our Lives in Colour and Shadow (2022) and Eyes Open to the World: Memories of Travel in Wool (2019), both published by Ampry Publishing. Follow her on IG @KarenDMillerStudio
Domenica Zara Queen, describes herself as a Hispappalachian artist, using heritage textile and fiber art techniques to create artworks out of waste plastics. Queen advocates for our world view of the limited resource product to change from “disposable” to “heirloom material”. Living in West Virginia, this message looks to the future in her own community. Posting under @madartsci her collaborative work expands this awareness.
Terri Todd from Virginia, describes herself as a contemporary fiber artist currently exploring mental health topics through large scale textile compositions. Todd’s graphic work has been influenced by petroglyphs, outsider art, and Keith Haring’s sketches. Viewers look for meaning in the pared down figures and emotions through the simple use of color, line, and shape. Explore Todd’s process @territodd.fiberart
Behind the scenes editing, photographing, and prep of the artwork to hang is taking place over the next few weeks. I am writing a curator’s statement and brief description of the rug hooking tools and process for the exhibit and catalog. Extending thanks to staff and exhibits committee at Virginia Quilt Museum for this opportunity to share a sister handcraft with the quilt public. Follow their posts @vaquiltmuseum
