The Nutting Gallery at West Liberty University presents the exhibition, Threads that Bind, from Feb. 20 – March 20, 2014. The exhibit is free and open to the public and will feature a public reception from 5:30 – 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20.
“This exhibition is a related group of sculptures and wall pieces, many created by traditional and experimental fiber art processes. The ‘threads that bind’ range from the direct — threads or tools that make up pieces of cloth, to the conceptual — threads that connect each of us as we collect, gather, and interpret our experiences, to the actual — the binding of ideas and materials through the collaborative art making process,” explained art professor Dr. Robert Villamagna, gallery director.
Curated by Priscilla Roggenkamp, Alliance, Ohio, the exhibition is the culmination of her sabbatical work that includes studio exploration, research in contemporary fiber arts and travel to Poland for the International Triennial of Textiles, according to Villamagna. Vessels and wall hangings of various fibers, mixed media panels and digital photography comprise her work in the exhibition.
Other exhibition artists and artwork includes:
- Keith McMahon, Homeworth, Ohio, in collaboration with Roggenkamp, vessels of fibers and metal, digital photography.
- Betsy Timmer, Lawrence Kansas, sculptural forms of fabric and other materials.
An assemblage by Ken Arthur.
- Ken Arthur, Mansfield, Ohio, assemblage constructions.
- Kate McMahon, Homeworth, Ohio, woven wall pieces.
- Clare Murray Adams, Warren, Ohio, fabric pieces.
- Carole Swope, Alliance, Ohio, in collaboration with Roggenkamp, wall piece created with recycled zippers.
Roggenkamp works in a variety of media. While immersed in sculpting for this exhibition, she was dreaming of drawing and painting. Her sculptural interests are loosely figural, most often having the human form or its clothing stand in as gateway for meaning.
An associate professor of art at Ashland University, she works primarily with art education students. Educated at Heidelberg College, Wright State University, the University of Arkansas and Kent State University, Roggenkamp finds the combination of teaching art and creating art a comfortable and energizing balance.
“I met Betsy Timmer when we exhibited our work at the Mary Brogan Museum in Tallahassee, Fla. and felt an immediate kinship with her and her work. I’m thrilled to have Betsy’s work in this exhibit,” Roggenkamp said.
Timmer’s work has been exhibited across the country in venues such as the Lawrence Arts Center in Lawrence, Kan., the Arts Incubator Cocoon Gallery in Kansas City, Miss., the Olin Gallery at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa., the Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science in Tallahassee, Fla., and the Grand Rapids Museum of Art in Grand Rapids, Mich. Besides a dedicated studio artist, Timmer is an instructor in the art department at the University of Kansas, a freelance graphic designer, a wife and a mother.
Keith McMahon shares an art studio with Roggenkamp in Alliance, Ohio. The shared space along with the similarities and differences in their work sparked an interest in collaborating. Their first collaboration in 2005 took them to Akko, Israel to create a carved stone and fabric piece.
McMahon’s background in biology and sculpture, and his interest in history, nature and traditional farming find voice in his works. An adjunct professor at Ashland University, he lives on a farm in Homeworth, Ohio, with his wife, Kate whose weavings are also part of this exhibition.
Kate McMahon is a textile artist who studied weaving and belongs to several spinning and weaving guilds. She teaches workshops on a variety of fiber-related topics and techniques and is a professor of literature and linguistics at the University of Mount Union, with a specialty in Medieval Studies. McMahon is responsible for encouraging and assisting Roggenkamp as she ventured into the complexities of loom weaving.
Arthur is a self-taught artist whose primary medium is assemblage utilizing found objects. His sculptures have been exhibited throughout Ohio and beyond. He has acted as guest curator in several shows, collaborated with others on various projects and participated in public art demonstrations. As a native of Richland County, Ohio, many objects used in his sculptures are of local historical interest.
Roggenkamp and Keith McMahon met Arthur while hanging a collaborative show at the Mansfield Art Center. This friendship and a mutual respect for each other’s work led to a collaborative piece called ‘Mind, Body and Spirit’ by the threesome. This stone and metal sculpture was created for Galion Community Hospital, Galion, Ohio.
Swope has been involved in fiber arts through a lifelong interest in sewing. She is a musician and music teacher with a masters’ degree in music education and curriculum. She has published several books on music, interdisciplinary teaching in the arts, and differentiation in teaching music.
Adams is a retired professor of art and former chair of the Visual Art Department at Malone University, Canton, Ohio. She received a BFA from Kent State University and an MFA from Vermont College. Over the past 30 years her artwork has been exhibited regionally and nationally in fiber and mixed media exhibits where she has often taken home honors or awards. Earlier work was strongly rooted in quilt making and surface design while more recent work relies on the processes involved in mixed media collage and in encaustic painting. Adams has long used clothing as a vehicle for the content of her work allowing her to comment on feminist issues and emotional human qualities. Working in layers and with a variety of media enables her to work both two-dimensionally and sculpturally.
The Nutting Gallery is open 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays; evenings and weekends by arrangement. For additional information contact Robert Villamagna at 304-336-8370 or at rvillama@westliberty.edu.