Handweavers of Connecticut has a juried biennial show during the month of April in odd years. This year we have returned to an interesting venue called the River Gallery in New Haven. It is part of a furniture store that features handmade furniture and accessories. The gallery area has furniture arranged into living spaces. My guild’s handwoven items look great in that setting.
The awards table is set up, and our leader, Julia Ludlow-Ortner, is about to begin announcing the awarded pieces. Take a look at the gorgeous runner on the table in the foreground, woven by Stephanie Slattery.
Aren’t these ribbons beautiful? I was thrilled to get two of them! –a blue ribbon from the left side of this photo for 1st place in the Wall Hanging category, and that wonderful red and black ribbon all the way to the right, which is the Handweavers’ Guild of America award for Outstanding Fiber Art. Woohoo!
The opening was a success with lots of attendees. Not only are we a large guild — and our members brought family and friends–but the gallery did a good job promoting the event so there were other visitors on hand. Bob caught a shot of me with some of my dear weaving friends.
A reporter from the New Haven Independent interviewed me about my tapestry!
The article is called “Art and Story Interwoven at River Street Gallery,” and it came out today!
These kinds of events take a lot of work by a lot of volunteers, but you always need the guidance of a leader, and this year Julia Ludlow-Ortner was our intrepid director. She did a great job keeping all her volunteers on track and allowing them to use their creative gifts to the fullest. She is also my braiding friend, and we have traveled together for a couple of memorable kumihimo conferences.
The story of this piece has dragged on for a few years. If you want the backstory, you can read it here. Finishing this piece last October and finally bringing it out in public has energized me to return to my larger vision for these creatures. I have a lot of work to do!
But, for the moment, I’ll just take a little time to bask in the satisfaction of finishing something and the thrill of getting two awards!
Thanks for looking!
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