Farmers Markets in Fiber: 4th Annual Fiber Arts & Jewelry Exhibit

Art Center East presents Farmers Markets in Fiber, our 4th Annual Fiber Arts & Jewelry Exhibit. The exhibit invited artists to use photographs taken at a regional farmers market as a springboard to create new works in fiber. Each artist selected one inspiring image, interpreting its colors, textures, and subject through the lens of their chosen medium. Viewers will have a chance to compare the two – getting a glimpse into the creative process – as the photograph and the finished piece will be displayed side-by-side.

Thank you to our sponsor, La Grande Quilt Shop!

Dates: January 31 – March 28, 2020

Opening Reception: January 31 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Cost: Free Admission

LA GRANDE – Art Center East’s 4th Annual Fiber Arts and Jewelry Exhibit opens with a community reception on January 31 from 6 – 8 pm. This year, the exhibit challenged fiber and jewelry artists to explore their mediums using images from local farmers markets as inspiration. Titled “Farmers Markets in Fiber,” the fiber and jewelry created for the exhibit will be on display from January 31 – March 28 in the ACE Main Gallery. Admission is free and open to the public.

A team of artists from local weaving and quilting groups worked with ACE and the exhibit sponsor, La Grande Quilt Shop, to choose the exhibit’s focus. “The farmers market theme came about as an opportunity to showcase bright colors, fun patterns, and a subject everyone relates to – food!” said Art Center East Director, Darcy Dolge. “We were also looking for a theme that tied back into our community. Since agriculture is such a strong part of our regional identity and the farmers market is where many people in our community interact with local agriculture, we were excited by this choice.”

ACE’s hosts an annual Fiber Arts and Jewelry Exhibit in order to create a platform for an underrepresented branch of the visual arts that is particularly popular in Northeast Oregon. Last year’s exhibit included the work of 29 fiber artists, most from the local community. This year’s exhibit will feature over 35 artists and a wider range of fiber art and jewelry mediums and styles.

As with the 2019 exhibit, each piece will be displayed alongside the photograph that inspired it. “This allows the viewer to access a part of the creative process that we don’t typically see,” said Dolge. “Going back and forth between the photo and the art, viewers can look for connections that are sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle. It encourages you to pause and look more deeply, which makes it a fun format for art in a gallery setting.”

Many of the photographs used for the exhibit came from a regional farmers markets, depicting scenes that will be familiar to market shoppers. Because of this, La Grande Farmers Market decided to partner with ACE to incorporate a piece from the exhibit into their 2020 market poster. Visitors to the exhibit will have the opportunity to vote on the piece they would most like to see on the 2020 market poster. Voting will be open for a two week period, January 31 – February 15.

“The market has a longstanding tradition of inviting a local artist to design the annual poster,” said LGFM Board Member Sarah West, “and we couldn’t resist the opportunity to incorporate a fiber art piece this year. It’s a perfect feedback loop: locally grown vegetables inspire art that inspires people to come shop for vegetables and support local farmers.”

The community is invited to attend an opening reception on January 31 from 6 – 8 pm. Admission is free. There will be complimentary refreshments and acoustic music featuring Rebecca Larrabee starting at 6:30 pm.

The Farmers Markets in Fiber exhibit is made possible in part by support from the Oregon Cultural Trust. Find out more about this event and others at artcentereast.org. Art Center East is located at 1006 Penn Avenue in La Grande. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10am – 4pm, and Saturday Noon – 4pm. Gallery exhibits and receptions are always free and open to the public.