Places We Have Been: Journeys in Rughooking
Places We Have Been: Journeys in Rughooking is a broadly themed exhibit, conceived with the intention of encouraging each rughooker to create an original and personal work based on the memory of a passage or a place that is subjective and emotive. The journeys represented in this exhibit are literal and figurative, physical and spiritual. They are countries we have travelled to, places we have lived, passages in life and journeys of healing. We invite you to open your mind and let your spirit soar as you travel with us.
Rughooking is a fibre art where strips of cut wool, yarn or fleece are pulled through the weave of burlap or linen backing. While the technique is quickly learned, refining the art can take years.
The rughookers in this group have been hooking rugs for months or years or decades. Our mats and wall hangings are an expression of a love of fibre, texture, and colour, and a demonstration of the joy of taking the time to make something by hand that can be both practical and beautiful. The underlying objective of this show is to demonstrate that, as practical as they are, hooked rugs are also art… and we are artists.
Carnegie Rughookers
The Carnegie Rughookers, founded in September 2004, meet every Friday morning from 9:30am to 12:00pm at the Saint John Arts Centre to hook rugs. Members are of all ages, from many backgrounds and interests, and work in a variety of styles and techniques. The Rughookers named their group after Andrew Carnegie, benefactor of the construction of the Saint John Free Public Library, which was built in 1904 and is now the home of the Saint John Arts Centre.
Acknowledgements
Funding for this catalogue was provided by the Province of New Brunswick Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, the Saint John Arts Centre, and the Carnegie Rughookers.