Fibre Riche
Discover the cultural richness of Down Jersey's fiber traditions!
(November 14, 2003 - March 31, 2004)
The
Down Jersey Folklife Center at Wheaton Village in November will open a
major exhibition of fiber art representing the work of many cultures from
the southern New Jersey area. "Fibre Riche" will span a time
frame ranging from early examples of weaving to modern quilt making.
We will present the fiber arts not only in their functional aspect but also as beautiful material expressions of different regional, ethnic, and religious symbols. The combination of group identity and individual creativity results in amazing artistic solutions. Many educational materials will be provided to help our audience better understand the specific beauty and meanings of the items on display.
Workshops will also be offered periodically throughout the duration of the exhibit.
The diversity of fiber traditions in the Down Jersey area is impressive. It begins with spinning, natural dyeing, weaving and knitting, the basic processes necessary to produce clothing for the people who lived here. Until the introduction of the sewing machine about 1850, everything had to be sewn by hand.
The “Fibre Riche” exhibition, however, will go beyond the basics. Fiber arts will be viewed from the perspective of folklore and folklife: the body of shared ideas, perceptions, norms, values, skills, practices and behavioral models that are passed from one generation to the next as tradition.
Throughout history, the fiber arts have been valued for more than their usefulness; they have also been symbols of individual taste, skillfulness, wealth, social status and regional, ethnic and religious identity. Fiber arts were part of everyday life, but also conveyed symbolic messages of different family and community rituals.
These messages were embedded in the shape, color and pattern of a culture's fabrics, and everybody who belonged to the culture could read them. People knew if this tablecloth was for Easter only or if that towel was the traditional gift for the Master of an Orthodox Christian funeral ceremony. They could recognize someone's religious belief or marital status, even the number of the children by a cloth's embroidery.
The design of the symbols is different for the different communities, and the “Fiber Riche” exhibition will give a great variety of them. Among the exhibits will be at least half dozen costumed mannequins. There also will be displays of Japanese, Estonian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Swedish, and Polish embroidery; Greek, Bulgarian and Serbian weavings; Irish knitting; Croatian crocheting, and traditional and contemporary South Jersey quilts, just to name some of the examples.
Workshops and demonstrations in quilting, weaving and embroidery will be announced at a later date.
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