Happy 100th Birthday, Newport Art Museum

As part of the festivities, the Newport Art Museum is hosting a very special  “Members’ Juried Exhibition.”

For just this year, because it’s the Centennial, all 329 works submitted were accepted for exhibition!

The three jurors have each chosen a group of awards, which are being announced on 3 different dates.

I attended the gallery talk yesterday, where award winners and any other artists in attendance were invited to talk about their work.

I told the group that my mission in life is to make sure everyone knows that Tapestry, despite the New York Times’ description of it as a dead art form, is very much alive.

Here is my small tapestry, “Turning from Chaos,”  on the left.

This is the one that was chosen for Small Tapestry International: Passages, and traveled to Taos, NM, Tacoma, WA and Glen Ellen, VA  in 2011.

 

The other works in the show include many in the traditional media: painting, watercolor, printmaking, photography, and drawing.

In addition there is one punch hooked rug, and works made of ceramic, tin, wood, steel, bronze, glass, a log, salvaged graffiti, dolls, bark, alabaster, rose stems with thorns, found objects, concrete, electronics, steel cabling, “fiber,” cast paper, copper, gold leaf, crystal,  insulation foam, marble, horse tail, and even “Marine Algae harvested from Rhode Island coastal waters!”

 

Wow! Two galleries, plus the entryway, are completely covered with art work, quite an accomplishment by the museum staff who put it all together.

Visitors were encouraged to vote for their favorite piece, kind of overwhelming….but the one that really spoke to me was a small oil painting by Libby Manchester Gilpatric, “Beets and Beds.” I wrote it down on the ballot, then when I got home I found it in my pocket. Oops! Forgot to put it in the box and forgot to photograph it, but you can see it here.

 

Federico Santi’s color changing crystal and electronic “Urchin,”  was a lot of fun to watch.

It appeals to my inner child who loves everything colorful and sparkly.

 

Here are just three of the many colors this urchin wears…..don’t you love the reflections in the black pedestal?

 

If you’re in the area, come to the Museum on March 30, 5-7, for the announcement of the third round of awards. 

Where’s the Weather?

When I started my 2012 Tapestry Diary, I decided that in February, I would weave the weather. I planned to use white as the background, then weave whatever the weather was doing each day, be it snowflakes, freezing rain or a blizzard.

Unfortunately for the Diary, weather seems to have deserted us. Every day is either sunny or overcast, but hardly a drop of rain or a flake of snow. There was one windy day, but I didn’t think about weaving the wind.

When there’s no snow on the ground, February in New England is very brown. I know, the winter colors can be beautiful, so many soft and quiet shades of green, yellow and peach; but right now all I’m seeing is brown, and I’m tired of it…..

I am more cheerful and energetic in the winter if there is snow, I think because it reflects so much light. Perhaps I have SAD.

I shouldn’t complain, as it’s been much more comfortable, and pleasant for outdoor activities, than the typical February. I have been able to walk almost every day.

Perhaps the reason I was expecting weather, and a white back-ground, is that last year we had a record breaking amount of snow in January and February.  81 inches if I remember correctly. It was very inconvenient, but SO beautiful!

So I’ve had to be creative, mostly just keeping it simple and weaving stripes, spots, or color blends.

 

One day I wove stars, as I was weaving at night. Another day, I wove rays of sun, white winter sun. 

Here is the one brief snow shower. 

The previous day I wove the full moon rising.

Now that the month is half over, I’m looking forward to March. I haven’t decided what I will do in March, but I know I will NOT be weaving the weather!