New England’s legacy of textile and innovation relives its heyday. Its fiber art time!

We have seen a resurgence of fiber art, and the trend is rising. Historically most associated with a feminist movement and today no longer restricted to gender, fiber art has been shaking the art world, while defying the limits and boundaries of art technology. The textile evolution continues to impact all areas of art, business and economy worldwide.

Textiles secured prominent value in museums, biennials, art fairs and among academic subjects and research topics. Textile literature is vastly available, and the skills and techniques required to manipulate these materials have been recognized as a force in art. Textile and fiber art cross all geographic and cultural borders, reaching and impacting our everyday life. Contemporary artists, the merchants of fiber art, have been experimenting with fiber by merging ancient and up-to-date techniques, thereby raising the status, and democratizing this fascinating art form.

Fiber is no stranger to civilization. As mentioned in the Bible, linen fabric was greatly valued as a commodity, served as form of currency, was used in mummification processes, and had special significance as the leading textile in ancient haute couture. Also, housed in Turin, Italy, a particular length of linen cloth is one of the most controversial and sacred pieces of textile as some believe it to be the burial shroud used to wrap Jesus after the crucifixion. Should the Stone Age be also considered the Textile Age?

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