Friday Inspiration - Fiber Art Exhibitions

There are several new fiber art exhibitions around the country and one in cyberland that sound interesting.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has two current exhibits that I would love to see.  Global Patterns runs through January 8, 2012 and focuses on African textile design.  Ndebele and Yoruba beadwork, Kente cloth, and indigo-dyed adire are among the pieces on display.

And also running is  Embroideries of Colonial Boston.  These pieces from the 18th century include pictorial embroideries, Adam and Eve samplers, crewel work, and delicate embroidery.  You don't have as much time to see this one - it runs through August 28th of this year.

Bok Hee Lee, Yellow Wrapping Cloth, 2009.  Linen.

If you're in the San Francisco area by October 22nd, The Museum of Craft and Folk Art has an exhibit of Korean bojagi - cloths used for both wrapping everyday and ceremonial objects.  The cloths are patchwork and sewn together in a way that leaves both sides of the fabric looking finished.  This is a fiber art form I rarely see or hear about, but I'm thinking it would be great to come up with some for wrapping Christmas presents .... you may see a tutorial on this if I can figure it out!  If you can't get to the exhibit, there are more photographs of pieces in the press kit available here.  There's also a video that shows more work - it's mostly in Korean, though!

And if the Minnesota state government ever ends its shutdown, the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul will be exhibiting Underwear: A Brief History.  I'm not sure if even I would call this fiber art, but it looks fascinating!  Undergarments from Victorian times to flappers to the 1970's are included with a history of underwear's evolution.  The exhibit's scheduled to run through September 11th.

Mary Pal, Remembering, 2010.

However ... if you're not in these areas and don't see travel in your future,  SAQA (Studio Arts Quilt Associates) has a new exhibit up in their virtual gallery.  Shades of Gray looks at pieces that rely not on color, but on different values to tell a story.  There are some stunning pieces!  I am amazed at the detail, value, and expression fiber artist Mary Pal gets in her work using only fabric and cheesecloth.  The piece to the left is one of a body of work - you can see the others on her website here. 

Happy Creating!  Deborah