The Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Arts
Detail of artwork by Xander Griffith
Developed by Curator of Education at Maryhill Museum of Art, Louise Palermo, The Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Arts features 13 regional fiber artists (listed below on this page) working with communities along 220 miles of the Columbia River from the Willamette Confluence to the Snake River Confluence.
Artistic Director for the project is artist Tammy Jo Wilson.
Each artist will design an original artwork collaborating with a Community Partner and community members from their assigned stretch of river. Artists will create unique installations, sculpture, and innovative designs attached to that specific site, and engage with educational opportunities to inspire and educate about fiber arts. There will be resources developed, including maps and guides to encourage visitation to each site. Each artwork will portray a section of the river itself and will connect to the next section.
The project is inspired by the Surrealist art practice “Exquisite Corpse,” where participants took turns drawing sections of a body on a piece of paper folded to hide each successive contribution. When unfolded, a whole body was revealed to show each contribution.
In the case of The Exquisite Gorge Project II, the Columbia River will become the “body” that unifies the collaboration between artists and communities, revealing a flowing 66-foot work that tells 10 conceptual stories (plus a frontispiece) of the Columbia River and its people.
A culminating Festival of Fiber Arts will be held Saturday, August 6, 2022 at Maryhill Museum of Art, where each free-standing “exquisite corpse” section will be brought together to reveal the continuous sculpture.
Visit the original Exquisite Gorge Project, held in 2019 and featuring printmakers.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, May 28 |1 p.m.
LIVE: Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Art with Carolyn Hazel Drake
This is the third of a three-part series for EGPII. Part three will cover how Drake’s fabric art piece is progressing to its near completion at the end of spring 2022. The final artwork will be displayed in front of the Goldendale Community Library for the month of July 2022.
Join the live YouTube event beginning at 1 pm, May 28, by clicking on the following link: https://youtu.be/
Library events and programs are open to the public and provided at no cost. Special accommodations may be requested using our Accommodation Request Form no later than 15 days prior to the event.
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June TBA & July 2
Cordage Making Class with Chloë Hight
Cordage is a group of fibers twisted and plied together to create a stronger and more resilient form. In this class Chloë Hight will lead students in making lengths of cordage using a variety of locally gleaned plant materials like daylily, cattail, iris, and Himalayan blackberry (plant selection is seasonally dependent). We will explore the significance that cordage carries as a traditional hand technology that is an innate part of the human story and our connection to place. This class will be offered by two different venues at different days / times.
Arts in Education of the Gorge: June TBA | 1pm to 3 pm synchronous + asynchronous lessons/20 kits
The History Museum of Hood River County: July 2 | 1pm to 3pm
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Past Events
Tuesday, April 19 | 7 p.m.
Make a Felted Butterfly with Xander Griffith
Join us by Zoom for an interactive activity led by artist Xander Griffith. In this event, you will create your very own felted butterfly. Everything you need will be contained in a kit you may check out from the library after you register for the class. Register by April 15 to receive the kit containing everything you will need in the workshop. Don’t forget to let us know which library branch location you would like to pick up the kit.
Presented in collaboration with FVRL White Salmon Branch and White Salmon Arts Council
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Saturday, April 16 | noon – 4 p.m.
Traditional Mexican Weaving Demo
Master weavers Laura and Francisco Bautista, who are featured artists in the Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Arts, will be at Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum for a demo. Meet the artists and learn about how they make magnificent textiles using traditional methods.
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Saturday, April 2 | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Learn to Weave Workshop – Taller Aprende a Tejer
Make your own cardboard loom and learn to weave with a fourth generation Master Weaver! Francisco and Laura Bautista of Bautista Weaving will show you how to make a loom from cardboard and weave your own design. This program will be bilingual and is great for beginners of all ages and families. Snacks and lunch will be provided.
¡Haz tu propio telar de cartón y aprende a tejer con un maestro tejedor de cuarta generación! Francisco y Laura Bautista de Bautista Weaving te mostrarán cómo hacer un telar de cartón y tejer tu propio diseño. Este programa será bilingüe y es ideal para principiantes de todas las edades y familias. Se proporcionarán refrigerios y almuerzo.
This program will be held at The Dalles Public Library, the main location for the Wasco County Library District. Presented in collaboration with The Dalles / Wasco County Library and The Dalles Art Center.
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Saturday, March 19| 11 a.m.
Spring Equinox Stitch Meditation with Carolyn Hazel Drake
As we approach the spring equinox, the seasons tilt forward and new growth and transformation emerge around us. What better time to put needle and thread to cloth and apply the simplest of stitch techniques as a meditation on finding equanimity within ourselves as we witness the changing of the seasons?
Library events and programs are open to the public and provided at no cost. Special accommodations may be requested.
Presented in collaboration with FVRL Goldendale Branch
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Saturday, February 5 | 1 p.m.
Virtual Studio Visit: Kristy Kún
Kristy will join us live from her Ashland, OR studio to share concepts and challenges for her three dimensional fiber sculpture depicting a section of the Columbia River at the Snake River Confluence near Walla Walla. She will also send out her first call for community participation on the project, centering around stories and experiences of those living in the region.
Saturday, January 22 | 1 p.m.
Virtual Studio Visit: Carolyn Hazel Drake
As an introduction to the Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Arts, Carolyn Hazel Drake, one of the 13 participating artists, will give us a live peek into her workshop and creative process. After the tour, there will be time for questions. Carolyn is partnered with the Goldendale Library, who is hosting this program. This is the second of a three-part series for EGPII that will cover how Drake’s fabric art piece is progressing to its near completion at the end of spring 2022. The recording for part one is on the FVRL YouTube channel; part three will go live on March 19 at 1 p.m.
Watch Part ONE of the Virtual Studio Visit: Carolyn Hazel Drake here:
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January 15 | 10 a.m. (PDT)
Virtual Workshop: Archetypal Symbols In Romania and Worldwide with Artist Magda Nica
Symbols are graphic metaphors that help us understand the invisible world. Their meaning is magical, although few are those who know how to read, decode and translate their secret language. This workshop is an invitation to discover how symbols unite us at a subtle level, in mysterious and profound ways. Presented in collaboration with the American Romanian Cultural Society and The Ethnic Heritage Council.
In the News
- ArtWalla and Kristy Kún talk about her section of the Exquisite Gorge Project II. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xlKMdK5vdo
- Lynn Deal talks with Friderike Heuer on Oregon Arts Watch.
- Friderike Heuer visits Kristy Kún, whose fantastic felt forms suggest something mythological, in Exquisite Gorge II: Ariadne’s Thread on Oregon Arts Watch.
- An interview with Ophir El-Boher on Oregon Arts Watch, gives a preview of her collaboration with Desert Fiber Arts: Exquisite Gorge II: Of Harm and Healing
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Friderike Heuer talks with Xander Griffith in Exquisite Gorge II: Felt Worlds on Oregon Arts Watch.
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Exquisite Gorge II: Pattern Masters and Master Patterns for Oregon Arts Watch.
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Friderike Heuer previews the Exquisite Gorge II Project: Fiber Arts, in “It Begins with Sheep” for Oregon Arts Watch.
- A great interview with Kristy Kún, an Oregon-based fiber artist participating The Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Arts.
PARTNERS:
In addition to the participating artists, there are many partner organizations and sponsors who make The Exquisite Gorge Project II possible.
Section One: Oregon Society of Artists–Artist: Lynn Deal
Section Two: Lewis and Clark University–Artist: Amanda Triplett
Section Three: Columbia Center for the Arts, The History Museum of Hood River County and Arts in Education of the Gorge–Artist: Chloë Hight
Section Four: White Salmon Arts Council and Fort Vancouver Regional Library–Artist: Xavier Griffith
Section Five: The Dalles Arts Center and The Dalles-Wasco County Library–Artists: Francisco and Laura Bautista
Section Six: The Fort Vancouver Regional Library at Goldendale Community Library–Artist: Carolyn Hazel Drake
Section Seven: The American-Romanian Cultural Society and Maryhill Museum of Art–Artist: Magda Nica
Section Eight: Desert Fiber Arts & REACH Museum–Artist: Ophir El-Boher
Section Nine: The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation–Artist: Bonnie Meltzer
Section Ten: ArtWalla–Artist: Kristy Kún
Frontispiece: Tammy Jo Wilson and Owen Premore
SPONSORS:
Major Support from: National Endowment for the Arts, Roundhouse Foundation; Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation’s Community Grants; The Salvador Fund of the Gorge Community Foundation; Columbia Fiber Arts Guild; and Umpqua Bank, Goldendale Branch.
This project could not happen without the additional support of services and goods from a number of people and organizations, including the following: Anonymous, M & P Ranch, Premier Metal, Olympic Yarn and Fiber, and StoryGorge. Additional thanks go to all our community partners and artists.
To support this great project, contact Colleen Schafroth 509 773-3733 x 23 or email development@
Participating Artists
Blog
Latest News
Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Arts Receives Major Grants
(GOLDENDALE, Wash., January 12, 2022) – Maryhill Museum of Art has been approved for a $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support The Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Arts, a community-based art project to take place this year.The Exquisite Gorge Project II:...
The Exquisite Gorge Project II to Feature Regional Fiber Artists in 2022
(GOLDENDALE, Wash., August 18, 2021) -- Maryhill Museum of Art announces a second major community-based art project, The Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Arts, in summer 2022. During the project, 13 regional fiber artists are slated to work with communities along...
Ophir El-Boher and Desert Fiber Arts Partner for The Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Arts
Desert Fiber Arts will be working with artist Ophir El-Boher on Section #8 of the The Exquisite Gorge Project II: Fiber Arts. Ophir is a fashion designer who works with upcycled materials. Section #8 of the project encompasses the area of the Columbia River that...