UNT on the Square exhibition features best of tapestry from around the world

Thursday, July 20, 2017 - 13:02
The piece “Which Way Crow,” by DeAnna Rigter, will be among the 30 works of tapestry featured in the Small Tapestry International 5 exhibition running Aug. 17 (Thursday) – Sept. 30 (Saturday) at UNT on the Square.
The piece “Which Way Crow,” by DeAnna Rigter, will be among the 30 works of tapestry featured in the Small Tapestry International 5 exhibition running Aug. 17 (Thursday) – Sept. 30 (Saturday) at UNT on the Square.

What: Small Tapestry International 5, an exhibition of 40 works of tapestry sponsored by the American Tapestry Alliance Inc.

When: Aug. 17 (Thursday) – Sept. 30 (Saturday). The reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 1 (Friday).

Hours: 9 a.m. - noon and 1 - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday, with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Where: UNT on the Square, 109 N. Elm St., on Denton's historic courthouse square.

Cost: Free.

More information: Call 940-369-8257 or find more information, including directions, at UNT on the Square online.

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- The piece “Which Way Crow,” by Pennsylvania-based artist DeAnna Rigter, shows a woman in a long soaring dress and ponytail looking as though she is getting advice from a crow in a tree.

The vivid work is not a photograph or painting, but a tapestry – made from wool and silk on wool wrap.

It will be one of 40 pieces shown at the Small Tapestry International 5, an exhibition sponsored by the American Tapestry Alliance, Aug. 17 (Thursday) – Sept. 30 (Saturday) at UNT on the Square. The reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 1 (Friday).

The piece shows the innovative techniques used by weavers for their works. “Crow” features unusual details, such as a reddish tree that looks as if it was on fire.

“What I like about this piece is it has a lot of subtle colors and it is just pleasing to look at,” said Regina K. Dale, treasurer for the American Tapestry Alliance and a UNT alumna who helped bring the exhibition to Denton.

Other pieces in the juried show are in 3-D or pulled warp, which means the warp is pulled so it skews the tapestry. All pieces must be 100 square inches or smaller.

Making tapestries can be intensive, taking countless hours. Many weavers will dye their own yarn so they can plan the colors in order to weave the project.

But Dale says weavers enjoy the detailed work.

“You do it because you love it,” Dale said. “You like the process.”

Dale weaves pictorials, in which she will weave a tapestry from a photograph. In fact, she took up tapestry in 2010, after years of weaving cloth, when she wanted to reproduce some of her photographs.

She found out about the organization, which was founded in 1982 to promote awareness for woven tapestries. The 850-member group hosts exhibitions, retreats, mentoring programs and workshops. This exhibition features entries from the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Mexico, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. 

Dale encourages individuals to come to the show so they can take in the details of the work.

“To see it up close, you see a whole different perspective of the piece that you would in a catalog or online,” she said. 

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