Making Do. Cindy Becker-Lemkau, artist. Photo by Trip Huxley.
The Transylvania Community Arts Council in Brevard will host the opening of the traveling exhibit Through the Needle’s Eye from Wednesday, August 16, through September 15. The show, which is the 21st National Exhibit of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA), features international and national artists, including some from Hendersonville, Asheville and Fairview.
The exhibit consists of 49 pieces of art displaying a wide variety of needlework techniques as well as items on loan from EGA’s collection at national headquarters. On Friday, August 25, there will be a public reception from 5–8 p.m. as a part of the fourth Friday Gallery Walks in downtown Brevard.
EGA recognizes the value of needlework in art and throughout history. This national exhibit represents a selection of the most impressive of artistic and technical works. It is Through the Needle’s Eye that the EGA embraces both traditional and contemporary needlework while expanding the perception of embroidery as an art form.
“It has opened up so many different types of embroidery to me with an international scope,” says Rosemary Kostansek, chairman for the exhibit and a member of EGA since 1978. “What we call folk music is something that belongs to each individual country. This also applies to embroidery. There are many different styles to learn.”
All of the art at the event will be original. While some adaptations are accepted, they have to be a translation of a specific piece of art from a different medium with significant changes. The exhibitors’ inventiveness is evident in their work. Cindi Becker-Lemkau of Asheville utilized a found object to create Making Do. Hendersonville resident and beading master craftsman Sue Osterberg designed a beaded version of the Fisher- Price Rock-a-Stack® toy, which she titled Child’s Play.
“One day as I was putting on a beaded bangle bracelet, it came to me,” says Osterberg. “I would bead each of the six color rings, in graduated sizes and in a different design using various stitches.”
Textiles and embroidery have been added to this year’s lineup of exhibits at the Arts Council gallery. Demos will be offered onsite and some of the art will be for sale. “There is a local EGA chapter that offers monthly programs with projects that members can take to learn a new technique,” says Peggy O’Connor, exhibit registrar and a member of EGA since 1999. “People get a chance to explore the techniques in more detail if they participate in the extensive educational programs offered to members of the organization.”
Through the Needle’s Eye is a free event and will be hosted at the TC Arts Council Gallery at 349 South Caldwell Street in Downtown Brevard, NC. For more information, visit tcarts.org or call the TC Arts Council at 828.884.2787.
