Fiber Art at Gunboat Bay Lodge, Canada

The Surface Design Association Alaskan Members, one of which is Julia March Crocetto, are currently showing their work at Fibre Works Studio and Gallery from September 18 through November 7, 2010. The exhibition pieces can be viewed at http://www.gunboatbaylodge.com/fibreworks.html .

October SAQA Mini Gallery

Nelda Warkentin, Linda Beach and Susan Christensen will have work in the upcoming October SAQA Mini Gallery. The guest curator for the month, BJ Parady, has chosen the theme of "Twilight" saying "Twilight is a reflective, peaceful time - the wind dies down, the colors gray. These pieces evoke that feeling of calm to me, the time when I find my center again after a hectic day. Some are abstract, some are realistic, but all are tranquil."

Pictured here are Nelda's "Arctic Circle", Susan's "Forest Ladders" and a detail image of Linda's "Map of Shadows". This mini gallery and others of recent months can be seen on the SAQA website under Virtual Galleries on the home page.

Quilt Expo

Maria Shell has had two quilts, "Albert Hofmann's Obit" and "Owsley's Owls", accepted into the sixth annual Quilt Expo at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The expo takes place September 9-11 with more information at www.wiquiltexpo.com .

Fiber Art Part of Sandhill Crane Festival

The Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival will be held on August 20 - 22 with various events, including a raffle for a quilt by Karin Franzen. "Spring Ushers In" was donated by Karin to benefit Friends of Creamers' Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks. For ticket information, see www.fairnet.org . The drawing will be on Sunday, August 22 at 7:00pm and the winner need not be present.

Tongass Rainforest Festival

Susan Christensen is currently busy with several projects. As she says, "I am working on several small, three-dimensional figures for the Tongass Rainforest Festival coming up September 3-12 here in Petersburg. Most of the work will incorporate fabric that I created in the fabulous lichen dye workshop presented by Karen Casselman (www.antiquequiltdating.com/Lichen_Dyes-The_New_Source_Book.html) of Nova Scotia during last years' festival. I also made a muslin figure which I

have buried out in my woods

until the week before the art show, hoping the time underground will stain and mark the muslin in wonderful ways."

For more information on the festival, see www.tongassrainforestfestival.org. The art show opening is Friday, September 3 at the Clausen Memorial Museum in Petersburg. You can follow the progess on this and Susans' other work via the link to her blog under the Members' Blogs section of this site.

Inspiration - Video of Ree Nancarrow at Work

In 2007, Ree Nancarrow accepted a commission to create a fiber art piece for the Eielson Visitor Center in Denali National Park. Video of Ree at work on this commission, titled "Seasons of Denali", has been posted on the parks' website and can be seen at www.nps.gov/dena/photosmultimedia/dne.htm. This fascinating video is 7:45 minutes long and offers a glimpse of her various techniques and inspirations.

The Quilted Surface VI

The Quilted Surface VI, a QSDS invitational exhibit, was on display from May 14 - July 1 at the Ross Art Museum in Delaware Ohio. This exhibit included the work of Diane Melms and 39 other fiber artists from the U.S., Canada, Japan and Israel. Pictured here is a detail of Dianes' work "Chroma Stack #6". For more information on the exhibit or QSDS see http://www.qsds.com/ and http://rossartmuseum.blogspot.com/ .

Fiber Art in Soldotna

An exhibition of fiber art by Ann-Lillian Schell and Jan Wallace is currently on display through the month of July at Kobuk Kaladi coffee shop (www.kaladi.com for hours and location) in Soldotna. According to Ann-Lillian and Jan, the artist scheduled for this month canceled, resulting in a last-minute phone call requesting a replacement show at 1:00pm July 5. By 9:00am the next day, their exhibition was hung with the help of friends. Described by the artists as "eclectic", they invite everyone who will be in Soldotna in July to stop by.

Reflections of an Earlier Denali......

"Reflections of an Earlier Denali - the Art of Ree Nancarrow " will open with a reception on Friday, June 4 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm at the Charles Sheldon Center, Denali Education Center, Mile 230 Parks Hwy. This is an exhibition that has never before been seen in one place: the silk screen prints that Ree Nancarrow created in the late 70's and early 80's.

The Crabb family built the McKinley Village and started a legacy across the Nenana River from the National Park. Linda Crabb collected each of Ree's thoughtful prints (all made without the aid of running water!) that reflect slices of life in Denali. Mindi and Karen Crabb, Linda's daughters, have generously offered to share this unique and one-of-a-kind collection throughout the summer.

Presentations will be made at the opening reception by Ree Nancarrow and Mindi Crabb about their connection to the silk screen collection and their history in the area. The exhibition will remain on view for most of the summer.