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Exhibition That Redefines Fiber Art

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Exhibition That Redefines Fiber Art with Bold Stories and Boundless Creativity Coming to Krasl Art Center

The groundbreaking exhibition A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard showcases an extraordinary lineup of women artists who transform traditional fiber techniques—twisting, tying, and braiding tactile, utilitarian materials—into powerful, boundary-pushing works of art. These creations weave compelling narratives, highlighting personal histories while addressing critical issues such as racism, sexism, patriarchal systems, and climate change. Simultaneously, they celebrate the beauty of nature, the richness of tradition, and the strength found in self-acceptance. Beautiful Mess is an exhibition that appeals to quilters, sewers, rug hookers and more, as well as anyone who has tied a knot, built a creative environment, or been fascinated by the ways artists uniquely use humble materials in monumental ways. 

 

This exhibition also taps into the fiber arts renaissance sweeping the contemporary art world. Processes like weaving, knotting, and macramé—once considered “craft”—are gaining recognition as powerful art forms. These familiar techniques invite a broader, more inclusive audience, breaking down barriers to art appreciation. The artists in A Beautiful Mess elevate these methods to new heights through relentless creativity, conceptual innovation, and colossal scale. The results are visually stunning works that command attention and inspire reflection.

 

As artist Kira Dominguez Hultgren explains, “Weaving is about strange combinations.” By using unconventional materials, exploring personal and cultural histories, and mapping emotions through the physical act of creation, these artists have revolutionized a genre long overlooked in the fine art world. A Beautiful Mess is not only a celebration of technical mastery but also a call to reexamine the stories and traditions we honor—and those we strive to change.

 

This is an exhibition that challenges, inspires, and redefines what fiber art can be.



Exhibition Artists: Windy Chien, Kirsten Hassenfeld, Dana Hemenway, Kira Dominguez Hultgren, dani lopez, Hannah Perrine Mode, Liz Robb, Meghan Shimek, Lisa Solomon, Katrina Sánchez Standfield, and Jacqueline Surdell.

 

A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard was organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA.

 

For more information regarding the exhibitions, visit www.krasl.org

Meghan Shimek

Meghan Shimek, Expand with me (detail), 2021, wool, copper, 64 x 226 x 7 inches

 

Kristen Hassenfeld

Kirsten Hassenfeld, Millefleur (detail), 2019, salvaged textiles with mixed media, 78 inches diameter

 

 

EXHIBITION PROGRAMS

 

Participating artist Kira Dominguez Hultgren joins KAC to celebrate the opening of A Beautiful Mess with back-to-back programs. Dominguez Hultgren weaves with the material afterlife of a so-called multiracial family: Chicanx-Indigenous-Indian-Hollywood Hawaiian-Brown-Black. Questions about cultural appropriation and codeswitching, exoticism, and performing cultural misrecognitions occupy their practice. When not in the studio, Dominguez Hultgren teaches weaving as an assistant professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Fiber and Material Studies.

 

PREVIEW PARTY

It all begins on January 31, 6 - 8 pm, with a first look at A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard. Kira Dominguez Hultgren will kick us off with opening remarks at 6:15 pm. Cash bar and lite bites will be provided. Free and open to the public.

 

 

ARTIST IN CONVERSATION + INTERACTIVE DEMO WITH KIRA DOMINGUEZ HUTLGREN

On February 1, 11 am - 12:30 pm, participating artist Kira Dominguez Hultgren joins KAC for a conversation with our local fiber community. Afterward, visitors have the opportunity to participate in an interactive backstrap loom demonstration.

 

COFFEE WITH THE CURATOR

On February 6, 12 - 1 pm, tour the recently opened exhibition, A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard, with Chief Curator Tami Fauver. Coffee with the Curator is a free, informal tour over the lunch hour at KAC. Sponsored by Forté Coffee. FREE & Open to the public.

 

CULTURE CLUB HAPPY HOUR: FOLLOW THE THREAD

Each month, guest artists walk us through a different step of the weaving process with live demos, from fleece to masterpiece.

 

SHEAR: February 6, 5:30 - 6:30 pm

SPIN: March 6, 5:30 - 6:30 pm

WEAVE: April 3, 5:30 - 6:30 pm

Kira Dom

Artist Kira Dominguez Hultgren during an interactive backstrap loom demonstration.

 

2025 Exhibitions sponsored by 98.3 The Coast, The Boulevard Inn & Bistro, Kzoom, Silver Beach Pizza, Kruggel Lawton CPA, Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant, and The John DeVries Insurance Agency.

 

About Krasl Art Center:

Krasl Art Center provides southwest Michigan residents and visitors the opportunity to experience contemporary art exhibitions, new artist projects, and creative events, as well as art classes, camps, guest artist workshops, and community-wide programs. The center opened in 1980. Indoors, it houses galleries, art-making studios, and a gift shop. Outdoors it celebrates public art through sculpture placements on its campus and throughout the community. Krasl Art Center's mission is to inspire meaningful change and strengthen community through the visual arts. To learn more, visit krasl.org.

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