Category: news

Ten Years On from 1st Exhibition of Rughooking in Strathalbyn

ISSN 2207-001X   12th October, 2018

2008, 11th & 12th October, a Rag Rug exhibition in Strathalbyn, was billed as the “First Rughooking Exhibition in South Australia”  It was Not so!

Shown here, Judith Stephens, President of the Australian Rugmakers Guild and Joyce Emery, a founding member, discussing the rug hooking supplies Joyce can no longer use as arthritis is preventing her from continuing to rug hook and she would like to advertise them on the Guild website. The box Judith is holding is full of Cushing dyes. There’s also some patterns and a Fraser cutter to be sold.

At almost 90 years of age Joyce still makes lace and spins and doesn’t hesitate to drive herself, along with her well dressed passenger, from her home in Elizabeth, South Australia to Strathalbyn an hour and a half drive.

The two also reminisced about the 2008  Exhibition & Inaugural Meeting – Australian Rugmakers Guild.

Back in 2008, early on the morning of Saturday 11th, the day the Strathalbyn Rag Rug Show was to be Opened, Joyce read about it in the Adelaide newspaper and called Judith to ask if she could enter some of her rugs. After the long drive from Elizabeth to Strathalbyn Joyce arrived with a car load of rugs and news that this wasn’t the “first” –  there had been many rug exhibitions in South Australia, in the late 1960’s and 70’s.  Joyce proceeded to give Judith her knowledge of the history of rughooking in South Australia

Joyce:  “American style rug hooking started in Elizabeth in the late 60’s when  a lady from Canada came to live here. She was Pam Whitehead, she had been making rugs in Canada for some time and had done a course at the Rowan studio. 

I was teaching in the Elizabeth Girls Technical High School at the time and found out that Pam was holding evening classes there. The original members of that class stayed together as friends and met at Pam’s house on the first Sunday of the month for over 30 years. During those years all of us passed on our craft to others. Pam had classes in the evenings in Elizabeth, Salisbury, the Barossa and the Hills.

I taught groups in Eudunda, Gawler, Salisbury, Spinners & Weavers Guild, Stansbury and demonstrated all over the State during the 150th celebrations.

I have made over 50 rugs and wall hangings both floral and geometric. I have also made 2 large pictures depicting special activities in the sky. Haley’s Comet and Jupiter.  I have only ever sold one rug when I was helping to set up an exhibition at the institute in Lyndoch. Every Easter our group put a collection of our rugs, made in the previous year, in the hall for the Vintage Festival.

From the original group new groups formed as we moved within the State. A large group was created in Mt. Gambia by Rene Moss.  Faye had a group in the Grenville Centre in Elizabeth and I had a group in Salisbury, each one meeting every week.  Now all these have closed as people have got older and our craft involves patience and time and there are no people interested any more in working to make rugs. I have been showing how to make cushion covers out of wool, spun wool is not  is not good as rugs as it will wear.

Of course when we started, the classes were done through adult ed. and the Education Dept so we never had to worry about getting people to learn, we always had good numbers and people in the country could get a teacher to go to them  to run a class.”

“The Rowan Studio, in Canada (mentioned by Joyce) was run by Margaret and Ted Rowan. It became Rittermere and then Rittermere-Hurst and is now the rug hooking supply store of Rittermere-Hurst-Field.”   This information was taken, with permission, from the website of Deb Merriam(Canada) http://sustainableslow.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/traditional-rug-hooking-resources-rug.html    

Pam Whitehead’s son Peter came across his mother’s name on the Guild’s website and gave this update:
Pam moved to Australia in early 1950’s married his father in Goondiwindi, Queensland in 1953 and went to Canada in 1955 arriving back in Australia in 1969 and lived in South Australia until her death in 2006.
Peter said “my mother was involved in many crafts but Rug Hooking was her passion. She would have been so happy to see it continue to flourish in Australia.”

More about Australian rughooking is documented on the Australian Guild’s website.

In 2008 we worried about having enough rugs to fill the exhibition space. At that time, you could count the number of Australian rug hooking instructors on one hand; Judith Stephens, South Australia; Miriam Miller, New South Wales; Judy Brook, Queensland and me, Jo Franco, Western Australia.  There may have been more rughookers around the country but therein lay the problem, not only were  rughookers separated by vast distances, they were mostly in small country towns so there was no way to “connect” and the general population was not aware that this craft was being practiced.

The Internet and Social Media has changed all that!

In 2008 Miram, nominated as the Guild’s first President, had just published “Proggy & Hooky Rugs” also a first, the first (and only) Australian rug making book.  Miriam had been giving rugmaking lesson to friends and neighbours for some time and in 1994 her friend Jacqui Thomson encouraged and helped her to form The Narrawilly Proggy Ruggers. They meet at Miriam’s Rug Room in Milton and the groups been growing in number ever since.

Miriam Miller, rughooking instructor, NSW Australia_photo, Gillian Lett Milton Ulladulla Times

 

We shouldn’t have worried about having enough rugs to show – there were over 100 hooked and prodded pieces to be displayed that weekend and we three were tired when this picture was taken late Sunday.

Following the inaugural Guild meeting in 2008 the next “General Meeting” took place in 2010 in Milton at the same time Gene Shepherd was giving workshops in Miriam’s Rug Room.

In 2012 the TIGHR Triennial Conference was held in Strathalbyn – Judith & Jo having submitted a nomination for Australia to be the Host Country, even before the Guild was formed.  Some of the international instructors attending the Conference stayed on to give a weekend  of workshops.

This was followed in 2014 by another weekend retreat and General Meeting in Strathalbyn and the

Coast to Coast Exhibition and General Meeting in Canberra, ATC in 2016.

The next General Meeting of the Guild will take place in South Australia in 2019.  Hopefully it will coincide with the weekend of the Strathalbyn Show which now has categories for rug hooking.  Here are some of this year’s entries

In the meantime if you’re in South Australia you might like to arrange a visit with the StrathMatters in their novel meeting place.

 

With so many of the Australian rug makers travelling overseas to rug hooking events this year there will be much to share at the next meeting.

As soon as  dates have been set Guild Members will be notified by email so holidays can be planned for next year.

 

 

 

 

 

Its a Small World – for Rug Hookers

ISSN 2007-001X 3rd September 2018

Sharon from Ohio with Jo from Australia at “Re-imagined” booth, Rug Hooking Week, Sauder Village

Rug Hooking Week in Sauder Village, Archbold, Ohio, was the place to meet rug hooking friends old and new from across USA and Canada and a chance to put faces to contacts made on Social Media.
Speaking with Sharon Felton from Ohio, our first visitor to the “Re-imagined” Exhibit booth, I discovered we had a mutual friend …… Miriam Miller, Pres. Emeritus of the Australian Rugmakers Guild. When Sharon visited with her daughter who was living in Australia, she took a workshop from Miriam. On her return to the US they kept in touch and Miriam and Jacqui visited with Sharon on their way to a TIGHR Conference. Pictures of Sharon’s finished rugs have shown in Miriam’s newsletter – no wonder her name sounded familiar. Sharon is currently working on a design which she described as ……..

Sharon Felton’s current project a Sharon Smith pattern

“started out as one of Sharon Smith’s patterns…then she went to the market ….. my little country bunny in progress I am having so much fun with all the dimension, she just keeps on growing …. lol”

Coincidently, Sharon Smith, of Off the Hook Wool Rugs with helper, Nada Ferris, had the  booth next to our “Re-imagined” space. Hanging on the wall of Sharon Smith’s rug booth was a colourful image of a flower which I’d shared on the Guild’s Facebook page – it was good to meet these online contacts. Also, to know there’s a rug hooking group in the Bay Area East of San Francisco.

Sharon Felton, Ohio and Sharon A Smith Walnut Creek, California

As we talked, Sharon Felton was joined by her friend Joyce Krueger from Wisconsin’s Cream City Rug Hooking Guild who I met at my first McGown Teachers Workshop in Eugene, Oregon. Joyce’s rug “King” is in Celebrations 28`It was an interesting start to the day!

“King” designed and hooked by Joyce Krueger, Wisconsin

Barbara Lukas who visited Australia for the TIGHR 2012 Conference had a booth at Rug Hooking Week, her business, Art in Textile  focusses on translating Canadian art into textile forms, which lend themselves to passing on the beauty created by one generation to the next.

Barbara Lukas,

These forms include traditional rug hooking, punch needle hooking, embroidery, wool appliqué, quilting and felting. Maud Lewis is one artist and there will be more artists in the future.

Maud Lewis Christmas card and hooked version by Barbara Lukas, photo by Janine Broscious

Barbara owns several original Christmas Cards painted by Maud Lewis, a well-known Canadian folk artist from Nova Scotia. Copyright is owned by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and Barbara has been given license to produce and sell patterns of the Christmas card images.

About the Exhibit, Barbara said ………..

“Kathy Wright was the curator of the exhibit at Sauder. She put out a call on Facebook for finished rugs which could be featured in the exhibit. There were many rugs in the show besides mine and Doug Rankin’s. Kathy also led a session to describe Maud’s life to a pre-registered group, and invited Doug Rankin and me to be vendors. Art In Textile has different patterns than Highland Heart Hookery. Doug has quite a few and I have twelve. My license also extends to other textile forms, as spelled out above.”

Maud Lewis Exhibition, Rug Hooking Week, Sauder Village, Ohio. Curator Kathy Wright, photo by Janine Broscious
Maud Lewis Exhibition. Curator Kathy Wright, Photographer Janine Broscious

 

Maud Lewis Exhibition, Curator Kathy Wright, Photograph Janine Broscious

 

 

 

Anne Neely Boissinot – another long-time TIGHR friend and one of the Judges for Celebrations 28, stopped by with Janine Broscious, whose

“Dragonfly Dream” designed and Hooked by Janine Broscious

Dragonfly rug was featured on the          “Re-imagined” Facebook page as a good example of embellished rug hooking.

On Facebook, we’re currently following Janine’s new rug design taken from a photo of her and husband Matt on a rocky shore in front of a lighthouse. The faces in the design with only a small amount of detail portray strong emotions. The sky shows realistic movement. It is interesting to follow her progress online and to see the growth of this hooked piece as she tackles the water, shoes and rocks. Janine and husband Matt were at this event in their motor home – here’s a picture of one of their rug hooking neighbours.

Jan a travelling rug hooker at Rug Hooking Week, in campground at Sauder Village. Photograph by Janine Broscious

TIGHR members mentioned here are known to many members of the Australian Guild, but Aussie members are not as familiar with members of the Pearl K McGown Guild, even so, I will continue to “drop names”.   What a surprize to see Charlotte Price walking towards me. In 2002 Charlotte was my sponsor to the McGown Teachers workshop in Eugene, Oregon. Over the five years I attended the annual workshops to complete my accreditation I met many rug hooking instructors from the USA and Canada.

Liz Marino of South Egremont, Massachusetts is the McGown webmaster, we had only connected online so I was pleased to meet face to face. Liz designed and hooked her 2018 Celebration’s piece (14.5 x 18inches) adapted from a painting by Giovanni Battista Salvia da Sassoferrato. 

Liz Marino with her hooked adaption of “The Blessed Virgin”

 

 

 

 

 

Green Mountain Rugs – I sat in on a presentation by 3 members (2 generations) of women representing 5 generations of a rug hooking family. Mariah Krauss the youngest, her mother Stephanie Allen-Krauss and her aunt, Pam Kirk.
There’s more information on the family (time line) here
and  some additional info about each of them,

Gallery Talk – Rug Hooking Week, Sauder Village. Stephanie Allen-Krauss and Mariah Krauss talking about Green Mountain Hooked Rugs as a family business.

 At the presentation, they spoke of the family history – Mariah’s great-great-grandmother who at the tender age of 19 started a rug hooking business in an era when women were not involved in business.
What making rugs meant to each of them personally as well as building a working relationship with each other within a family business

Pam Kirk, Stephanie Allen-Krauss and Mariah Krauss with hooked piece by Mariah of her Grandmother Anne Ashworth representing three of the five generations.

and “that damn rug”,  a 5ft x 23ft rug which Mariah’s grandmother, the matriarch of Green Mountain Hooked Rugs, was commissioned to hook. When design delays by the purchaser left only 6 months to complete, newspaper advertisements were placed to find additional rughookers so it could be finished within the time allowed.

“That damn rug” 5ft x 23ft designed & hooked by Anne Ashworth

This rug has been in place on Green Mountain’s studio floor for 10 years. Follow this link to read how that “Damn rug” came home.

We were introduced to Sibyl Osicka at the TIGHR Conference in Kentucky, USA in 2009. Sibyl has been a long-time officer of ATHA and has had many of her rugs published in Rug Hooking Magazine’s Celebrations.

“King and Queen” 42×42 inches

Nadine Cloutier is another Facebook contact. Nadine’s rug (below) was featured in progress on the Aussie Rugmakers Guild Facebook as an interesting technique to be used. Nadine says “This rug is a study about creating a new design layer on top of a previously designed pattern.”

Nadine Cloutier, Brighton, Michigan. “Pretty Maids in a Row” – designer Tish Murphy Fruit & Floral

 

“Re-imagined” a Challenge with a Difference becomes

“Re-imagined” a virtual Exhibition

Have you wondered why and how we created the virtual Exhibition? To answer the many questions during the Challenge we decided to make a video explanation – here it is

“Textile Tessera“ – created as an example of embellished rug work by Jo Franco, Judi Tompkins and Peta Korb, exhibited at the “Re-imagined” booth – has now dispersed ;

No. 1 “Kimberly Colour” by Jo Franco – to Florida with Pam Kirk
No. 2 “Bungle Bungles”  by Jo Franco – to Queensland
No. 3 “Lorikeet flock meets Road train – Flattened Fauna” by Judi Tompkins to Nova Scotia, with Meryl Cook

Meryl Cook, Nova Scotia, Canada & friend with Textile Tessera No.3
June Reynolds, Ohio with Jo Franco, Western Australia, with Textile Tessera No.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No. 4 “Tropicana” by Jo Franco – staying in Ohio, with June Reynolds
No. 5 “Fibre Oasis” by Judi Tompkins – going home with Jo to West Australia
No. 6 “Interactive Wearable Art” – by Judi Tompkins – went to Cami Smith in Seattle, Washington State
No. 7 “State of Mind:The Unbearable Lightness of Being” – by Judi Tompkins is also in Washington state; south of Seattle in Auburn with Judy Taylor
No. 8 “Citadel: The Political Divide” by Judi Tompkins – went home to West Virginia with Susan Feller
No. 9 “Assemblage: Recollections of Another Time” by Judi Tompkins – has gone to Walunt Creek, California, with Sharon Smith
No. 10 “Big timber to the sea” by Jo Franco – to Vermont with Kris McDermet
No. 11 “Apple Isle” by Jo Franco is now in Pennsylvania with Tracy
No. 12 “Coral – Beyond a pinkish shade of Orange” by Jo Franco went to Florida, with Pam Kirk.

Rug Hooking Magazine’s “Celebration 28” Exhibition

While there were many amazing rugs on exhibit – here are some of my favourites

“Glacier National Park” Original design by Ken Hamlin, Adrian, Michigan.

Across from our booth “Glacier National Park” an original design hooked by Ken Hamlin of Adrian Michigan –  was of special interest to me as my husband was born in this mountainous area of the United States.

On the same wall was “Café-Shadows” another original design – this one by Martha Rosenfeld, Kalamazoo, Michigan. My apologies to the artists if my photography doesn’t do their work justice.

“Cafe Shadows” an original design hooked by Martha Rosenfeld, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Trish Johnson’s “Honest Eds” street scene. I just loved this hooked tapestry especially the reflections in the store windows of the cars out on the road.
 “Aaron” by Russell Nichols

Celebrations 28; “Aaron” designed hooked by Russell L Nichols. Image shared from Rug Hooking Magazine Facebook post

The use of light to bring out detail in this grayscale portrait was addressed by Susan Feller in the Gallery Talk  – so it was interesting to see this artist’s use of bright colour in his animal pieces

Rus Nichols, Arizona

 

YES!!  an Australian entry in Celebrations 28 

“Temple Fish“. by Gail Nichols (Braidwood, New South Wales)
Unfortunately Gail’s rug was not on display, however Gail is a finalist and there is still time to place a “Readers Choice” vote – click the link below and follow the prompts https://www.rughookingmagazine.com/voting/Readers-Choice

Val Flannigan,  a McGown Guild member, pictured here with Janine Broscious who took many of the rug images shown in this blog.  Two of Val’s rugs were on exhibit,  “Elephant” and another of my favourites “Fiddler” – standing in front of the actual work, the fiddler was almost dancing off the wall.

“Elephant” hooked by Val Flannigan with Janine Broscious

Here are some more of my favourite rugs shown on the Celebrations 28 Readers Choice page :

“America” – 30x41in – designed and hooked by Nancy Thun, Hoboken, New Jersey
“Liberty” 18x28in – designed and hooked by Sharon Smith, Walnut Creek, California.
“Back Lit Jack Pine” 47 x 30 in – designed and hooked by Donna Brunner, Westerose, Alberta, Canada
“Scotty McGruff” 16 x 16in designed and hooked by Laura W Pierce, Petaluma, California
“At Jesus’ Feet” 26 x 38 in – Designed and hooked by Eric Sandberg, Onancock, Virginia.

 

During the day at Rug Hooking Week, contact with my “Re-imagined” Co-Convener was via Facebook messenger. Susan Feller and I spent the evenings updating our Facebook pages. We were surprised late one night when the screen on my laptop lit up and who should appear, calling me on Skype … Judi Tompkins she was a passenger in their car in Queensland, Australia, 14 hours into our tomorrow … cyberspace at its best!   Judi’s comment; “Um …. I think Jo and Susan can hear me talking in their sleep”

Online Connection – Australia & Sauder Village – Rug Hooking Week 2018

Wrap Up – at the end of a wonderful week –
 from Susan Feller:
“This is how neatly the show pieces are prepared for owners to pick up and check out at end of Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village. There is no way names can be put on a list of thank yous, someone would be left off. Suffice to say the ENTIRE staff of Sauder Village knows how to make their guests feel part of a welcome community. A big thank you to Kathy Wright who loves spreadsheets and I believe has one programmed in her brain she is that organized, with a smile for all !
She gives herself one day off then begins the plans for 2019 August 12-17 (put it on your calendar).”

I second Susan’s comments and look forward to returning  to Rug Hooking Week ..…. one day. This “LONG” report, much of which has already been posted on Facebook, is shared here for those of you who don’t “do” Facebook.   Visiting with rug hooking friends continues as I wend my way home to Perth.

Hope you enjoy reading about the event as much as I enjoyed being there  –    

and …   here is what prompted this trip –

The virtual “Re-imagined” Exhibition is what took me to Sauder Village this year – to see the online Gallery – Click this link to enter https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/121832/re-imagined

 

 

The Long Wait is Over

ISSN 2007-001X  26th August 2018

Rug Hooking Week 2018 at Sauder Village has come and gone.

After 2 long non-stop flights; Perth/Doha, Qatar, connecting to Miami, the easily recognizable suitcase and I arrived safely in the USA and spent the weekend with relatives in sunny and warm Florida.

 

Early morning, Monday 13th August, brought another non-stop flight, short this time, to Detroit where Susan Feller met me.

We collected those recognizable bags and after a 2hr drive through green corn and soy bean fields and neat-as-a-pin farm houses, we arrived at Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio.

Welcome to Sauder Village – the sign was hard to miss and there was an Aussie Flag flying alongside the Stars & Stripes and Canadian Maple leaf.

At Sauder Village they think of all the little things – the Village is extremely well run, and the staff are helpful and friendly – a great destination if you ever find yourself in that part of the USA.

 

 

 

 

 

The hanging of the Exhibits was well underway when we arrived Monday afternoon and work went on late into the evening and through the next day – all complete by 5.0pm Tuesday – Kathy Wright is an amazing organizer.
Tuesday morning as we walked to the first of many meet & greet opportunities at Sauder Village, Susan and I met up with Meryl Cook. Shadows on the pavement in Ohio from Canada, Australia and West Virginia.

It was a busy day setting up for “Re-imagined”; unpacking and installing the Textile Tessera exhibit, demonstration materials for the information table, my laptop to be connected to the large screen TV and WiFi connection to be made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That evening a reception was held, and Workshop Instructors, Authors and Special Exhibitors were introduced, your Editor took the prize for the one who’d travelled the furthest to attend. The reception was followed by a Private Preview in the Founders Hall, for Vendors, Retreat Students & Instructors and  Exhibitors. Featured Exhibits included special Celebrations 28 & Celebration Hall of Fame rugs and the first public viewing of the virtual “Re-imagined” Gallery.

Click this link to enter the virtual “Re-imagined” Gallery
https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/121832/re-imagined

The Rug Hooking Week Exhibition was amazing, hundreds of rugs so well curated. The rugs and Featured Exhibits were displayed by category on panels and easels in the centre of the Founders Hall Gallery. This  image of the Gallery and many other images of rugs in this Blog taken by Janine Broscious, USA – thank you Janine for sharing.

What an amazing display  – I’m afraid I’ll keep using that word as it truly was a spectacular event.   Vendors booths lined the walls of the Gallery and spacious entry foyer. Tools; frames and hooks, fabrics; hand dyed wools, bolts of Dorr wool fabric, hand spun wool yarn, sari silk and novelty fabrics.  Patterns, kits, and rug hooked bags, jewellery and home decor items …….. for a rug hooker it was like being a kid in a candy store. On Wednesday morning people were lined up across the parking lot waiting for the doors to open and then the serious shopping started.

Patience personified


Debra Smith, Editor – Rug Hooking Magazine was at the RHM booth to talk about Celebrations 28 and other RHM publications and Authors were on hand, ready to discuss and autograph their new editions also available for sale.

 

Celebrations 28 cover rug “Ala Moana Memorial Lanterns” designed & hooked by Barbara Prentice. 36inx30in No3-No8 cut hand-dyed wool, silk, novelty materials on linen. Image from RHM Facebook post

Meryl Cook author of “One Loop at a Time”, Meryl’s first book describes a devastating diagnosis, her journey to recovery, in the process discovering a new lease on life through art and rug hooking – was there with both of her books.

Meryl’s second book, “One Loop at a Time, The Creativity Workbook (November 2017)“, shares tools for beginning the process of reinvention through journaling and sketching. Learn more about Meryl, an author, speaker, contemporary rug hooking artist, teacher, and former homeopath here http://www.merylcook.ca/

Meryl’s rug that graces the cover of her second book

Retreats & Workshops took place in spacious well-lit rooms of the beautifully appointed Heritage Inn adjacent to the Founders Hall Gallery. Many of the workshops incorporating Gallery Tours. Below, a Monochromatic Class with Donna Hrkman –  another of the many photographs taken and shared by Janine Broscious.

Monochromatic Class with Donna Hrkman

Celebrations 2018 and Celebration Hall of Fame Honorees Deb Smith Editor of Rug Hooking Magazine presented the awards. Here are just some of Rug Hooking Magazines images.

Celebration Hall of Fame honorees at Rug Hooking Week. From left to right: Cindy Irwin, Fritz Mitnick, Liz Marino, Lyle Drier, Trish Johnson, Donna Hrkman, April DeConick, Marion Sachs, and Peggy Hannum

Check out the profiles of Hall of Famers here: https://www.rughookingmagazine.com/Celebration-Hall-of-Fame-Profiles

Gallery Talks – Susan Feller lead groups through the Celebrations 28 collection discussing the three components for a good piece: composition, materials and technique. Several makers of the works were in the audience of the talk I attended, and they shared their inspiration and talked about tools used.

Celebrations 28 – designed and hooked by Russell L Nichols.    Image RHM Facebook post
Celebration Hall of Fame rug: Marellotti Family Picnic Circa1928 design adapted by Leonard Feenan from family photo hooked by Liz Marino. Image from RHM Facebook post
People’s Choice Award Best Original Rug. “Best Friends” by Donna Hrkman. Image from RHM Facebook post
Kris McDermet – combination of braiding and hooking. Image from RHM Facebook post

A special braiding exhibition was curated by Kris McDermet and Christine Manges, seen here discussing the contemporary work and the history of braided picture rugs on loan from the museum.

Kris McDermet_ & Christine Manges co-curators of featured Braiding exhibit.

Below, Delsie Hoyt describing her pictorial landscape BRAIDED rug, with the museum braided pictures of Jessie Kinsley in background alongside contemporary rugs.


 

Rug Money by Mary Anne Wise – With Susan Feller’s permission; comments on this book from her Facebook page ; “The gallery talks were powerful, informative and educational. Mary Anne Wise presented the story she is involved in empowering Mayan women in Guatemala through rughooking. The book, just released, titled RUG MONEY (play on the more common terminology drug money), tells how pulling loops has lead to self-esteem, value in family and community, and economic growth. published by Thrums Books and available at independent booksellers or online.”

Above a Special Exhibit of Mayan Rugs.  A Gallery Talk “The Power of Mayan Women” was followed by a “Trunk Show” at the Heritage Inn where Mayan rugs and smaller hooked items were available for sale.

I would liked to have taken this rug shown at the Trunk Show home – had there been room in my suitcase.

Google Earth Exhibit – At breakfast I was introduced to Linda Pietz by Susan Feller who had taken Linda’s Google map rug designs workshop. Following the workshop Linda put out a call to her students to submit their finished rugs to an Exhibition planned to be shown at Rug Hooking Week.

It was interesting to hear Linda talk of how she used Google maps to design her rugs. With some Challenge participants present at the talk there was an active question/answer session. Susan’s framed Google Earth fiber art piece “Mountaintop-Removal-Jewelry” shown on the right of the panel, was inspired by a site near Pax, WV viewed from space.

Political rugs curated by Liz Marino –  Below, one of three panels of Political Rugs and clothing

Inspiring messages by all. Top, Deirdre Pinnock, below left Caryn Eeg Linn, flag below Karen Ostrom, right Kris McDermet, bottom left Laura Ponkos and on bottom right Dana Lee Psoinas` and standing – Susan Feller’s shirt and jeans.

From the Editor: There’s so much more to say about the many events which took place last week and were shared on Facebook.       Please join me for the final instalment.   Wish you all could have been there.

Happy Hooking     

 

Jo Franco delivers the goods!

Jo Franco will deliver both the  “Textile Tessera” and launch the    Exhibition of “Re-imagined” a mixed  media fibre art challenge next week   at Sauder Village (Ohio, USA).

Jo’s background with all things fibre and her specialized McGown accreditation makes her uniquely qualified to speak to our North American colleagues about how Australian fiber artists have pushed the traditional craft of rug hooking into the realm of textiles and mixed media art.

Generally speaking, rug making is not held in high esteem by other textile artists so, both the “Textile Tessera” (as an interactive fibre installation ) and “Re-imagined”  (the first-ever virtual, on-line juried exhibition for mixed media fibre art) were designed to show that the craft of rug making can be effective in social, environmental and artistic pursuits.

Following years of travel and study of all things fibre, Jo has focused her creative energies so as to sweep interested people into the Guild, write and produce blog articles, and facilitate community groups on her travels by offering a range of rug-making workshops and demonstrations.

 

Jo has created networks and linkages among and between the City of Wannaroo, Rugmaking and community groups across Australia and overseas, and  through work with a range of collaborative projects.  These links are strengthened by generously sharing her knowledge of this traditional craft through demonstrations and public talks – anywhere – anytime.

Jo’s commitment to sharing her knowledge and skills is perhaps best illustrated through her installation piece “Handing it on” from the Walking with Totems exhibition.

(The 1920s rug of recycled muted coloured clothing is connected to a contemporary rug made with recycled contemporary fabrics like bright sari-silk off-cuts and novelty yarns. The group of arms and hands represent the women from the community and also made from recycled fabric – old and new – and each holds new and old hooking tools.)

This is just a small sample of what Jo has to offer to fibre and textile art and we are proud that she will be representing the creative talents of Australia’s rug hookers and fiber/textile artists.

Once again, Jo “delivers the goods’ on behalf                             of this traditional craft!

Update: 12 August 2018

Sauder Village is also very excited about the launch of the “Re-imagined” exhibition and is promoting it as their …”very 1st “VIRTUAL” Exhibit… ‘Re-imagined a Challenge with a Difference’ — debuts at Rug Hooking Week where the work of talented artists from the Southern Hemisphere – Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific will be shown.”

“Jo Franco will be giving us hands-on-demonstrations of various techniques & answering questions about rug hooking in Australian & the ‘Re-imagined Challenge.” You can find Jo in the exhibit hall by this Virtual Exhibit.”

“Welcome to all of the Southern Hemisphere artists who will be joining us via the world-wide-web during RHW!”

This is terrific support from our North American colleagues and we hope they enjoy the presentation of our fiber/textile, mixed-media art!

 

Searching for an old post?

Did you know you could search the ARG site to find a blog posted from    2012 (when this Guild site started)?  You may be surprised by the number of interesting and informative blogs posted  about the Guild activities over the last 6 years.

 

 

Do you remember when we hosted The                      International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers (TIGHR) and     Rug Expo in Strathalbyn, SA?

 

Or the first time we saw these wonderful standing wool rugs (quillies)?

If you’d like to take a walk “back in time” you will find at the bottom of each page (scroll to the bottom) a drop down box for “Blog Posts by Month/Year”. You can scroll through and click on the date you want to see.

Using the Blog Post archives makes it quick and easy skip through the years and find what you missed or something you’d like to re-read or share!

Enjoy.

IT’S IN THE BAG

ISSN 2007-001X August 2018

Textile Tessera, a collaborative hooked installation by Judi Tompkins, Peta Korb and myself, is packed in the suitcase ready to take and show at the Opening, at Sauder Village, Ohio, USA, of  “Re-imagined” a Challenge with a Difference .

In this  video produced by Kira Mead, Judi talks about how the challenge came to be.

This time next week I will be in Ohio setting up the installation and displays. As the online Exhibition will be viewed on a big screen, this collaborative installation was created so visitors could actually handle pieces made with different rug making techniques, fabrics and embellishments.

The “Re-imagined” exhibit, will include hands-on-demonstrations of various techniques. Images of works by Guild members and information about the Guild and its members will be on display.

Above is just one of 12 pages of different rugmaking techniques – click here to see them all.

The online “Re-imagined” Exhibition convened by Judi and me resulted from our Challenge to all textile artist in the Southern Hemisphere in order to promote the use of various rug making techniques in other disciplines and to encourage those already pulling and pushing fabrics through an open weave to create a hooked surface, to use embellishments and work outside their comfort zone.

While some of the Australian Rugmakers Guild members follow the North American traditions of rugmaking and use wool fabric strips or wool yarn – there is an increasing interest in the use of recycled fabric. The recycling aspect of the craft resonates with those who are following the “War on Waste” and who have become interested in the return to traditional “slow” crafts.
Generally speaking, rug making is not held in high esteem by other textile artists. Our aim was to show the craft of rug making can be effective in social, environmental and artistic pursuits.

We hope you enjoy this video of our collaborative entry and we look forward to showing you through our Gallery Exhibition.

Jo Franco and Judi Tompkins

June and July, a time for travelling

ISSN 2007-001X     August 2018

At the end of June, Miriam Miller from Milton and a group from the Narrawilly Proggy Rugmakers travelled to the Sydney Craft Fair at Darling Harbour and along with Martha Birch and Helen Orr of Sydney, talked rug hooking with fair goers at the Australian Rugmakers Guild stand organized by Martha.

In July, Miriam and Jacqui Thomson, drove even further north to visit family, friends and rug hookers. Their long road trip also being a trial run – “what to pack considering differing weather conditions” – in preparation for their overseas travels later in the year when they’ll attend the The International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers (TIGHR) Conference in the UK in October and a knitting tour in Iceland in November.  The temperatures on this trip ranged from 27C at Atherton to -7C  in the mornings at Dubbo and Cowra.

They covered 6,600.03 kilometres (yes, they clocked it down the last fraction of a kilometre).  Their route taking them from Milton on the south coast of New South Wales, over the mountains and up the inland route through the outback of New South Wales and Queensland to Atherton on the Atherton Tablelands near Cairns in the far north of Australia. Their travel journal is detailed in Miriam’s newsletter “Connecting Us” July/August issue, archived on the Guild website.


This map shows (roughly) the stops they made along the way; Blayney, Mudgee, Lightning Ridge, Surat, Emerald, Charters Towers, Atherton, Bowen, Gladstone Coolum Beach, Landsborough, Brisbane, Murwillumbah, Byron Bay, Texas, (yes there is a Texas in Australia) Warialda, Dubbo and Cowra.
After leaving Lightning Ridge – famous for mining of black opals, they drove 75ks East to Surat and stayed at the Myall Park Botanical gardens at Glenmorgan, for two nights, and … “enjoyed the walks, short and long, examining the Australian flora all named and described. This whole area is maintained by volunteers. On the property gifted by Dorothy Gordon are the three grevilleas the Gordon’s bred, named after their three daughters –  ”Robyn Gordon” is the best known (The Grevillia walk would be spectacular in the spring).”

On the return trip they drove the coastal route and in Coolum Beach, met up with Annette White a former Narrawilly Proggy Rugmaker now a member of the Sunshine Coast RugCrafters

and visited the groups leader, Judi Tompkins in her new home in Landsborough.

and three more members of the Sunshine Coast RugCrafters.

The next stop was Murwillumbah, where they visited the Art Gallery and the Margaret Olley Exhibition. This was followed by two nights in Byron Bay visiting a former member of the Narrawilly Proggy Rugmakers who, when she lived in Milton, was famous for keeping the fabric shelves tidy in Miriam’s Rug Room.  Her rug below would remind anyone who has been in Miriam’s studio of the colourful of wall fabric.

Then it was off to Texas on the QLD-NSW border to visit the Rabbit Museum, which the travellers said is most interesting and worth a visit. Those new to Australia might not know of the rabbit problem – The battle of the Bunny – and the steps taken to overcome the scourge, i.e. the introduction of the disease Myxomatosis and the rabbit-proof fences – like the one that separated Western Australia from the rest of the country. As a child I remember driving from Perth to the East Coast with my parents, and being the one designated to get out and open and shut the gate.

Their final stop was Cowra where their accommodations really made an impression on them  – “a fully self-contained cottage in a vineyard surrounded on three sides by grape vines with a creek in front. There was wine, biscuits, cheese and chocolates on arrival – 7 kinds of fruit and food for a very substantial breakfast! Lovely heating, interesting books galore, DVD’s, comfortable furniture and beds, all washing facilities, washing machine & dryer. Big picture windows looking out over the vineyard.”

So impressed were the travellers they provided details: Tinnies, Back Creek Vineyard, Chiverton Road, Cowra. Hosts Bob & Meg Clark. http://www.tinniesatbackcreekvineyard.com.au/

This trip was no mean feat, it was a serious driving holiday, with many sections involving 4.5 – 5.5 hours on outback roads and extremely winding roads through the Great Dividing Range.

Good going Miriam and Jacqui!

In a few days it’ll be my turn to travel – flying not driving, to Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village, Ohio, USA  for the Opening of our “Re-imagined” Exhibition, which I hope to share with you on this page on 17th August.

Until then  – Happy Hooking –   Jo Franco,  Editor

 

You’re Invited

ISSN 2007-001X  May 2018

Red Leaves – 2018, 108x83cm new & recycled fabric hooked on hessian backing. Courtesy the Artist and Narek Galleries, Bermagui.

 

Consider yourself invited to the

Opening of Gail Nichol’s

exhibition of ceramics and textiles

at the Drill Hall Gallery ANU, Canberra.

The Official launch of

“In Transit” is Friday 8th June 2018 the Exhibition runs until 29th July, 2018.

This has been an exciting year for Gail, her tapestry “Temple Fish” will feature as a finalist in Rug Hooking Magazine’s “Celebrations 2018”.

Temple Fish, 2017, new & recycled fabric hooked on hessian backing 164 x 115cm artist Gail Nichols, NSW, Australia

Here is another interesting tapestry, notice the irregular shape and the  fringe. This tapestry was inspired by a study of banana leaves and landscape, during a visit by Gail to Bali in 2016.

Designed and hooked by Gail Nichols, NSW, Australia. Daun Pisang (A Balinese Landscape) 2017. 112 x 165 cm new and recycled fabric & wool on polyester backing.

“Three Friends”,  is a new approach to drawing and textiles for Gail who is currently working in mixed media with machine stitch drawing.

Three Friends, Mixed Media, Artist – Gail Nichols, NSW, Australia

You can see more of Gail’s creations on Gail Nichols Textiles

Challenges of Collaboration

ISSN 2007-001X   April 2018

“TEXTILE TESSERA” is an installation by Judi Tompkins (Queensland) and Jo Franco (Western Australia),

Conveners of

“Re-imagined” a Challenge with a Difference –

a virtual mixed media Exhibition.

As participants in the “Re-imagined” Challenge finish entries, take photographs and write Artist Statements, the conveners have just started their textile installation to be displayed at the Opening of “Re-imagined” at Rug Hooking Week at Sauder Village, Ohio, USA.

The original abstract design, a representation of the puzzle of a fibre diaspora was Judi’s.  Jo being more literal, immediately saw it as a map of Australia, suggesting it seemed appropriate with the Exhibition featuring work from the Southern Hemisphere.

Thus, Judi’s tongue in check reference to this particular piece of the installation as :-

  “My multi-coloured piece with the glass sparkly bits and bits of metal are indeed representational of Australian outback (drawing on my taxidermy-ness)…

as if a road train has driven at speed through a flock of Lorikeets and scattered the feathers and shattered windscreen across the landscape!! Oh….maybe that is too vivid?

Was thinking of calling this piece…Flattened Fauna…. Maybe that’s too strong?

Judi goes on to describes the process so far;

At first glance, Jo and my decision to collaborate on a piece for “Re-imagined”: a Challenge with a Difference seemed pretty straightforward.  After all, we have a pretty good understanding and respect for each other’s opinions and approach to rughooking and fibre/textile art; we communicate well and offer support and criticism in a constructive way; agreed on our common goal; are willing to compromise; are reliable and reasonable time-mangers; and Jo is pretty tolerant!

So, could we have overlooked anything in our simple plan to share the work on a common project and bring it smoothly together at the end?

You bet! (Keeping in mind that your experience will differ from ours.)

Life   Like all of you, we both have incredibly busy lives on a “good” day with the usual appointments, chores, family “stuff”, frustrations and things that require attention and get in the way. I however managed to add selling a house, moving and building a house and studio into the middle of this; and the building process became quite awful just about the time I was due to work on our mutual project and served to redefine and clarify the concept of “challenge” for me!

Logistics Naturally if you build a new house and don’t have family to live with (sponge off?) then you need find someplace to rent and keep your “stuff” – most of which you are convinced you won’t need because the build will, “only take about four months”.  Hah!

Just to keep things interesting and adrenaline-filled, I initially kept only a few boxes of rughooking and fibre supplies, frames, fabrics and fibres in a small room  at my rental unit  – supposedly my “studio” but used by my dog as her “office”.

“I’ll just keep the necessary things because I can easily get anything I need from one of the two large shipping containers at the building site”.

Hah! (again)

I realised too late that access to these containers would be “delicate” because of the construction toilet and the sheer volume of stacked building materials. Oh well…surely, I can get what I need from Spotlight.
Wrong.

 

Gradually I unloaded more and more from the storage units into my rental “studio” and into the back bedroom,

ensuring I can’t find anything in any location.

(“but…I know I have it somewhere”)   

 

Timing
The realization that I need to get my “bit” done well in advance of my shifting house; preparation for a workshop/demo early in July and Jo’s leaving for the US when she takes our collaborative piece to the launch of the “Re-imagined” Challenge at Sauder Village, made the next obstacle an extra challenge indeed!

Tabula Rasa
Yes. The dreaded blank slate indeed! In spite of all the communication via email, Skype, photos and Facebook with Jo…I just couldn’t start hooking!

Didn’t know what to do (I thought I did at first…but I didn’t!); didn’t know where to start; didn’t know what fabric and colours to use; didn’t like what I did start; convinced I just couldn’t do it; thought it was probably a dumb idea anyway (whose was it? Surely I was innocent in all this!).

Nearly suggested that Jo should “just do it”. I didn’t.

I’m sure there are and will be other hassles and frustrations with getting this collaboration done but it has been worth the aggravation. It is indeed a challenge and had really pushed me (nearly over the edge…but not quite…yet!)

I need to think faster; keep the goal and vision in mind and

just “do it”!
I will.
I am.
I will be OK in the end…everything is frustrating at the halfway point.”

From Jo …………

To brighten my day and tie our works together Judi sent me some of this yummy coloured silk yarn purchased from Clare at  Feltfine.com.au

My section of the project is also underway, however in a more “restrained” style.

If you haven’t collaborated on a textile art work, you really should give it a try, it’s amazing what you learn and it is fun!