Ridderhof Martin Gallery

October 26- December 27, 2012

Opening Reception: Thursday, October 25, 5-8pm

Lecture: Artists Working with Experimental Methods and Materials in Fiber Art; Bruce Hoffman

Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012

This exhibition showcase work demonstrating the diverse materials and processes used in contemporary work in fiber. Fiber art involves the revival or distortion of processes associated with the traditional creation of textiles for utilitarian purposes and goes beyond the limited  utilitarian origins of the genre. For contemporary fiber artists, materials include woven fabric, yarn, string, thread, synthetic fiber, and leather, in combination with a wide range of other materials such as beads, wood, feathers, metal, paper, etc. Technical processes are often used in combination and can range from conventional skills such as knitting, weaving, sewing, quilting, or embroidery to more alternative means such as gluing, stapling, or direct application of paint as well as various printmaking and hand-dying processes.

Ridderhof Martin Gallery
September 7- October 5, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012, 5-7pm

This exhibition showcased contemporary artists using the traditional decorative art media to challenge our notions of function, permanence, and beauty. Works are created for both use and decoration. Artists play with the function and form giving new meaning to decorative arts. The pieces highlight the permeable line between mass-production and art. In some examples the pieces are functional, their form mirroring a filing cabinet or bamboo chair, yet the materials, familiar, are unexpected in their new use. Other pieces have been transformed from a mass-produced piece to a hand-crafted one through manipulation of materials and technology.