Fabric is the focus at Surrey Art Gallery this fall.
On a weekend when summer officially ends, four textile-themed exhibits start at the Bear Creek Park facility.
An opening reception and panel discussion Sunday afternoon (Sept. 23) will explore “Connecting Threads” and related art shows new to SAG, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
“Surrey Art Gallery has acquired many contemporary textile artworks – particularly by women – over the past few decades,” stated Jordan Strom, curator of exhibitions and collections. “We are thrilled to show them together for the first time in the gallery’s history in this exhibit that corresponds with the timing of the 2018 Textile Society of America Symposium in Vancouver.”
The “Connecting Threads” showcase, drawn entirely from SAG’s permanent collection, highlights a map of Canada in the form of a quilt, needlepoint portraits of French philosophers and a deconstructed men’s suit made to look like a spider.
Celebrating DIY culture of rock n' roll history & non-professional textile-making, Kathy Slade’s work underscores the idea that we can all be artists. Here's the team installing her solo exhibit "This is a chord. This is another." opening Sunday! #surreybc https://t.co/ZyJiuSFc1Z pic.twitter.com/2n8DkHesAK
— Surrey Art Gallery (@SurreyArtGal) September 18, 2018
Meanwhile, Kathy Slade’s “This is a chord. This is another” solo exhibit reveals the Vancouver-based artist’s practice of making textile-based works that put music and sound at the centre of the image.
“Italian conceptual artist Alighiero Boetti (1940-1994), famous for a series of embroidered maps of the world, influenced Slade’s artistic practice,” notes an event advisory. “In a series of panels reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s silkscreens, Slade shows Boetti playing the drums. Her largest installation is a pom-pom made of orange yarn, sitting silently on the gallery floor but invoking the energy of cheerleading chants at pep rallies.”
At our opening Sep 23, artists @RoxanneCharles & Debbie Westergaard Tuepah invite you to add your mark to this fibre forest titled Bearing Witness that honours the small amount of remaining alluvial forests, such as #BearCreekPark while celebrating the power of collaboration. pic.twitter.com/gLb0MP2Jre
— Surrey Art Gallery (@SurreyArtGal) September 17, 2018
Also featured at SAG this fall are Maggie Orth’s “Moving Towards Stillness” (a TechLab experience where “textiles meet technology in these interactive sculptures that change colour!”) and Peace Arch Weavers and Spinners Guild’s “The Art of Warmth” collection.
“This fall, when it’s cold and grey outside, we hope you’ll drop by and enjoy the warmth and colour of our exhibits and programs that explore relevant issues through the medium of textiles,” Liane Davison, gallery director, writes in an introduction to SAG’s program guide for fall 2018.
A number of related events are planned. For more details, visit surrey.ca/artgallery or call 604-501-5566.
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