Minot, Lisbon Falls, Lewiston artists included in Maine textile exhibition

TOPSHAM — Artists from Minot, Lisbon Falls and Lewiston are among those featured in “Threads of History: Exploring Maine’s Textile Past,” a wide-ranging art and history exhibition that begins July 23.
Events are sponsored by nonprofit organization Maine Fiberarts, and include an exhibition, a history walk, a tour of Maine Woolens, illustrated lectures about textile mill history and Maine’s silk industry and a log cabin quilting workshop.

Artists Gail Skudera, of Lewiston, Jill Snyder Wallace, of Minot, and Donald Talbot, Lisbon Falls are among 16 artists featured in “Threads of History: A Contemporary Take,” which will be on display through Sept. 1. A reception, free and open to the public, takes place from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 23, at Maine Fiberarts, 13 Main St.
The exhibition features work by a diverse group of artists referencing Maine textile history. The collection of work ranges from woven portraits using photo transfers to garments and wall pieces made of paper, cloth and bark fiber. Items of clothing include bonnets made of paper, shoes formed from gold wire, and a coat assembled from picture postcards. Hooked rugs, woven photographs, handmade paper assemblages, and a canvas floor cloth are all shown.
As one example, artist Snyder Wallace calls her piece “Lost Industry — an ode to the demise of the textile, shoe and wood turning industries of Maine.”
Artists’ books on display include an elaborate beaded storybook boa, titled “Ornithology,” by Nan Heldenbrand Morrissette, of Falmouth, and a journal created out of kozo fiber by Richard Lee depicting a “Trip through New Hampshire Sheep and Wool.”
Also on display are artifacts of the textile industries of the past, including sewing supplies, beaded purses, textile tools and items of clothing.
Other artists who created art and artifacts for the exhibition are Chris Antonak, Brunswick; Elizabeth Berkana, Portland; Kate Brinsmade, Bowdoinham; Barbara Burns, Harpswell; Crystal Cawley, Portland; Janet Conner, Hiram; Stephanie Crossman, Vinalhaven; Henry D’Alessandris, Brunswick; Roslyn Logsdon, New Harbor; Arlene Morris, Brunswick; and Barbara Taylor, Brunswick.
Details about programming locations and fees can be found at www.mainefiberarts.org under “Current Exhibition.”
For more information, Contact Maine Fiberarts, 13 Main St., Topsham; 207-721-0678;