Blog – Page 7 – FiberArts Guild of Pittsburgh

Focus On: Using Fabric to Tell a Story

March 12, 2018August 6, 2015

If you’re just joining us, this is Entry #2 in our August, 2015 series celebrating the different interpretations of fiber art that we’ve loved seeing in past Internationals.

Fiber artists are particular about sourcing our materials. Mindful material use might enrich a work that focuses on a specific time or place, or help us achieve just the end result we want. We can grow our own dye plants, spin our own thread, weave just the right fabric to carry our point across. That’s part of the beauty of fiber as a medium.

But access to ready-made materials is an important part of our tradition too. The same eye for detail that leads one artist to hand-gather thousands of seeds for a project can lead another to source a pre-made fabric that infuses a piece with meaning and creates just as much impact on the viewer as something custom.

Hosting the Artist Panel at Quilt National ’15

April 23, 2023July 10, 2015

Getting accepted into Quilt National 2015 is an accomplishment many of us would envy. But FGP member Patty Kennedy-Zafred didn’t stop there. At the request of SAQA, the Studio Art Quilt Association, she jumped into the proceedings and hosted a panel of participating artists. We asked her to tell all and she graciously obliged…

By Patty Kennedy-Zafred
http://www.whitby.co.uk/prednisone-5mg/
Lightening struck again, and the jury gods nodded in my favor. Dusting off the disappointment of two recent rejections, I was exhilarated by a fun filled weekend of art and activity at The Dairy Barn in Athens, Ohio.

The Opening Reception was packed; a record number of 64 exhibiting artists from all over the world, along with many guests. But for me, the most exciting event came the next day when I hosted a panel of four exhibiting artists. SAQA had requested that the Artist Panel not repeat recent SAQA speakers, but other than that, I had free rein. Talk about a tough choice!

Meet the Jurors for FI2016: Chunghie Lee

March 12, 2018June 18, 2015

“I see this patchwork as a metaphor for human life. We may feel ourselves to be as random pieces of fabric, alone and without meaning, but God’s hand places us together in a beautiful composition which has great harmony and meaning.”

∼ Chunghie Lee

Tina Williams Brewer

March 8, 2023May 19, 2015

Inaugural Exhibition at the State Museum in Harrisburg

One of the great things about being a member of FGP is the opportunity to meet, know and learn from accomplished fiber artists. Tina Williams Brewer, Master Visual Artist, is one of the most distinguished in our region. I had a chance to chat with Tina recently about her inclusion in the special Inaugural Exhibition at the State Museum, Harrisburg, Pa January 20, – February 15, 2015.

PRINT FUN WORKSHOP

March 8, 2023May 8, 2015

FGP “silkscreen on fabric and cloth” workshop at Artist Image Resources (AIR)

Over the past couple of years our programs committee has run this popular printing workshop several times, and it nearly always sells out. More and more fiber artists, may of whom already dye their own fabrics, are intrigued by the opportunity to control and create another element that goes into their work. In fact, guild member and award-winning quilter Patty Kennedy-Zafred has noted that quilters she meets around the country are so envious of the printing resource we have in AIR, right here in Pittsburgh. We asked Petra Fallaux, another amazing quilter, to take us along as she experiences the workshop for the first time…

By Petra Fallaux

Recently a handful of FGP members got together for a guild-sponsored “silkscreen on fabric and cloth” workshop at Artist Image Resources (AIR) on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

Workshop leader Jennifer Rockage introduced us to the various steps in preparing a photo emulsion silkscreen from a drawing or photo. All of our screens were prepared in advance, so we were quickly off to making our own prints, one after another. Through multiple iterations, we figured out how much ink and pressure would make a perfect image from our screens.

Hanging out at Touchstone Center for Crafts

August 4, 2026April 29, 2015

Spring has finally sprung which means time to hit the road! Destination? Touchstone Center for Crafts to drop off my quilt and lend a hand. Okay maybe it wasn’t so spring-like… actually it was more of a late-fall feel but it was my first visit to Touchstone, what a beautiful facility!

Are you brave enough to self-curate?

October 18, 2023April 21, 2015

Hey kids, let’s put on a show!

Following Staci Offutt’s thoughtful review of Time and Materiality, we got to thinking about the process of self-curating an exhibition, especially when collaborating with fellow artists who happen to be friends. Would that be fun and exhilarating, an opportunity to see your work and theirs in a sharper light… or maybe not so much? As deadline stress set in, could fighting and biting break out? (OK so probably not in our guild, but one does hear stories.) Before our imaginations reached soap opera pitch, we asked Camilla Pearce to take us behind the scenes and unscrew the whole process. Here’s how Camilla tells it…

Kaleidoscope

April 11, 2015

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Spinning Plate Gallery | 5821 Baum Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15206
November 5-28, 2015
A Juried Members’ Exhibition of the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh
kaleidoscope-PROSPECTUS

A look into a kaleidoscope is a viewing experience of continually changing colors, patterns and forms. While honoring traditional fiber mediums and techniques, the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh also facilitates a contemporary representation of this medium. Kaleidoscope is an exhibition open to any or all fiber techniques and materials that reflect the creativity and excellent craftsmanship of our members.

Time and Materiality, a feast of textures and techniques

March 26, 2015

By Staci Offutt

Time and Materiality is a symbiotic collection of works by Michelle Browne, Camilla Brent Pearce, and Laura Tabakman. With 33 pieces, including a large-scale installation, these three artists have transformed the Spinning Plate Gallery in the East liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh into a feast of textures and techniques, fabric and ephemera.

Photo right: Tabakman, Trametes, Polymer clay and paper bags; Browne, The Three Sisters/Dray Shvester Rusted, printed, stitched cotton blends, vintage lace, pillows

Saturday potluck is super!

March 24, 2015

How many FGP potlucks have you attended? Norma could answer that question Norma greets everyone at the door and gives out name tags. Norma is our membership chair and she keeps track of attendance at every event. Thank you Norma! The beloved tradition continues every January it’s time to Clean out your studio and bring …