Symbols, Myths, and Fairy Tales

Legend has it the weaver Arachne was turned into a spider by a jealous Athena for the crime of overabundant talent. Storytelling and tapestry have been interwoven at least as long as that story has been told, and at the Textile Center, the two art forms have again joined together. In one piece, the Gruff family of billy goats, their fluffy coats floating above the tightly woven background, leap out of the clutches of a menacing, tangle-haired ogre. A larger tapestry, Seal Skin, Seal Soul, shows a selkie (seal-woman) shedding her animal skin in four panels. The stiff knit that makes up her pelt carries silver threads, running down it like rivulets. The pieces are labeled with only titles—no artists' notes—leaving some of the pieces' mythological referents unknown, including one weaving of nothing more than a stylized forest. The Textile Center itself is airy and bright; artists work quietly alongside the exhibit spaces. Most of the pieces can be viewed along the main interior hallways of the building, but to see the whole exhibit you'll have to come during the Weavers Guild's narrow operation hours. Not to fear, often there is an additional exhibit in the center's Joan Mondale Gallery; currently, it features an eclectic array of beaded pieces.
March 17-April 18, 2008