Tag Archives | Travel

When I was in Blowing Rock, NC, earlier this summer, I got to see a fiber art exhibit at the Brahm Art Museum. It featured the work of North Carolina fiber artists and was very interesting.

I find that fiber art in the NC mountains is different from that in sunny Florida. There are lots more woven items, baskets, and fabrics dyed with plants. This piece, by Catharine Ellis is a lovely example. Each panel is dyed with a different plant in a shibori style. (Shibori involves fabric manipulation before dying. In this case, lots of folding was used.)

This book by Leslie Pearson features recycled items made into handmade paper.

There was another recycled book in the exhibit, although I didn’t get the name of the artist. I loved that gloves were provided so you could flip the pages and explore it. My friend, Cindy, and my sister, Sharon enjoyed spending time with it.

(Check out the other interesting art in the background.)

And here’s another 3D piece by Leslie Pearson. Very interesting, right? The materials were listed as gut, wire, book, and tissue paper. I definitely don’t know how to utilize those materials in such a way!

My favorite piece in the exhibit was an installation of tiny embroidered pieces, by Jeana Klein.

Isn’t this a nice collection? Each of these is made entirely with French knots, and the name reflects the number included.

But, check out the price list: each piece is available for barter or for purchase! And some of the barter suggestions are hilarious.

Aren’t they great? And they’re legit. Several pieces had red dots and when we asked the docent we were told that many had been bartered. I love this humorous pricing!

I said at the beginning that the exhibit was interesting and, indeed, quite a few of the pieces fell into that category for me.  You know: clever and intriguing, but not really visually appealing. Maybe you’ll have a different take on it. Either way, you’re in luck because the exhibit runs through October 27th, and it’s free. I do think you’ll enjoy it.

Ellen Lindner

While in Asheville, NC, my husband and I attended “Winter Lights” at the North Carolina Arboretum.  It was spectacular!

Even from the parking lot, we were mesmerized by the beautiful light-wrapped trees. Tons of them.

And when I say these trees were wrapped, I mean they were REALLY wrapped!

Can you even imagine how many lights are on that one blue tree, above?  I can’t.

The display took good advantage of the many trees, but there were also some very beautiful fake ones.  These slowly changed colors, so  I had to take about six pictures of them.

Trees were also used to show off other items.  Like several beautiful chandeliers.  They changed colors, as well. Very cool, right?

These more subtle colored cones were one of my favorite things.  They were made with translucent plastic wrapped around a single bulb and “planted” in the ground. (I want them in my yard.)

Check out these 4 blue sculptures.  As you  might guess, they also changed colors.

Here’s a detail shot.  Can you tell what they’re made of?

That’s right, bottles of water.  A light in the center illuminates them.

I’ve only shown you a sampling of the many displays that made up this exhibit.  If you’re in the area during winter I encourage you to check it out for yourself.  (But bundle up, as this Floridian did.)

Ellen Lindner

Rollins College, in Winter Park, FL has a beautiful campus on the edge of a lake, with huge oak trees.  It also has Cornell Fine Arts Museum, which I visited for the first time recently.  While looking for the museum, we ended up in an art building with a display of student work in the hallway.  Pretty cool, huh?

I think they’re made from masking tape and maybe lightweight cardboard.

Next door, we found the museum.   It’s well designed and well-lit.  There were also activities for children.  This is the entry foyer.

The zebra head costumes on the right relate to the primary exhibit, called “Transcommunality.”  Presented by artist Laura Anderson Barbata, it’s a culmination of her work with stilt-dancing communities in Latin America and the United States.

The exhibit features stilt-dancing costumes that were made by hand with a wide variety of materials.  The one below was made with cotton fabric, wood, cane, fiberglass rods, mesh, decorative trim, mirrors, papier-mache and paint.

Here’s a closer look at the head dress.

Dancers perform in these outfits while wearing homemade stilts.

Children apparently participate in this, as well.

One room was full of costumes with stilts that had also been carved or decorated.

The one above even has a caterpillar and several lady bugs!

Dolls showed more stilt-dancers.

I didn’t get a very good shot of the giant suits, made in the USA.  They were used in a performance as part of “Occupy Wall Street.”

In addition to the stilt-dancing exhibit, there were several other interesting pieces on display.  The one below is called Haystack After Monet #2, by Vik Muniz.  It definitely resembles Monet’s painting.

But, this one was made from pieces of colored paper.  See the close up below.

This particular exhibit has just ended, but it’s replaced with student and faculty exhibits.  I bet they’d really be worth seeing.  And if you’re in the area you may also enjoy the Morse Museum, which houses work by Lewis Tifany.  There’s lots to see and do in Winter Park.

Ellen Lindner