Anne French, committee member at The 577 Foundation, opens her blog with a quote from Herman Melville: “We cannot live for only ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.” Fiber577 and The 577 Foundation are proving Melville right with the fiber577 show, an annual two-day exhibit. The show features fiber art presented from artists from across the country. Over 100 pieces of contemporary art, including art quilts, needle arts, felted sculptures, wearable art, mixed media, textile collage and weaving will be featured at the exhibit on the grounds of The 577 Foundation in Perrysburg on Saturday and Sunday, June 8 and 9.
French, alongside her cohorts Robin Ballmer, Julie Buetler, Mary Mennel, Frances Parry and Sandra Jane Heard have been organizing fiber577 since its 2008 inception. Jennifer Solon joined the committee in 2009 after attending fiber577 the previous year. “It’s been pretty much the same committee members since the beginning and it has always been at the 577," Solon says. "That’s part of, I think, the identity of the show."
A historic setting
The 577 Foundation building was the private home of Virginia Stranahan, whose granddaughter, textile artist Frances Parry, is a 577 Foundation board member. “My grandmother would simply be delighted to see her house filled with the extraordinarily creative works of textile art that we are so excited to be sharing with the public this year,” Parry said. “We want our show to demonstrate the breadth of creative work being done in the field of fiber arts and we hope to inspire our local arts community with an appreciation of fiber arts."
The selection process for this year's exhibit was complicated by a high volume of submissions, “This year we’ve had a record number of entries, which was very pleasing,” Solon said. "We were probably more selective than we have been in the past and I think that’s also a sign that a show is maturing.”
This Year's judge is Renee Harris of Cincinnati, whose art has won her several awards and has been featured in galleries nationally, and who participated in last year's invitational fiber577 show. Harris will be judging a total of 78 pieces eligible for awards, and will present the first, second and third places for the best in show award in an award ceremony for the artists and sponsors on the evening of Friday, June 7.
Audience voting
Throughout the weekend, audience members will have the chance to vote for their favorite artist, which will determine the winner of the People’s Choice award. Artists involved will be eligible for many monetary awards totaling over $700. The Featured Artist award is new to fiber577 this year, selecting one artist who will serve as the Featured Artist at the 2014 fiber577 show.
An extended exhibit has also been created for participating artists who wish to sell their work at Angelwood Gallery in Grand Rapids, Ohio. Live music and demonstrations will be held throughout the event along with the chance to watch artists as they work and create fiber art, perhaps connecting them to both presenting artists and fellow viewers, in an existential way.
Fiber577 will take place from 10am-5pm on Saturday, June 8 and from noon to 5pm on Sunday, June 9 at the 577 Foundation in Perrysburg. Admission is free. The Angelwood Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am-4pm and Sunday from 12-4pm. For more information, visit www.fiber577.com.
