HOLES to be part of STORIES ARE MADE LOOP BY LOOP, curated by Susan Feller

Stories Are Made Loop By Loop is all about contemporary rug hooking being done with fabric, yarn, and plastic and how an “old” technique is still being used to tell stories and for self expression. Susan premiered the exhibit last year in Virginia. A few months ago, I shipped Holes (hooked in 2020) to Susan in West Virginia, so it could join in at this traveling show’s second stop.

 

This Friday, March 8, the exhibit opens at the Juliet Art Museum, part of the Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia. Participating artists include: Cheryl Bollenbach, Meryl Cook, Susan Feller, Elizabeth Miller, Karen D Miller, Domenica Zara Queen, Terri Todd, By Jane’s Daughter, UnitingUs, Grue Shackleford, and Laura Salamy. See the artists’ social media accounts to see their stories and ongoing creative journeys. More information about the artists can also be found HERE.

If you’re like me and can’t get to Charleston, Susan has generously made the catalog available HERE. Topics taken up in the various pieces of art include: healing; cancer and mental health issues; motherhood and how it changes a woman; homelessness and addiction; environmental destruction and loss of natural resources; one’s sense of identity and finding a voice; and veterans’ advocacy.

Like many fiber arts, rug hooking is enjoying a bit of a renaissance, with artists applying more modern sensibilities and trying to bring attention to today’s social causes and passions. See the show, peruse the catalog, and observe how we’re all taking an old art form and using new/old techniques and materials to tell our stories. But like the artists who came before us, we’re still appreciating the colors and textures of this slow, meditative form of loop-making.