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New England Tapestry 2004

By Priscilla Alden

The Library Arts Center Gallery in Newport, NH was the setting for an exciting regional exhibition of 21st century tapestries woven by seventeen New England artists. The juried exhibition was sponsored by the Tapestry Weavers of New England (TWINE) from September 24- October30, 2004. I was one of these artists and quite pleased to be part of this celebration. Our exhibit was held in conjunction with the ATB5 exhibit at the nearby historic Dorr Mill in Guild, NH. The two shows were a welcomed opportunity to showcase tapestry weaving to a New England audience.

The jurors of this exhibit, Suzanne Pretty, Elinor Steele and Jan Austin, selected Unfinished Dream by Maria Estela Serafini as the ATA Award for the best tapestry in a regional exhibit. Maria's tapestry is an elegant portrayal of "La Isabela," her home in Cordoba, Argentina. The wild dry grasses and three different kinds of trees were woven with hand dyed sisal that she twisted and sometimes mixed with wool threads of different hues. Maria weaves with a long needle on a frame loom.

Maria Kovacs, Ein Augenblick, partial, 11" x 20"

It was very exciting to enter the gallery and be surrounded by the colors and diverse themes of the exhibit. There were faces, dancing starfish, landscapes, abstractions and geometric images revealing humor and pain, along with political and social concerns. The challenge of displaying the dramatic range of colors was masterfully executed by Jan Austin and Betsy Wing of TWINE, with gallery director Doris Nelson. It was decided to group the tapestries according to cool and then warm - and sometimes hot, colors. As I traveled around the gallery, the colors and emotions carried me on an artistic journey.

Maria Kovacs' Ein Augenblick, (a blink of an eye) is a composition of seven aerial view tapestries showing the division of land and water. They form a linear group that references the horizon line. Her colors are mostly muted, describing a cloudy view. Katie Bloomfield describes 'Glencolumbkille,' her soft Irish coast landscape,

I begin at the Earth... Move farther away from myself, out into the world that is held by this particular piece of the Earth, and arrive at the horizon and end at the heavens, the infinite. I immerse myself in my own view of a place that has touched my heart and planted itself there.

St. Spiridon Church is another small landscape of similar colors, woven by Meredith Gonzales. Both pieces are intimate and feel three-dimensional.

below: Priscilla May Aldent, Ancient Flow II, 30” x 24”

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