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After a two-year tour of Ontario Museums, the popular fibre-art
exhibit “Memories of My Mother - A Collection of Hooked Art” returns
home on Thursday, September 10th, to the Bruce County Museum &
Cultural Centre, in Southampton, Ontario.
The return of this popular exhibit will be a special opportunity to
view these eye-catching pieces. Whether a rug hooker or art lover
you will appreciate this age-old art form. On display, there will be
one-of-a-kind pieces that tell great stories and offer glimpses into
childhood while showing the humourous and at times poignant memories
of children and their mothers.
“Memories of My Mother” was created in 2006 and showcases this
age-old art in a whole new light. Those that have seen this artwork
submitted across Canada have come away in awe of the detail and
emotions that went into every piece. These beautifully detailed
pieces make one realize this is an exceptional project.
This exhibit has been on tour since December 2006 in several
museums, including North Bay, Simcoe, Guelph, Stratford, Fergus,
Grimsby, Minden, Ancaster and Orillia.
Rug hooking is fundamentally thought to be low-tech and simple, but
with results that are eye-catching and highly creative. In the case
of these 60 heart-stopping pieces, viewers can tell by the detail
that this was no ordinary project. What singles this exhibit out is
that the majority of the pieces submitted have used fabrics, fibres
and embellishments connected to the mother and children figures
depicted, or paid tribute to, in the hand-hooked artwork
.
“The originality, dedication and exquisite talents of rug hookers
are far beyond the craft. This calibre of multi-fabric work is
nothing less than art at its finest.” says Vicky Cooper, the
original coordinator of the “Memories of My Mother” exhibit and
Collections/Registrar for the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre.
Cooper herself knows firsthand the time and effort committed to
these pieces as she has created her own fibre art.
Rug hookers Sybil Mercer and Gwen Becker were the driving forces
behind this critically acclaimed exhibit becoming a reality. Both
these talented artists encourage fibre artists of all skill levels
to try different techniques and forms, and to help promote and
showcase their work. (next column)
04/09/2009 09:57 PM
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Mercer and Becker are also co-producers of
the annual Fibre Friendship Day held at the Bruce County
Museum each June for Ontario’s fibre art lovers, and
organize many other community events and programs related to
their art.
Mercer is not only a talented rug hooker, she also
operates the world-renowned local Chantry School of Rug Hooking. Mercer
is not afraid to try new methods and has won many awards over the years
for her hand-hooked artwork.
Mercer’s only daughter Barb Mercer Nonnewitz (now a
resident of Aurora, ON), is also an accomplished rug-hooker. In this
exhibit, Nonnewitz shows two original pieces - a tribute to her own
mother, Sybil Mercer, and a second in memory of a childhood friend’s
mother. Nonnewitz keenly demonstrates a strong empathy and compassion in
the energy of the designs she created, in what has proven to have a
strong impact on those who have viewed the artwork.
A companion book entitled, Memories of My Mother, A Collection of Hooked
Art is a 76 page, full-colour book that offers not only photos of the
works created for this exhibit, but also offers a short write-up
submitted by each participating fibre artist commenting on their piece
submitted. These short descriptions allow the artists to share their
memories of their mothers and what it was about them that inspired their
works of hooked art. The book sells for $17.95 at the Museum’s gift
shop.
Bring your mother, your father, your aunt, or a friend. The Memories of
My Mother exhibit only runs from September 10th until October 23rd and
then it will head to Western Canada. Don’t miss this UNFORGETTABLE
experience.
For more information visit www.brucemusuem.ca or call 519 797-2080
/1-866-318-8889. The Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre is located
at 33 Victoria Street North in Southampton, ON in the Town of Saugeen
Shores.
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