Fiber Art Today

A thoughtful survey of fiber sculpture and wall art portrayed in 335 vibrant images and insightful text. Explore the work of three generations of fine artists who have opened their minds and spirits to the boundless range of expressive possibilities in textile methods or materials. Even as the art on these pages references weaving, crochet or quilting, traditional textile notions disappear in the hands of serious artists, appropriating essential elements for their contemporary concepts. From looms, needles, embroidery hoops, and bare hands, ideas take form. Piles of cloth, yarn, beads, fragrant grasses, bamboo or other materials of unusual resistance absorb and then return an artist's creative energy. Each object is distinctive to each artist. The discrete marks made by a certain pair of hands tell us who made which treasures. Danish artist/critic Lisbeth Tolstrup refers to art created in fiber media as "windows into the wizard's workshop." Enjoy peeking through the windows of these wizards.