March 20 – April 18, Trustman Art Gallery at Simmons College
fourth floor, Main College Building, 300 The Fenway, Boston

Opening Reception March 25, 5 to 7 pm (Simmons Choir performs at 6pm)

In this mixed-media installation undertaken in collaboration with the Simmons community, artist Robyn Love seeks answers to the question, “Have you ever made a decision with an unconditional yes?” Combining her knitted and crocheted aphorisms with text, objects, and artwork contributed by faculty, staff, students, and alumnae, the exhibition is both inclusive and provocative. Transforming the gallery’s center into a temporary “living room,” Love will host periodic knit-togethers during the course of the installation. A knitted trail pieced together from communal donations leads visitors to the “living room.”

Love explains, “I am hoping to encourage people to look a little deeper at some of their ideas about themselves. I think if we really consider why we make our choices, we can take responsibility for them and that gives us a lot of freedom. Also I hope that the process of creating this exhibition together will generate a renewed sense of community at Simmons.”

Love will be in the gallery – in the living room – from Monday to Thursday, March 22 – 25th, working and talking with visitors about the idea of unconditional yes.

submitted by Robyn Love

Oriane Stender, 0 Dollar | Mixed Media, dollars, thread, 9" x 5.5"

Empire Falls is a two person exhibition featuring the work of Nancy Baker and Oriane Stender at Flanders Art Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina March 4 to 28, 2010.

The cycle of history dictates that where an empire rises, eventually it shall fall. These predictions are inherently troubling, for they create a tension that inspires a sort of Chicken Little mentality – a belief that any time of trouble is the apocalyptic herald of a collapse and restructuring in hegemonic forces. While not always universally disconcerting, it is certainly an unsettling realization for those who have benefited from the general prosperity of being a resident of a nation in power. Empire Falls, featuring works by Nancy Baker and Oriane Stender, examines the frailty and fragility of the current economic climate in United States politics. READ MORE

Nancy Baker, Twin | Painting, oil on wood panel, 48" x 60"

Learn more about Tricot Machine HERE

Rabbit Tureen

Mariko Paterson-McCrae’s An Affair to Remember is currently at the Alberta Crafts Council’s Discovery Gallery in Edmonton, Alberta from February 27,- April 10,2010.

Nautical Bowl

The premise of the show is based on a fictitious character, Duncan Gare, who has based his life on the love of ceramic fakes and historical re-takes. No stone is left uncovered in this side-tale of historical ceramics and is not a story  to be missed!

Golden Girls Plate

To view more works from the show visit the artist’s website  www.patersonindustires.com

Lesley Bricknell (2010)

I am starting to work with feathers again inspired by the phrase ‘broken wing’. A phrase mentioned to me by fellow blogger Marion. Feathers feature in my work from time to time. I am currently working on a sequence of moving images (not yet ready at time of posting). The imagesmade to date, however, are visceral, arresting. Broken, useless. A mixture of red photo dye, nail varnish and wax. Collected and retrieved from pillows, eiderdowns, coastal walks. A loose continuation of my work ‘Cardinal’ at Poplar Gallery.Online last year.

Kate MccGwire ‘Vex’ (2008)

Nothing of my own activities. surpasses the collecting abilities of artist Kate MccGwire. I saw her piece ‘Vex’ (2008) in the City Museum, Plymouth (UK) last year and was completely knocked out by it. Composed of feathers from racing pigeons, each one is numbered, and looks constrained (but great!) within the classical museum cabinet. Other pieces use pigeon feathers, glue, polystyrene, felt. Sensational!

submitted by Lesley Bricknell

Visit www.mackenziefrere.com to view more…

One month and three month residencies are available.

Dates for the one month residency are May 30th – June 30th or July 25th – Aug 22nd

Dates for the three month residency are May 30th – Aug 22nd

Please visit – www.contextural.ca for more information on our vision statement, goals, values and an idea of the space we will be using on our blog.

Application information can be found HERE. Interested parties should send an application as directed in the package to: residency@contextural.ca with the subject: Summer Residency Application

 Deadline for submissions is April 1st @ midnight.

 NEW!!! This year Contextural is offering the Contextural Summer Residency Scholarship, consisting of studio fees for the three month summer residency ($250 value) and $250 for supplies. The scholarship will be awarded based on the quality and completeness of the application.

We look forward to your submission!

submitted by Tara Griffiths

fibreQUARTERLY Volume 5 Issue 4/ winter 2009-10  is now on line.

Just below the Surface starts with a look at the Surface Design Associations “Off the Grid” by Montreal based Indigo artist Valérie d. Walker. A profile  of  Gunnel Hag one of the founding members of Surfacing; Textile Dyers and Printers associations provides as much of a look at her work as the 1970s era when the SDA and Surfacing came into being.

Contemporary textile printing is presented by introductions to the Centre Design & Impression Textile De Montréal, submitted by Monique Beauregard, and The Contemporary Textile Studio Co-operative in Toronto submitted by Rachel MacHenry.

The City of Calgary Bridge Banner Project which is now in its third year has installed work that has been made by hand for the first time. ACAD graduates Marci Simkulet and Stefanie Wong art the makers behind the 140 woven, knitted or felted banners which make up this temporary public art installation.

With this issue we have completed 5 years of bringing a selection of what’s current on the Canadian Scene, profiles of artist and reviews of exhibitions. These stories represent only the tip of the iceberg so to speak of a vital and exciting community of makers, educators, curators, galleries and museums involved in working with and presenting Textiles and Fibre work in Canada.

It is time for the next step and fibreQUARTERLY is now seeking people interested in being involved in beyond readership and subscribers. We need a volunteer advisory committee willing to commit time and effort to plan the next five years. It is also time to bring together a group of interested people to create and contribute to Mapping Canada:  We need regional editors/ reporters who can track events and the resulting coverage to add to our growing data base / bibliography. I if its not covered here we still want to know about it. The future looks good and with your help it can be. 

Volunteer your time and knowledge, renew or subscribe for the first time or give a gift subscription to a friend. As always we are an open magazine and free for anyone to access, your subscription dollars help keep the stories coming.

Our annual PDF Anthology is being prepared now. Please enjoy this new issue.

Follow us on facebook and twitter

Adam by Greg Payce. Porcelain, 61 x 46 x 28 cm. (Museum of Vancouver)

 Mary-Beth Laviolette reviews Art of Craft for the CBC HERE. Looks like a great exhibition… (Thanks Emma!)

Gunma Silk Seaforms by Yvonne Wakabayashi. Mixed Media, gunma silk, monofilament, 10 x 24 x 24 cm. (Museum of Vancouver)

You should go there right now because THIS should not be missed!