Save the Date: Upcoming Exhibit in Red Wing, Minnesota

Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving. Sponsored by Red Wing Arts in collaboration with the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. October 27 – December 24, 2023. Red Wing, Minnesota.

The Scandinavian Weavers Study Group of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota has an upcoming show at the Depot Gallery in the beautiful southern Minnesota town of Red Wing.

Description:

“Some of the most beautiful woven art has been produced by people living in harsh and often bleak environments and the Scandinavian peoples are no exception. What is more, the production of Scandinavian textiles was never influenced by a commercial marketplace. [Instead] the work was undertaken by the women in the family often to contribute to their dowries, with all the love and care that such an important purpose implied.”  From: Flatweaves from Fjord and Forest: Scandinavian Tapestries of the 18th and 19th Centuries

From the humble beginnings described above, woven textiles from Nordic countries evolved over the centuries into an acclaimed decorative art, both in the home countries of Norway, Sweden, and Finland and wherever immigrants traveled. The Scandinavian Weavers Interest Group traces this journey in the curated exhibition “Domestic to Decorative: The Evolution of Nordic Weaving,” as each of the twenty weavers present a personal take on the theme. Some are inspired by treasured family heirlooms and traditional techniques, others by the possibilities of modern looms and materials. The exhibit will include demonstrations of weaving and spinning.  The Scandinavian Weavers Interest Group is the largest of several interest groups affiliated with the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. Interest groups allow members to delve deeply into specific weaving techniques and traditions through coordinated study, exhibits, publications, and volunteer efforts. The members of the Scandinavian Weavers Interest Group are honored to work with Red Wing Arts to share “Domestic to Decorative” with the Red Wing community.

Keep up to date on the planned activities and demonstrations in conjunction with the exhibition at the website of Red Wing Arts.

Save the Date: Upcoming Exhibit in Duluth, Minnesota

Nordic Reflections in Fiber: The 50^th Anniversary of the Duluth Fiber Guild. Sponsored by the Nordic Center and Duluth Fiber Guild
September 2 – 30, 2023
Nordic Center, 23 North Lake Ave, Duluth, MN

The Duluth Fiber Guild and the Nordic Center have teamed up for Nordic Reflections in Fiber, inviting the public to a new gallery exhibition and a festive series of events where you can experience the joy of fiber arts. The Duluth Fiber Guild is celebrating its 50^th Anniversary, a perfect opportunity to learn about fiber arts and this vibrant educational and social organization. Art works will be for sale. Join the Public and Artists’ Reception on September 8, and come back to the Nordic Center throughout September for a class or for an informal try-It opportunity.

Public reception: September 8, 2023, 5-7. More information about exhibition activities at nordiccenterduluth.org and duluthfiberguild.org. 

 

A PAST Exhibit at the Portland (Maine) Museum of Art: North Atlantic Triennial in 2022

Co-organized by the Portland Museum of Art, the Reykjavík Art Museum, Iceland, and the Bildmuseet, Sweden, the North Atlantic Triennial was the first exhibition devoted entirely to contemporary art of the North Atlantic region. Titled Down North, it included the work of artists from northern areas including Maine, the Canadian Maritimes, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Faroe Islands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and indigenous nations throughout the region. Norway was represented by Ann Cathrin November Høibo. “The use of wool in her work is a nod to sheep, one of the oldest livestock animals in Norway. Sheep are instrumental in shaping Norway’s cultural and natural landscape through grazing, haymaking, and use of wild, uncultivated pastures in forests and mountains.” Høibo’s work was also featured in the Norwegian Textile Letter in 2022 in the article, “To Reach the top of a Mountain: Ann Cathrin November Høibo.”

Webinars

Frida Hansen: A Norwegian Art Nouveau Artist in Wool. (Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum webinar, originally aired in July 2023) Robbie LaFleur 

Join writer and weaver Robbie LaFleur for a lecture on the life and work of the innovative Norwegian tapestry artist Frida Hansen (1855-1931). LaFleur spent the month of May 2019, in Stavanger, Norway, on a master artist fellowship from the American Scandinavian Foundation. She studied the weaving of Hansen, whose work captured flowers, enigmatic women, trees, and mermaids in flowing Art Nouveau style. Frida Hansen was famous for her monumental tapestries, but she also designed transparencies—curtains and hangings with wool warp and weft. In her signature technique, she left open unwoven areas in the weaving, making the textiles flowing and flexible. Her striking designs were enhanced by the play of light and dark with the open warps.

Dressing the Wise and Foolish Virgins: Women, Dress, and Culture in 16th and 17th Century Norway. (Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum webinar, originally aired in July 2023.) Laura Berlage.  

Join tapestry weaving instructor Laura Berlage of Erindale Tapestry Studio on a deep dive into the beloved Norwegian billedvev tapestry “The Wise and Foolish Virgins” as she shares how the simple question “What are these women wearing?” transformed into an enchanted journey. Learn how this visual theme intersects Norwegian-Danish history, climate change, the plague, religion, secular expectations of women in marriage, and the production of these tapestries in social context. Learn how her collaboration with The Tudor Tailor inspired the creation of a miniature interpretation of what the tapestries depict in real form, from the smock up to the crown, as well as how learning to visually “read” these tapestries gives us tantalizing hints into the fashions of the era. This visually-rich presentation is infused with stories, details, insights, and deep questions that help us think about these iconic tapestries in a new and layered way. Come ready to dive in and explore this remarkable era in Norwegian history.

New Facebook Group to Follow

Joel Greifinger has begun a new Facebook group that will be of interest to many Norwegian Textile Letter readers, Scandinavian Folk Textiles. He describes the focus:

This group is dedicated to posting, discussing and appreciating Scandinavian folk textiles, especially those from the 17th through the 19th centuries. In addition to highlighting the textiles themselves, posts that help illuminate their social, cultural and economic context are welcome. This includes the history and ongoing activities of museums and handicraft associations that have preserved many of these artifacts and encouraged interest in passing on the weaving skills involved in their creation.

Sign up, and contribute too!

Article

 

“Honoring and Innovating within Icelandic tradition: An Interview with Ragnheiður Björk Þórsdóttir (Ragnheidur Bjork Thorsdottir),” by Cornelia Theimer Gardella. Tapestry Topics, Winter, 2017, p. 18-21.

The American Tapestry Alliance has posted several years of their publication, Tapestry Topics, online. An Icelandic artist was featured in an interview in 2017, on page 18 of the issue linked below. She concludes her interview with, “The sound of the loom is like the weather or my favorite music, sometimes it makes me sad, and sometimes it makes me very happy. I try not to imitate nature because I can’t, but instead, I create my own expression of nature.”

 

Thank you to everyone who helps support the Norwegian Textile Letter with donations to cover expenses. Your financial support is crucial and very much appreciated. Thank you for being a subscriber! 

Robbie LaFleur

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