Fiber Arts X

Exhibition dates: July 31 - September 12, 2021

Fiber Arts X is a biennial, juried, international exhibition presenting a distinct approach to innovative and traditional fiber techniques, and a contemporary concept for the use of traditional and unusual materials. The chosen work invites the viewer to experience the many facets of fiber art. Come and discover two, three dimensional work, wearable art and installations exhibited from July 31 through September 12. This year 70 pieces were selected from 800 entered by the distinguished jurors in the field. Jurors are Carol Beadle, fiber artist and teacher, Melissa Leventon, curator and specialist in textiles and costume, and Tom Grotta, photographer and gallery owner. Over 3,000 attend this well publicized and reviewed exhibit.

Jurors:

Carole Beadle

Fiber Arts X was a challenging exhibit to jury due to exciting entries from many states and world wide participation. Important issues of culture, race, ecology and pandemic are represented. Use of craftsmanship and technique illuminated the work well, where as the cross over of media (from other art forms) and materials have added to the 'Fine Art' of fiber arts today. I found many entries that I would like to see be a part of the exhibit, however the need to limit is always to be considered. Thank you all for your exquisite work!

Melissa Leventon

It’s always interesting to look at changing themes and techniques in fiber art through juried exhibitions like this one. Many of the submissions showed a profound engagement with our world and its current challenges—climate change, pollution and the desire to address it by using found or recycled materials, toxic politics, sexism, racism and Black Lives Matter, technology as both subject and technique, and, of course, Covid-19. But there were plenty of pieces whose pleasures were more aesthetic than topical and I was intrigued to see a number of works that recalled the robust, abstract hangings of the 1950s and 1960s. I chose pieces that I responded strongly to visually and/or thematically, and whose aesthetics, themes, and techniques enhanced and supported each other in a satisfying or original way. I also strove to vary my selections to ensure that a representative sample of what was submitted was present in the exhibition.

Tom Grotta

I was impressed by the diversity that was evident in the works submitted — in the materials, techniques, conception, and messaging. This diversity underscores fiber art's unique ability to communicate the narratives and experiences that we expect in art making today. I was also taken by how accomplished the artists in the competition were. In making final selections, I responded to works that involved a novel approach. I looked, too, for technical expertise and evidence that the artist understood how the work would exist in space or live in a collector’s environs. The competition offered many works that met these criteria; the exhibition that resulted is an exciting one.

This Sebastopol Center for the Arts exhibition is co-sponsored by the Surface Design Association.