Woven Reverie: a fiber arts wonderland
In late July, I had the privilege of participating in an immersive art exhibition and fashion show that featured local makers and designers in Albuquerque’s fiber arts community. From giant tufted rugs, to quilts, to small felt sculptures, to freehand crocheted tapestries and handmade props, what once was a black box void of color and soul, was transformed into a vibrant escape into another world. One where child-like wonder and play was unbound.
I’m so grateful to have gotten connected with the organizers Aluna and Tay when they brought their crochet club to Remedy, the coffee shop I work at, earlier in the year. I knew instantly I had found a group I didn’t want to lose touch with. I started attending their monthly meetups and was so glad to meet fellow crochet enthusiasts. As the months progressed, they started talking about this show they were putting together and invited me to submit a piece.
I ended up reworking an older peace I had in my collection. I felt like the colors and imagery paired perfectly with the feeling they were trying to evoke—ethereal, whimsical, and a little psychedelic. The process was a bit of a challenge as I tried to figure out how I wanted to incorporate fiber arts into the piece, but I ended up loving the way the sewn on fabric I attached to the painting melted into the rest of the installation around it. I was able to create its own environment for it to live in. It felt like a beautiful union between previous installation work I had done with tulle and the painting.
The fashion show aspect of the exhibition added a new and exciting context for the work. Seeing all of the creativity and craftsmanship that went into each of the designs left me feeling inspired and renewed with as sense of rebellion. The daring to take up space and create our own avenues of expression.
I will forever cherish these moments and the people I was able to meet through this experience, and I’m looking forward to continuing to plant myself more into the fiber arts community. More to come!
To learn more about the chrochet collective and to support their work, check out their Instagram.