[This Seattle Weavers Guild email newsletter was forwarded by Lana Schneider  — Lana says pay particular attention to the yarn bombing articles (links below) ]

SWG Museum and Gallery News

Late September 2012

Exhibits Closing Very Soon

 Seattle – If you can quickly get yourself to the Friesen Abmeyer Fine Art gallery, you’ll enjoy seeing “Inner Fabric: An Exhibition of Artists Working with Fiber and Fabric.” Eight artists have incorporated fiber into contemporary creations ranging from small felted creatures to wrapped trees and mixed media paintings. The exhibit closes on Sunday, September 30^th. The gallery is located downtown at 1210 2^nd Avenue. Phone is (206) 628-9501. Gallery hours are Tuesdays- Saturdays 11 am to 5:30 pm, and on Sundays from 12 noon to 5 pm.

 Seattle –SAM has a current exhibit by Jenny Heishman who incorporates everyday materials (including fibers and fabric) into art objects that require a shift in our expected experiences with these materials. Her work encourages pleasure in the act of looking through visual surprises. She is the winner of the 2011 Betty Bowen Award. This exhibit closes on October 1. More information is at www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit

 Tacoma – Mixed media artist Marie Watt’s exhibit, “Lodge,” is available for viewing through October 7 at the Tacoma Art Museum. Her work incorporates Native American blankets, stories and the rituals implicit in everyday objects. She includes the traditions of Native Americans, modern 20^th century abstractions, and the communal practices of American sewing bees and quilting circles. The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm, and until 8 pm on Thursdays. It’s located along the Tacoma waterfront at 1701 Pacific Avenue. Adult admission is $10 and $8 for seniors. Go to www.tacomaartmuseum.org  for further exhibit details.

 Bellevue, WA –Bellevue Arts Museum’s current exhibits include “Bold Expressions,” a collection of over 50 quilts created in the American south between 1910 and the 1970s. These pieces reflect the distinctive free patterns and stunning color combinations often associated with American folk crafts. The African American women quilters used available materials: recycling flour sacks, old blue jeans and even work clothes to produce their works of art. Museum hours are 11 am to 5 pm Tuesdays – Sundays; admission is $10 for adults and $7 for seniors. Check  www.bellevuearts.org/exhibitions/current/ for more details. The exhibit is only up through Sunday, October 7.

 La Conner – The Quilt and Textile Museum currently features “At Play – Asobi,” an exhibit of Japanese-inspired quilts. The exhibit’s title is expressed in the themes of creativity and delight involved in the entire process of design planning and creative stitchery. The museum is open Wednesdays – Sundays from 11 am to 5 pm. The address is 703 Second Street in La Conner. Phone (360) 466-4288 or check the website for all details:www.laconnerquilts.com/exhibits/current Admission is $7 for non-members. This exhibit closes on Sunday, October 7.

 Also currently at the La Conner Textile Museum is an exhibit of Ainu Embroidery featuring garments made with traditional stitching techniques. Modeled on historically accurate designs, these recently made, special garments are now used primarily for ceremonial and festive occasions. “Ainu Embroidery” will be on exhibit only through October 7.

 Current Exhibits 

Seattle – SAM’s current exhibit of “Order and Border” examines how stripes decorate and structure objects, spaces and bodies. It follows the many ways that stripes are formulated and shows how they appear in a wide range of media from a multitude of cultures.  This exhibit continues through Sunday, October 21, at the SAM downtown.  More information is at www.seattleartmuseum.org

 Salem, OR – The Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University is currently featuring a remarkable exhibit of Turkish weaving. “Family Holdings: Turkish Flat Weaves from the Keith Achepohl Collection” presents superb examples of 19^th and 20^th Century kilims (rugs), saddle bags, storage bags and dowry pieces, all made by nomadic people of Turkey. All the details are available at http://Willamette.edu/arts/hfma or http://www.northwestweavers.org/coming-events   (ANWG website). This exhibit will be available from September 15 through December 23, 2012.    

 Gig Harbor – Tapestry Artists of Puget Sound and the Tapestry Weavers South have combined their talents in a show entitled “NWxSE” currently installed at the Harbor History Museum. In addition there will be a TAPS show running concurrently at the museum. The exhibits will be up through January 20, 2013. Several SWG members are featured artists in these exhibits; see the members section (following) for specifics.

 Open Air Exhibits: Yarn Bombing Sites in our Area! 

Yes – we’ve mentioned this activity at our guild meetings. Now you can catch up on some of the latest creations by checking these websites…

 http://www.pecklife.com/blog/2012/04/05/artificial-light.html

 http://www.seattlemag.com/article/yarn-bomb-hits-redmond

 http://streetcolor.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/yarnbombing-and-the-seattle-mariners-glove/ 

 http://westseattlebog.com/2012/03/west-seattle-scene-junction-stump-gets-yarn-bombed

 http://seattle.curbed.com/archives/2012/09/capitol-hills-new-home-for-yarn-bombing-pros.php

 http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2012/03/27/chs-pics-yarn-bombed-19th-ave-e 

  Exhibits Opening Soon 

Bellevue –Bellevue Arts Museum’s “BAM Biennial 2012: High Fiber Diet” will be opening on October 25^th. Two SWG members, Polly Adams Sutton and Patti King, have works chosen for the exhibit from the almost 300 proposals submitted. This exhibit will be available through February 24, 2013.

 Plan Ahead – Special Programs and Events

How will you celebrate Spinning and Weaving Week this year? It’s October 1 – 7. Consider promoting your favorite fiber interests and abilities with other friends. Share your enthusiasm and skills and help our crafts flourish!

Seattle – Northwest designer Craftsmen have an interesting lecture scheduled for Wednesday, October 10. Lanny Bergner, a fiber, sculpture and installation artist, will describe the development of his work and some of his site-specific installations. The focus will be primarily on his metal mesh works. The hour-long program is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood Center in Seattle, 6532 Phinney Avenue North, starting at 7 pm.

Bellingham – The Whatcom Weavers Guild annual Fibers and Beyond Show and Sale is scheduled for Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13. It will be held at Fox Hall in Bellingham, which is located behind the Hampton Inn at I-5 Exit 258 (go west on Bennett Drive). A special addition to this year’s event will be arts and crafts created by the spouses who are more widely known as the loyal and hard-working support crews. Hours are 5 to 9 pm on Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

Vancouver, BC – The Greater Vancouver Weavers and Spinners Guild cordially invites guests to a special program on Thursday, October 18^th. Jo Anne Ryeburn from their guild will present “My Weaving Adventures” in an afternoon program (1:30 to 3 pm). The meeting will take place at Aberthau, West Point Grey Community Centre, 2^nd Ave at Trimble in Vancouver. More details are at www.gvwsg.com

SWG Members’ Exhibit Activities

Several SWG members have works featured in the current exhibits at the Harbor History Museum in Gig Harbor. Jennie Jeffries, Julie Rapinoe, Margaret Turner, Ellen Ramsey and Pamela Done are the talented artists. Congratulations to each of you!

 Upcoming SWG Anniversary Exhibit

 Seattle – SWG is sponsoring a show at the Art/Not Terminal Gallery during the month of November. This non-juried fiber arts show (with three cash awards) is entitled “Putting the Art in Fiber Arts – Proud Past, Dynamic Future,” and focuses on woven, felted, surface-designed and multimedia art works created by our SWG members. Check the SWG website for all the details.

 Textiles in Oaxaca, Mexico

SWG member Jane Emerson is offering to share images and blog posts on the textiles of Oaxaca which her family has enjoyed in recent years. Try these links for a delightful virtual visit to this colorful world:

http://oaxaca-chapulines.blogspot.com/2012/09/threads-of-cloud-people-communal.html

http://oaxaca-chapulines.blogspot.com/2011/01/museo-textil-de-oaxaca.html

http://oaxaca-chapulines.blogspot.com/2011/02/san-bartolo-coyotepec.html

Other Exhibit Opportunities to Enjoy

 American Tapestry Alliance – The ATA has an “eKUDOS” website/”newsletter” with detailed information and links to current tapestry exhibits around the world. Those interested can sign up to receive these monthly listings. Go to www.americantapestryalliance.org to connect with this great resource.

Seattle – The Henry Art Gallery at the UW has recently re-opened their Study Center. This classroom space within the museum allows their permanent collection of costumes and textiles to be pulled from storage for research and teaching purposes. (Special arrangements are necessary for visits.) The 18,000 plus pieces, dating from 1500 BCE to the present, are worldwide in origin. Representative items from the collection are accessible on line at http://dig.henryart.org/textiles or at http://henryartcollections.org/advsearch.php?module=objects 

 HGA’s Shuttle, Spindle and Dyepot

The Winter 2012 issue of SS&D features articles about HGA’s Convergence 2012 in Long Beach, CA. Check this out, as well as lots of other interesting articles and suggestions about exhibits of interest for textile and fiber artists. Highlights of these and other activities are available by signing up for the free HGA eNewsletter at www.weavespindye.org under the “What’s New” tab at the top of the screen.

 Calls for Artists – Shows to Enter

(Some Deadlines are Imminent!!)

(in chronological order by deadlines)

Garments for the SWG Fashion Show (presented during the November-December guild meeting) are due at the guild meeting on September 27^th.  Refer to the SWG website for the details and necessary forms. Models and helpers are still needed as well. Contact the Fashion Show Coordinator, Cyndi White (cyndiCon@aol.com) to offer your help.

 Bellingham – Bellingham Allied Arts is seeking artist applicants for its 2013 gallery shows. Any media from emerging or established artists is welcomed for consideration in their nine juried shows of three to six artists each. The deadline is Friday, September 28. Go to www.alliedarts.org/content/Gallery/2013_juried_art.asp to get the detailed information.

 Mercer Island – The Mercer Island Arts Council is soliciting applications for its 2013 exhibit schedule. These are seven weeklong shows held seven times a year. Deadline for applying is September 28. Details are atwww.mercergov.org/Page.asp?NavID=1994. The link is at the bottom of the page.

 Seattle – University Unitarian Church has scheduled a day to screen artworks for consideration in their gallery exhibit program. Accepted art pieces will be scheduled for six week shows between January 2013 and December 2015. Hang-able art, with secular or spiritual themes, should be delivered to the church by 8:30 am on Saturday, Sept. 29 and will be ready for pick up at 1 pm that day. The church is located at 6556 35^th Ave. NE. Contact Pam Belcher (belcherpe@comcast.net) or Beth Halfacre (ehalfacre48@comcast.net) for further information.

 NW Designer Craftsmen – This organization is inviting all northwest resident artists to consider applying for juried membership in their group. Membership provides opportunities for exhibiting in a wide regional area, networking with other artists, and promoting public education for the fine arts. Deadline for applications is October 1. If accepted, members have annual dues of $50. Go to www.nwdc-online.org for all the details.

 Tacoma – The Proctor Art Gallery has an opening for a local artist doing contemporary visual works. Deadline is October 8, 2012. Contact Carolyn Burt : burt-cd@comcast.net to get all the details.

 Seattle – The Phinney Ridge 2013 gallery schedule is currently being planned. The group is especially supportive of local, emerging visual artists. Both groups and individuals are encouraged to apply. Deadline is Monday, October 8 at10 pm. Go to www.phinneycenter.org/arts for all the details.

 Shoreline – Their Arts Council is seeking artists to submit visual artworks for their two exhibition locations: The Gallery at Town Center and the Shoreline City Hall Gallery. Deadline for these applications is Wednesday, October 31. Check out details at http://shorelinearts.net/Opportunities/opportunities.html

 Burien – The Burien Arts Association is organizing a Fiber Arts Show for February 2013 and welcomes applications from SWG members. Specific details are not yet available; try contacting them via their website if you are interested:http://www.burienarts.org

 Tacoma – The prospectus for the 2013 RAGS Wearable Art show and sale is now available. All the details and the application can be downloaded from the website at www.ragswearableart.org  (under “Call for Entries’). The show and sale are scheduled for March 8-11, 2013, and all applications must be postmarked prior to December 14, 2012.

 DO YOUR PART

HELP TO KEEP THIS INTERESTING!

Send in any suggestions and activity notices anytime to

SWG Museums and Galleries rep – Nancy van Roessel    ncvr@comcast.net

Updates will be published regularly just prior to monthly guild meetings

or more often if activity notices warrant quick attention