Molly Elkind : Talking Textiles: Report from Convergence 3: two more exhibits!

The last two Convergence exhibits I'll share with you are the invitational Leaders and Interns exhibit and HGA's juried Dogwood to Kudzu juried exhibit of basketry. See my previous two blog posts here and here for reports on ATA's Unjuried Tiny but Mighty exhibit, the Complex Weavers Complexity 2022 exhibit, and HGA's Small Expressions juried show of fiber art.

On display this year was work from accepted artists in both 2020 and 2022 for Dogwood to Kudzu, billed as "an exhibit that features functions or nonfunctional, traditional or non-traditional forms of basketry, inspired from the stability of Appalachian region's ranges and valleys, barriers and passageways, and large diversity of vibrant flora that intertwines throughout." You might wonder why I, a tapestry weaver, am interested in baskets. Other than the obvious connection of woven technique, I continue to find that sculptural work, work in relief and three dimensions, interacts with and transforms the space around it in exciting ways. I am still gravitating, in fits and starts, toward objects, not pictures. So this is, of course, a personal take on what I caught myself looking at.

By traditional definition, a basket is a vessel, a container with empty space. In some non-traditional baskets this space is implied rather than functional. Barbara Trout's piece reminds me of a reliquary, a container for a precious, possibly sacred or magical, object hidden from view. Perhaps seeds, given the title? Cael Chappel's work often makes me smile, with its whimsical forms and colors. One can only imagine what inspired this object that suggests the act of vomiting. A repellant concept is made more engaging by the use of playful colors.

Barbara Trout, Hanging Harvest Basket

Cael Chappel, Purge

In other pieces the basket's interior space is visible and open, and often as exciting visually as the exterior. In Hazel Tully's Raven's Nest, a removable lid is inset with a black metal silhouette of a raven, while the exterior suggests the messy freeform weaving of an actual nest.

Hazel Tully, Raven's Nest

The title of Judith Saunders' award-winning piece belies the care and precision that must have gone into planning and constructing this basket woven of painted paper and copper strips.

Judith Saunders, Going with the Flow.
Second Place Award, 2022

There is a palpable sense of enclosure and protection in Andrea duFlon's piece Solace.

Andrea DuFlon, Solace

The vibrant green color, decorative beaded edge and open spiral all support the theme of unfolding growth in Nature's Grace.

Tobi Klein, Nature's Grace.

You can see by the number of images of this piece by Pat Moritz that I was fascinated by it. Wandering Path is an apt title for the meandering journey the eye takes over, around and through this piece. It can be called a basket in terms of materials and techniques, but it is truly sculptural in its interaction with space. The addition of a woven ceramic insert and rows of beads add textural interest and suggest to me the kind of natural specimens one might encounter on a hike.

Pat Moritz, Wandering Path

This piece, Barbara Weber's United We Stand, is probably my favorite from the exhibit. Color appeals, of course, but also the interplay of solid areas with open spaces, the irregular slouchy form that looks different from different angles, and the delight in following the rows of coiling with one's eyes, trying to discern just how this was constructed. The title suggests that the artist is thinking of our multi-hued society, varied in shape and placement, yet contributing to a whole that does stand.

Barbara Weber, United We Stand. Honorable Mention Award 2020.

Barbara Weber, United We Stand. Honorable Mention Award 2020

I'd like to round this out with just a few images of work that stood out for me in the HGA Leaders and Interns exhibit. Nancy Hoskins' piece is a jewel-like interpretation of what a swatch of a goddess's gown might look like. Exquisite weaving!