NORTH LITTLE ROCK — Fiber art by Hot Springs artist Barbara Cade is on display in a new show, the All-Women Fiber Arts Exhibition, at the William F. Laman Public Library in North Little Rock.
Cade is among 16 artists with works in the exhibit, which will close Aug. 31. She has two pieces in the show — White Oak Tree and Butterfly.
“They are part of my landscape series,” Cade said. “I chose them for this exhibit to illustrate two things: 1) that landscape to me means anything that is in the landscape, not just a mixture of flowers, mountains and sky, and 2) that it is interesting to see things from a different point of view.”
Cade created the pieces with handmade wool felt. Each piece is 18-by-18-inches and framed with Plexiglas.
Cade has often said she finds inspiration in nature … “mostly from the views of the woods and the lake from my studio.
“The white oak tree is in my backyard.”
Rachel Trusty of Conway serves as curator of the show.
“This diverse exhibition … includes sewing, embroidery, dyed fabrics, felting, stitching, quilting and much more,” said Trusty, who also has work in the show.
“The use of sewing and soft materials is historically tied to women’s work and handicraft,” said Trusty, who teaches art at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. “These techniques were used during the feminist art movement in the 1970s and ’80s by women artists to redefine what women’s art could be.
“This show is a follow-up to last spring’s Form in Fiber: A Nine-Woman Fiber Arts Show, which was held in the gallery at the Argenta Branch of the William F. Laman Library System.”
Cade had work in the Form in Fiber show as well.
Cade did not set out to be a fiber artist. She majored in
German in college and, after graduation, started looking into art. She found an old loom that had belonged to her grandmother, and Cade’s love of weaving was born. She started as a traditional weaver but has expanded her craft. She is involved in every phase of creating her artwork — spinning, weaving, dyeing, felting, papermaking and frame making.
In 2016, Cade won first place in the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum Annual Invitational exhibit. In addition to a cash prize, Cade was awarded a solo show at the RAM for this year.
“I am working now to get all the pieces together for that show,” she said. “The exhibit, Bonfire: Barbara Cade, will open Nov. 3 and will be up until Feb. 3, 2018.”
An opening reception is set for Nov. 2. Patrons may find more information on that show in the coming months at the website fsram.org.
Gallery hours at the William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange St. in North Little Rock, are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The library is closed Sunday. There is no admission charge. Call (501) 758-1720 for more information.