It is rare to encounter a gigantic stuffed snake in a library, but a new exhibition makes it possible, showcasing the creature alongside other works crafted from scraps and repurposed fiber materials.
The Fiberistas’ exhibition, “Bits and Pieces,” is on display at the Hosmer Gallery at Forbes Library in Northampton through Wednesday, April 29, with a reception on Saturday, April 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. The show features a diverse range of fiber art media, including quilting, felting, sewing, soft sculpture and crochet.
The Fiberistas comprise Sally Dillon, Rebecca Fricke, Barbara Kline, Martha May, Martha Robinson, Flo Rosenstock, Margaret Stancer, Eileen Travis and Nancy Young. This collective of nine women ranges in age from their mid-50s to mid-80s and includes members live and practice fiber art throughout the Valley.
“There are no egos in the group,” Stancer said. “Everybody respects each other; nobody tries to take over. … We all have things that we contribute, so it feels like a very shared experience.”
“It is a super supportive, positive bunch of women, and we do all of this with a lot of grace. Even though each person has a thing, there’s no pushing or shoving. … We all go home to our studios and work separately, and it’s really wonderful to bring that in and have some input in a very positive environment,” Kline said.
The group noted that Forbes Library was an ideal venue, largely due to its accessibility and extended hours compared to other local galleries. This increased visibility allows their work to reach a much broader audience than a traditional gallery setting might provide.
“People could wander in, never even planning to be here, and for our group, because what we do is a little less traditional in shows that you see, it’s an opportunity for people to see something different, too,” Stancer said.
Forbes was also a fitting spot for the show because the group members themselves are avid readers who like to swap books at their monthly get-togethers.
“Books and sewing — sign me up!” Kline laughed.
“Fiber and books, I’m there!” Travis agreed.
The group created “Bits and Pieces” because the members already had plenty of materials in their collections and wouldn’t need to buy anything new to create work. The theme also gave members the opportunity to complete unfinished pieces and to showcase existing work that hadn’t been part of a gallery show before.
The works on display include the aforementioned snake, “Raphaella – Queen of Healing,” by May; “Rippin’ Boogie” and “A Little Touch of Spice,” arrangements that bring to mind Mondrian-esque cityscapes, made by Robinson; “Follow the Dots,” a jacket decorated with colorful circles, made by Rosenstock; a collection of abstract soft sculptures by Young; “Ever Denim,” a quilt made of squares of denim and other fabrics, made by Kline; and “See What Mushrooms Can Do,” which used mushrooms to create stamped tassel-like designs, made by Stancer.
In the middle of the exhibit is “Growing Hyperbolic,” a trellis covered in crocheted hyperbolic planes that look like flowers, created by Eileen Travis, inspired by her love of math and symmetry. She’d originally intended for it to be part of Art in the Orchard, a biennial outdoor sculpture trail at Park Hill Orchard in Easthampton, but she realized during the creation process that it wouldn’t work — nearly 40 pounds of yarn went into making it, meaning the whole thing would topple over in the rain. Instead, it made more sense to save the sculpture for an indoor exhibition like “Bits and Pieces.”
“It’s great to be able to have it in one of our shows,” Stancer told her as the two stood near the piece.
The Fiberistas hope that audiences take away a sense of the variety of artistic possibilities that the fiber arts provide — that there are “so many things inside people’s brains,” Kline said. “We all go home to, we could say, almost similar materials, and we all come back with something else.”
“There are so many permutations of life and creativity,” she added. “It’s just fun to see. The imagination is endless.”
Admission to the Hosmer Gallery, which is on the second floor of Forbes Library, is free. The library is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and closed on Sunday. For more information about the Fiberistas, visit fiberistas.com.
