3rd Annual seARTS Wearable Arts Show & Sale
Captivating, Colorful, & Collectible!
Building on two successful shows, the seARTS Wearable Arts group is preparing for its 3rd annual show to coincide with Gloucester’s Middle Street Walk, December 12th, with a Friday night, December 11th open house. The Wearable Arts Show provides a unique opportunity to showcase local jewelers and fiber artists and at the same time benefits the Sawyer Free Library and seARTS. The group continues to diversify and distinguish itself on the North Shore by expanding on the wearable arts theme and attracting new artists each year.
Returning jewelry artists include Meredith Anderson, Lee Cunningham, Jo-Ann Demetra, Jacqueline-Ganim-DeFalco, Candy Marshall, Beth Williams, Jan Weinshanker & Judy Wright. Jan and Judy, good friends for many years, combine their 30 year backgrounds in the arts to create jewelry using semi precious stones and old trade beads from places all around the world. Beth Williams will re-locate her downtown studio just for Friday night in order to share her ‘kaleidoscopic collection of unique earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other items made from handmade glass beads’ while Lee Cunningham will share her growing ‘bold’ collection of necklaces that showcase ‘the strength, color and design of the materials she uses.’ Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco has continued to build on colorful combinations of historic pottery and shards of sea glass to her collection of hair accessories and jewelry. Jacqueline, one of the organizers comments, ‘We should all be inspired by the daring icon of style, Iris Apfel,’ whose collection is currently on exhibit at the PEM, ‘I hope that our show gives everyone of us a chance to become an architect of fashion and wear accessories in new and exciting ways!’
New additions include Susan Kenna who creates with felt and Becky Williams, a talented jeweler and vocalist. Margaret Derby will return with her scent-filled sachets and velvet scarves while Camilla MacFadyen will blanket the room with her marvelous seaweed block prints designed into scarves and T-shirts. New fiber artists include Diana Savin of Essex and Nina Lapchyk of Winchester. Diana creates shawls, vests, and jackets from fabrics she has treated with various techniques including shibori, silk screening, and snow dying. Nina comments that ‘fabric and thread speak directly to and about domestic, and also about the history of women.’ Kathleen Valentine will engage visitors with her lace knitting demonstration throughout the show! The common theme for all of the artists is that no two pieces are alike.
The event will begin on Friday evening, kicking off at 5PM with an opening night reception and a chance to mingle and munch until 8PM. The show will re-open on Saturday at 9AM and close at 5PM. Throughout the day, the Library will give tours of the murals in the Saunders House where the show is located.
seARTS members, show participants, and other organizations have donated gift certificates or a piece of their work to be used in a corollary Library fundraiser. Tickets $2 or 3 for $5 will be sold by each artist or at the Library desk from November 16th through December 12th. The Wearable Arts show is organized and supported by the artist members of seARTS. seARTS is a coalition of artists, art lovers, cultural institutions, businesses, and municipal organizations, all working together to improve the economic base for the arts and the larger Cape Ann community. seARTS is partially funded through grants from the Mass Cultural Council and Bruce J. Anderson Foundation.
Details are as follows:
Time: Friday, December 11th 5-8PM and Saturday, December 12th, 9-5PM
Location: Saunders House @ the Sawyer Free Library,Middle Street & Dale Avenue
More Information: www.searts.org _ Events Calendar
Free and open to the public. 15% of sales to seARTS
Cash & checks preferred. Credit cards only if offered by the individual artist