The exhibit will be on view from Friday, March 8 to Wednesday, May 8, 2019 at The Blackstone Valley Tourism Center Art Gallery and adjacent Gallery 175 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

The Opening Reception and Awards will be held Thursday, March 14, 2019 from 5:30 - 8:00 pm at the Gallery.

Joan Blade Johnson of JBJ Fiber Art has a fiber art piece "Eco Print on Silk" in this exhibit.

Twisting Fibers – An Art for All Reasons : An Open Juried National Exhibition

Spring, 2019 at the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council Gallery
and adjacent Gallery 175, 175 Main Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860

Twisting Fibers into string is as old as humanity and has contributed to the survival of our species in similarly important ways as food itself. Using our hands in the creation of fiber products is akin of early mark making. Industrialization and its inexpensive mass production have nearly eradicated these fundamental expressions of human evolution. Handwork together with hand writing arelosing their relevance as our hands are trapped at keyboards and on screens. Nevertheless, fiber art has gained renewed interest, and as much as it is a remnant of the past it is claiming its place in the future as a mindful creative process practiced by most diverse communities and individuals all over the world.

As time itself has become one of the hottest commodities of the 21st century, the labor intense and time consuming nature of handwork stands in stark contrast to the increasing rush that consumes so many of today’s industrialized societies. This imbues handwork with a new value. We can see in a handmade object that time slowed down, which in turn creates a sense of restorative pause. We enter a world where the process cannot be rushed or forced but where the maker had to submit to the inherent nature of handwork, a meditative creative process integrating body, soul and spirit.

“Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all.” Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969), 34th President, USA

For the purposes of this proposal, all work must include either fiber in content or be executed with at least one fiber process or technique. Fibers include media like paper, shredded plastic shopping bags, bamboo, reeds, telephone wire, simple metal wire and fruit skins. Processes include sewing, knitting, knotting, crocheting, weaving, spinning, felting and basketry. We encourage the use of technology, slow cloth, traditional or non-traditional materials, and eco-friendly materials in the creation of entries, but no perishable organic material.

Juror: Anastasia Azure, Providence, Rhode Island