(Above: Triportal by Claire B. Jones is part of a fiber arts show at the Maude Kerns Art Center)
By Randi Bjornstad
Lulu Moonwood Murakami’s “Tom Thumb and the Girl with Many Teeth”
A new exhibit at the Maude Kerns Art Center that opens with an opening reception on July 19 and runs through Aug. 23 is fun before you even go through the door.
The fun begins with the name — #OMG That’s Fiber? — which instantly gives the idea that there’s something really special going on for people who think fiber arts is placemats and checkered tablecloths.
No, no, no … the members of High Fiber Diet, the equally whimsical name of the group of fiber artists from northwest Oregon and southwest Washington who are putting on the show turn their creative attention to a whole lot of varied works of art, from wall hangings to fiber sculptures, incorporating various art mediums from photography to painting to eco-printing.
There’s also a second show that goes along with the fiber, and that one’s called Alchemy5 — Connecting as Community. It consists of art by Claire B Jones and the Enamelist Society Student Exhibit.
“Magic Banana,” by Marie Murphy Wolfe
As examples of a few things included in this high-energy show, there will be a large doll by mixed-media artist Lulu Moonwood Murakami called Pulgarcito y la chica de muchos dientes, which translated to English means Tom Thumb and the Girl with Many Teeth. Another example of this out-of-the-box art is Marie Murphy Wolfe’s innovative Magic Banana.
For her part, Claire B Jones will show her fiber sculptures that are created by using flat fabric and machine stitching, an artistic outcome from her background in design and computer engineering that she’s honed in an ability to perceive drawing in three-dimensional space.
As for the enamelists, the exhibit iis the 13th International Juried Student Enamel Exhibition, on display in conjunction with the National Enamelist Society’s conference at the University of Oregon. the pieces in the show represent creations by more than 20 students in accredited enamelist degree programs throughout the world.
#OMG That’s Fiber? and Alchemy5 — Connecting as Community
When: July 19 through Aug. 23; opening reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 19
Where: Maude Kerns Art Center, 1910 E. 15th Ave., Eugene (corner of 15th and Villard streets)
Gallery hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays when exhibits are on display
Additional event: Panel discussion by members of High Fiber Diet artists from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8
Information: 541-345-1571 or mkartcenter.org
Bagherpourhamedani1, one of the pieces on display in the juried enamelist show at the Maude Kerns Art Center
