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Sunday, April 11, 2004
A fine time for fiber arts
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
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Also on this page: 'THE STATE OF FIBER 2004' | |||||
Maine will be filled with fiber in 2004. Maine Fiberarts, a Topsham-based collective of fiber artists, has organized a statewide, yearlong celebration beginning this month with significant exhibitions in Portland and Rockport. In all, more than 100 fiber-based events are scheduled across the state through next winter. Many of Maine's museums will participate, including the Portland Museum of Art, Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport and the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. In addition, dozens of smaller museums and commercial galleries will host exhibitions, and artists and farmers will open their studios and farms for demonstrations and workshops. "The State of Fiber 2004" builds on the success of a 1999 fiber festival in Portland. "This time, we decided to do something statewide. We have artists working all over the state, and we want to show them off," says Christine Macchi, director of Maine Fiberarts. "People always say fiber work is never shown in Maine. It is now." Three high-profile exhibitions launch the celebration: The Portland Museum of Art shows two fiber exhibitions through June 6. The larger show, "Calico & Chintz: Early American Quilts from the Smithsonian American Art Museum," is a traveling exhibition that includes 22 pieced and whole-cloth American quilts made in the early- to middle-19th century. A smaller show hanging in the museum's Great Hall, "Another Layer: Selected Maine Art Quilts," features the contemporary work of nine Maine artists: Kimberly Becker, Elizabeth Busch, Mary Allen Chaisson, Jo Diggs, Gayle Fraas and Duncan Slade, Natasha Kempers-Cullen, Stephanie Green Levy and Phyllis Loney. June Fitzpatrick, a Portland gallery owner, and PMA curator Jessica Skwire Routhier organized the Maine show. On April 23, the museum will host a lecture by nationally known writer and art critic Polly Ullrich. Her talk is the unofficial kickoff of the yearlong celebration, Macchi says. The next day, on April 24, historic quilt specialist Betsey Telford of York will talk about quilt collecting at the museum. Telford, who owns Rocky Mountain Quilts in York, is nationally known for her expertise in dating antique quilts. The heirloom quilts in the Smithsonian exhibition preserve a remarkable era in America's textile and quilting industry, Routhier says. The quilts were made between 1810 and 1850, before the United States developed a textile industry. Colonialists imported the materials from Britain and France for use in affluent homes on the Eastern seaboard and southern plantation, and many of the quilts were made with decoration in mind. "A lot of these quilts were never used. They got folded up and placed in a hope chest and passed on through the generations," Routhier says. The contemporary show illustrates how quilt-making has transcended its historical role and traditional methods and become a primary artistic medium for many Maine artists. The differences between the two bodies of work are dramatic and obvious at a glance, but both are linked by technique, Routhier says. "There's a resonance between how people are practicing quilt-making today and how it was done in previous centuries," she says. The Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport hosts "Contemporary Maine Fiber Art" through May 30. It's a juried show featuring more than 40 Maine artists. Among others, those participating include Katherine Cobey, Sarah Haskell, Berri Kramer and Lauren Ostis. Collectively, the exhibition ranges from hooked rugs to handmade paper, and it provides the best opportunity to see the range of fiber work in Maine today, Macchi says. In collaboration with a committee that includes artists, gallery directors and tourism officials, Macchi has been organizing "The State of Fiber 2004" for more than a year. Through grants and fund-raising, she cobbled together money to pay for the exhibitions, while traveling the state to line up galleries and work with farmers and artists to host hands-on activities and educational forums. While many of the people she approached were immediately receptive, Macchi had to educate a lot of folks, including many in the art field, about fiber arts in Maine. Meanwhile, she has received inquires from out of state. As spring rolls into summer and the tourism season accelerates, she expects many out-of-state visitors will plan their trips to view specific shows or attend workshops and other events. "Because of what we did in Portland in '99 and what we are doing this year, there is a greater awareness of what is meant by fiber arts. Increasingly, there is greater understanding within communities across Maine about the process and the scope of fiber, and that's really what this event is all about. We're making more connections within Maine, and at the same time we're finding a lot of people outside of Maine are interested and aware of what we are doing." Kimberly Becker, a Bath quiltmaker whose piece "Night Sky" is hanging at the Portland Museum of Art, said she was shocked at the depth and quality of the fiber arts in Maine when she moved here from New York City four years ago. "Fiber art is absolutely huge. Calling it a craft isn't a fair statement anymore. So many of us are doing interesting and artistic work. It's thrilling to be in a such great place, where you can nurture your interests. And to see so many other people in the field is a great validation of your work," says Becker.
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