There’s a richness that comes from balancing contemporary thinking with a deep sense of time. It’s palpable in “Interwoven,” an exhibition of fiber works by Karen Cygnarowicz, Janet Fredericks, Bradie Hansen and Trista Ringer on view through October at the South Burlington Public Art Gallery. Environmental and feminist themes coexist with clear — and, well, literal — ties to a craft tradition.
Fredericks’ wall hangings have a narrative sensibility. The Lincoln artist stitches together old fabrics and other storied items — the materials list for one piece reads “dried shelf fungus, dried beech leaves, teabags, paper wine label, upholstery fabric, netting, tulle” — to create works laden with history. Her prevailing palette of inky blues incorporates scraps of fabric printed with cyanotypes, as well as some that recall Japanese indigo-dyed textiles.
Water plays an important role in Fredericks’ works, especially in “Safari,” a 68-by-42-inch wall hanging. In contrast to her smaller, ocean-hued pieces, this one recalls a desert: A pale blue river traverses an expanse of sandy tulles and muslins layered over patterned fabrics. Careful stitching details contour lines on the map. The dimension Fredericks creates through layering is like a record of this landscape over time — not just where a river is but also how it has moved and eroded the world around it.
Other artists in the show continue the watery theme. Ringer’s quilt “The Pond” pairs a single wavy blue fabric with a palette of greens. Slightly angled pieces within each block create the optical illusion of water flowing through a maze, like a formal garden in a marsh.
“The Pond” is one of the Fletcher artist’s most traditional quilts on view. Others incorporate text, boldly proclaiming, “Go forth and set the world on fire” and “Raised by Strong Women.” This last one works equally well as a feminist throw quilt and here with an added meaning: The hanging piece is a fitting comment on what it takes to display your inner thoughts on a public wall.
Cygnarowicz lives in Montpelier, and, according to her artist statement, her practice was impacted by the 2023 flood. Her sculptural piece “In Between Homes: Goldenrod, Queen’s Lace, Aster, June” is substantial at 53 by 45 inches, a tree branch supporting thick ropes of cotton, wool and wooden beads. Despite its heft, the work speaks to a temporary, marginal situation, the ropes reading both as strength and as a weight that must be hauled around.
“Ferry Landing” deconstructs colors and textures from a river scene. A heavy band of woven black and brown wool creates a block between sky-blue ropes above and a shimmering array of more ropes in teal, white and reflective safety-vest green below.
The nautical references are even more pronounced in “The River Finds Its Way Again,” where Cygnarowicz’s knots and whorls accumulate into a kind of fishing net, its gray-blue coils pulled taut at the top and weighed down by a more intense palette of ultramarine and indigo tangles.
Hansen’s weavings are also netlike, but lighter and more delicate. In “Evidence of Significant Repair,” knitted loops of linen thread barely hold together, patched with occasional small sticks. Softness and rigidity are at play throughout the Shelburne artist’s works: “Rhythms” punctuates subtly different weaves of whisper-thin wool with a pattern of little twigs, making it unclear whether the wool is holding the wood or vice versa.
“Hema Thrinó,” a knitted hanging, pairs red cotton thread with glossy black witches’-broom twigs, which cluster in front of a hole in the soft surface. It’s a wildly erotic piece for this setting, drawing a connection not only back to the women who perpetuated these craft traditions but also to those who will build on them in the future.
The original print version of this article was headlined “South Burlington’s ‘Interwoven’ Marks Stitches in Time”
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2024.
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