The month of November will bring the works of Contemporary Fiber Artists to the gallery of the Ashtabula Arts Center. An artist’s reception will be held Friday, November 13, from 6-8 p.m.
Contemporary Fiber Artists is a group who specialize in the use of fiber and related materials to create artworks that express the intent of the makers and their connections with the viewer. Members of the group use a wide variety of applications, materials, and designs to create a variety of viewing experiences. Their work has been shown throughout Northeastern Ohio including such spaces as Holden Arboretum, Valley Art Center, and the Canton Museum of Art.
The members of the group have many stories to tell and they use their artwork to tell their individual tales. Polly Gilmore’s relationship with fabric, needles, and thread began when she was four, learning simple embroidery stitches. Jean Evans is a meticulous artist who works with paint and fabric and her sense of design to create large wall art quilts stitched by hand and by machine. Jean Markowitz started her quilting life by creating hundreds of meant-to-be-used traditional quilts for her family and friends. Federicka Hagerty has shared her artistic talents through the creation of bed and wall quilts, art-to-wear, and currently has an emphasis on beaded jewelry. Kris Kapenakas uses her passion for social justice and environmental issues to encourage those who view her work into both appreciating the art and thinking about the issues that confront today’s world. Mary Kapenakas is an interior designer who creates large abstract works primarily on silk and uses digital printing of her own photography combined with stitching. Kathryn Levy applies her talents to both art-to-wear and wall hangings. Karen Hinkle‘s current venture into the use of digitally printed cotton and silk cloth, uses her sister, Pam Gibson’s photography.
