It’s a month later, and the summer has only gotten better! I have been to Convergence in Providence, RI; I have finished weaving and sewing the lunch tote and napkin for my guild project, and I have started a tapestry class for some of the members in my state guild. All good!
Unfortunately, I have very few photos of Convergence. Photos weren’t allowed at the HGA exhibits. The photo I regret NOT getting most is me standing in front of my tapestry in the gallery exhibit. In hindsight I’m certain the powers-that-be would have let someone take a photo of me in front of my own work, but I didn’t ask. Sigh…
Here is my favorite piece from the gallery exhibit: “She Can’t See the Forest for the Trees” No, I did not take this photo since photos were not allowed. But I can usually find images online, and this image is from Jenny Schu’s blog, where you can read about the processes she used to make this incredible wall hanging! (Wed. grouper’s first reaction being: “after all these years of weaving on copper looms, why didn’t any of us think of hanging our tapestries from copper pipe???”)
Along with the HGA sponsored exhibits in the Rhode Island Convention Center, there were numerous outside exhibits to see throughout Providence. The Complex Weavers’ exhibit at Brown University was quite a highlight for me. And the best exhibit of the whole conference for me was the ATA sponsored “Small Format/Unjuried” show on the Feinstein Campus of URI. Such wonderful small tapestries that covered the gamut of every subject imaginable! Pure fun….there were small tapestries of bugs, small self portraits, small landscapes….if you can imagine it, it was probably there!
Two friends from the Wednesday Group came to stay with me during Convergence and we made the daily drive to Providence. On the last day we drove to Brockton, MA, to the Fuller Craft Museum to see the two shows on display there. First was “Game Changers: Fiber Art Masters and Innovators.” What an impressive list of well known fiber artists were on display. It was a brilliant show! And so was the other exhibit on display, “Small Expressions.”
Archie Brennan’s “The Lady and the Gypsy” greets you at the entrance to the “Game Changers” exhibit.
Susan Martin Maffei’s Silk Worm tapestry actually has golden silk cocoons woven into it and is embellished with crocheted caterpillars. …so naturally, the weft is silk.
I have some great photos from “Small Expressions” as well, but I neglected to get the names of some of the artists! So I will just share Barbara Heller’s recent work, which has a very interesting mix of techniques.
All in all, Covergence was quite an inspirational event. There are always hitches to having a conference setting in a convention center, but I would still say the outcome of this year’s event was positive!
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