The Legacy — the fabric, yarn and crafts thrift store that helps support the Sebastopol Area Senior Center — is presenting a series of fiber arts exhibits in Sebastopol to celebrate and showcase local west county fiber artists.
“The whole idea is that The Legacy exists because people donate their fiber arts supplies — fabric, yarn, etc. — so we have donations coming in constantly, and fiber artists make up the vast majority of our clientele. By purchasing from The Legacy, they support the Sebastopol Senior Center, and we felt we wanted to bring it full circle and support the artists who support us,” said Sue Pekarsky Gary, a volunteer at The Legacy and the creator of the fabric arts shows.
Gary’s first experience curating a show was the Hippie exhibit at West Sonoma County Historical Museum. Creating that exhibit was such fun, she said she decided to do it again.
The first fabric arts exhibit, titled “The Fabric of West County,” is on display through June 30 at Westamerica Bank and Cultivate Home.
Each venue features the work of two artists. Westamerica Bank shows Beth Hartmann’s translucent torsos and vessels of cow and pig gut stretched over metal open work frames, while Lynn Berglund’s combinations of antique hankies and found objects showcase the fine needlework of the hankies and their value as art.
At Cultivate Home, Judy Smith’s hooked rug wall hangings use an old technique to create modern works of whimsy and vibrant color. Her work is fabricated from repurposed wool garments, which are also the basis for artist Jessica McCready’s finely detailed and playful critters.
“We’ve had a really nice response to the first show,” Gary said. She said she is planning to do fabric arts shows annually with The Legacy.
There are two more upcoming exhibits as a part of “The Fabric of West County” series. From July 18 to Sept. 19, the Sebastopol Area Senior Center will feature braided rugs by Bonnie Baclawski, wearable art and art quilts by Sharon Cahn, stitchery and quilts by Franny Minervini-Zick, wearable art by Ann Parsons and woven wall hangings by Keyaira Terry. From early September to late October, there will be a show featuring art quilts by Sue Kelly and Judy Mathieson and fabric collages by Debbie Van Dyke.
In addition to being featured in the shows, the chosen artists receive a one-time gift certificate for 50% off at The Legacy, Gary said.
She is busy planning a new show called “In Stitches: Innovation,” a juried exhibition of innovative fiber art pieces from artists throughout Northern California. That exhibit will be shown at the Sebastopol Regional Library from Oct. 28 to Dec. 2.
The call for artists for “In Stitches: Innovation” is still open. Applications accepted through Aug. 9. at sebasopolseniorcenter.org.
