The Seventh Annual Tapestry Biennial will be on display at The University of Tampa’s Scarfone/Hartley Gallery June 16-July 11.
A reception and convergence gallery crawl will take place Friday, June 27, from 4-9 p.m.
The exhibition, presented by the American Tapestry Alliance, is in conjunction with Convergence 2008, Tampa Bay Handweavers Guild of America, International Fiber Arts Conference June 22-28.
Today’s tapestry artists draw their inspirations from Asian Coptic, Pre-Columbian, European and Native American traditions, weaving in their own contemporary issues to create tapestries that can both honor the past and challenge it with fresh ideas. Hand woven tapestries provide a panoramic opportunity to see where international contemporary fiber artists are taking this venerable medium.
The juror, Susan Warner Keene, a highly regarded Canadian writer and fiber artist, carefully considered 175 tapestries and selected 40 tapestries from 11 countries for this prestigious exhibition. This is a dynamic exhibition of work from artists from diverse cultural backgrounds using varying technical and conceptual approaches.
“As the sole juror, I made a point of looking beyond matters of personal taste and interest to the intent and achievement of the work itself,” she said of her selections.
“Within the size limitations of a traveling show, I attempted to select a group of works that would be engaging for audiences new to this medium as well as for the connoisseur, and I believe that all of them contribute something meaningful, intriguing, thought-provoking, amusing, or amazing to a consideration of the tapestry form.”
For more information, contact Dorothy Cowden (813) 253-6217, or dcowden@ut.edu. The Gallery is located on campus at the R K Bailey Art Studios at 310 N. Blvd. and is open Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. There is no admission charge.
Programs are made possible with the support of the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and the University of Tampa Friends of the Gallery. The tapestry exhibit is supported in part by a grant from Friends of Fiber Art International.