The Charlevoix Circle of Arts is kicking off the New Year with an exhibition representing some of the finest textile artists from across the state of Michigan. Chasing the Running Stitch is based upon the concept of integrating hand stitching and its progression into fine art statements. The running stitch is the fundamental building block in hand sewing on which all other forms of sewing are based.
“If you think of a project you may have worked on as a child with a needle and thread, running up and down in a straight (or crooked) line to join the top layer of fabric with the inner batting and the bottom layer, that is the genesis of this exhibition,” explains Gail DeMeyere, executive director of the Charlevoix Circle of Arts.
“From that humble beginning artists have created stitch patterns, construction techniques, poetic stitches, quilted stitched assemblages, used it in beadwork, two- and three-dimensional installations, all with some message or meaning for the viewer to explore.” An opening reception for Chasing the Running Stitch will take place from 5-7 p.m. Friday, January 19, 2018 at the Charlevoix Circle of Arts, 109 Clinton St. The exhibit will be on display through March 3, 2018.
“This is always a great experience when you unite artists that work in a similar, but very personal vein, to come together and watch them create relationships that were not there before,” DeMeyere said. “That is one of the greatest satisfactions of curating a show, not just the experience itself, but also what happens after the show comes down as it leads to new exploration.”
Sixteen artists were invited to participate and share their work in the show. Exhibiting artists include Jeanne Bieri, a 2017 Kresge Artist Visual Arts Fellow. Kresge Fellowships are administered by the College for Creative Studies in Detroit and are a comprehensive community development effort to strengthen the social and cultural fabric of the city and surrounding region. Being awarded a 2017 Kresge Fellowship means an artist has been selected one of 18 out of a pool of 1,200 candidates.
During the run of the exhibition, the Circle of Arts will host gallery talks and workshops that focus on the art of textiles. Saline artist Valerie Mann who has had work represented at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids as well as in galleries and museums across the United States will give an Inner Circle Gallery Talk at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8. Shanna Robinson, professor of art at North Central Michigan College in Petoskey, will be teaching a class on indigo shibori hand dyeing from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, February 10, 2018.
For more information on classes and other events, contact the Circle of Arts at
website: www.charlevoixcircle.org
Tel: (231) 547-3554
