SEQUIM — Saturday will mark the last opportunity to publicly view the works submitted to the 2016 North Olympic Fiber Arts Festival.
“This is the very last [event] of the festival,” Renne Emiko Brock, festival director, said over the phone this week.
“There is a lot of creativity in the exhibit. Each time one looks at the exhibit, you see something new and you wonder which artist had his hands on that.”
The theme of this year’s exhibit is Material Measurement — Magnitude, Meaning and Makers.
Fiber art refers to fine art consisting of natural or synthetic fiber and other components, such as fabric or yarn. Viewers focus on the materials used and the individual artist’s expertise while considering the significance of each piece — prioritizing aesthetic value over utility.
The 11th annual North Olympic Fiber Arts Festival launched Oct. 1, and included free educational demonstrations, hands-on engagement for all ages and a fiber arts market.
The Sequim Museum &Arts, 175 W. Cedar St., in Sequim, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday will host the exhibit, which has traveled to various venues throughout the past two months.
The all-ages event is free and open to the public.
The last day will focus on supporting artists and producers selling fiber to finished products as part of Small Business Saturday.
Small Business Saturday is an opportunity to support neighborhood enterprises with unique shopping experiences that contribute to the local economy, Brock said.
Look for the hashtag #ShopSmall and signage of participating businesses.
Several small, home- and farm-based businesses will be selling items at the North Olympic Fiber Arts Festival, Brock said, adding there will be about 35 different pieces on display, with six to eight artists weaving new art during the event.
Brock invites the public to uncover unique presents of fine art, wearable art, accessories, housewares, yarn, fleece and fuzzy gifts while interacting with those who created the one-of-a-kind works.
“This is the most intimate form of art we have considering we wear it every single day,” Brock said.
“We sit on it and we view it. It is a great hands-on art experience, and we have our own stories that we experience through fiber. Everyone has a favorite outfit, shirt, dress or blanket they have cuddled up with. The fact that people engage with fiber so readily already has built in stories. The works of art that people create have even more stories.”
Fiber Artists included in the exhibition are Brock, Lynn Baritelle, Helga Barton, Beverly Biegle, Catherine Bilyard, Debra Danielson, Lauralee DeLuca, Liisa Fagerlund, Marijane Figg, MarySue French, Debi Glass, Janet Green, Pamela Hastings, Leslie Hoex, Margie Kepner, Susan Kroll, Danielle Lawrence, Mary Liebsch, Connie Lobo, Donna McMillen, Sherry Nagel, Sue Nylander, Pat Oden, Noreen O’Neill, Betty Oppenheimer, Ilse Osier, Monica Quarto, Diane Ross, Sandy Schlechter, Alison Sell, Gloria Skovronsky, Stephanie Swenson, Marla Varner, Judy Warner, Diane Williams, Christie Wise and Beth Witters.
For more, visit Fiber ArtsFestival.org or call 360-460-3023.
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Features Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at cmcdaniel@ peninsuladailynews.com.
These silk superhero scarves by Renne Emiko Brock will be on display during the 11th annual North Olympic Fiber Arts Festival’s last day Saturday in Sequim. (North Olympic Fiber Arts Festival)
