Currently underway in the St. Louis region is Innovations in Textiles 2019, a fall event that celebrates contemporary fiber art with exhibits, workshops, gallery talks and more at various venues throughout the region.
Innovations in Textiles is a collaborative event that takes place every four years, and this year, approximately 45 art venues are hosting exhibits and other presentations that are free and open to the public.
One of the main exhibits is on display at the Saint Louis Art Museum through Dec. 1. “Printing the Pastoral: Visions of the Countryside in 18th Century Europe” is an exhibition that examines the early development of one of the most recognizable textile genres: copperplate-printed cotton, popularly known as toile. It highlights the nostalgia for pastoral themes common to both textile consumers and art collectors by pairing furnishing fabrics with prints by (or after) Rembrandt van Rijn, Nicolaes Berchem, Jacob van Ruisdael, Paulus Potter, Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher; and features a number of textiles never before exhibited at SLAM.
At the University City Public Library, “Timeless Fibers: Tradition and Beyond” will be on display from Sept. 1 to 26, with a reception and gallery talk on Friday, Sept. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. The juried exhibit features artists from the Weavers’ Guild of St. Louis as they embrace time-honored woven traditions, as well as explore contemporary fiber techniques. This exhibit will include demonstrations by Guild artists throughout the exhibition.
At the Jacoby Arts Center in Alton, Illinois, the juried exhibition, “Art is…Wearable,” runs Sept. 4 to 29, with a reception on Friday, Sept. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit reveals the artists’ state of mind through the art of fashion to begin a dialogue about art that is wearable, giving artists the opportunity to tell their story and allow the viewer to see their self-expression.
From Oct. 4 to Nov. 1, Bluebird Park in Ellisville will host “Totems: Personal Stories in Fiber,” an exhibit of three-dimensional art quilts featuring unique, creative works in fiber, fabric, embellishment and stitch by artists from Bits Art Quilters such as Cindy Bell Neville, Jane Falconer and Jane Unger. An opening reception is planned for Sunday, Oct. 6, from 2 to 4 p.m.
The schedule also includes a special weekend of events on Oct. 3 to 6, held in conjunction with Surface Design Association’s biennial conference taking place in St. Louis. Surface Design Association is an international organization that selected St. Louis for its conference because of Innovations in Textiles 2019.The organization is also offering bus tours to area galleries at a cost of $75 per person.
Other participating galleries and venues include: Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Barrett Barrera Projects, Webster University, Foundry Art Centre, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Missouri Artists on Main, Soulard Art Gallery, Webster Arts and more in the greater St. Louis region, as well as in the Metro East, St. Charles and in Columbia, Missouri.
The concept for Innovations in Textiles began in 1995, when Craft Alliance, COCA, Art Saint Louis and the Saint Louis Art Museum joined forces to create an event that would showcase fiber art and artists. Now, Innovations in Textiles is made up of more than 40 art galleries, museums and organizations throughout the region that are committed to presenting innovative exhibitions and related programming on fiber art, textiles and fashion created by artists here and around the world.
Innovations in Textiles 2019 runs through November. For a complete list of venues and schedule of events, visit InnovationsInTextilesSTL.org.
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