We have been following our own advice and trekking to the fiber events we’ve been promoting around the Connecticut.
Right in our neighborhood, we found Julia Bland ’s installation at the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield.
Julia Bland: Woven in the Reeds is the artist’s first solo museum presentation, debuting a monumental tapestry composed of canvas, ropes, linen nets, and fabrics that are dyed, woven, braided, tied, and sewn by hand. Bland grew up in Palo Alto, California, the Museum explains, in the shadow of the counterculture movement of the 1960s–70s, and in the nascent stages of technological utopianism. “Raised by parents with different religious backgrounds—her mother is Jewish, and her father is a Presbyterian minister—Bland’s upbringing was marked by a blend of spiritual influences. In 2008, she was awarded a fellowship to work in Morocco, where she lived on and off for several years. During this time, she studied Sufism and immersed herself in the country’s rich customs, materials, and craftsmanship. Informed by these personal experiences, Bland’s textiles reflect a synthesis of visual cultures across time and place. Her work blends the tie-dyed, kaleidoscopic imagery of psychedelia with sacred Islamic geometry and Judeo-Christian symbols.” While we were there, we took advantage of the Aldrich’s recently expanded and redesigned sculpture garden–beautifully laid out and interesting to walk through.
Ridgefield Road, on which the Aldrich is located, hosts several beautifully maintained Victorian homes and a quaint downtown also worth exploring.
Julia Bland’s work is also included in WEFAN in West Cornwall, Connecticut through June 28, 2025. West Cornwall is in a picturesque part of Connecticut — even more so this time of year when the woods are green and the river is running high.
WEFAN is in a jewel-box space, which served as a library beginning in 1940. The collection of work in WEFAN (a term drawn from Old English, meaning “to weave,”) is thoughtfully curated and meticulously installed by Dina Shaulov-Wright. Many artists that work with browngrotta arts are included: Ed Rossbach, Dorothy Gill Barnes, Sue Lawty, Norma Minkowitz, Judy Mulford, Dominic DiMare, Marion Hildebrandt, and Masako Yoshida. We were at the opening, which was well attended. Rhonda particularly enjoyed speaking to artist Maris Van Vlack about her work, Breakout/Breakdown. Van Vleck uses a variety of fibers, from thin threads to commericial rope, to create hand-woven work by architectural ruins, the New England landscape, and old family photographs, exploring how architectural structures retain the memory of events that occurred within a particular space.
We also enjoyed visiting the Michael Warren Gallery nearby and had an exceptional meal at The Pink House. All well worth a trip. Photos by Tom Grotta
Earlier in May, we visited the exhibitions at the Silvermine Art Galleries in New Canaan, CT. Fiber 2025 features more than 30 artists. In addition, 19 artists from browngrotta arts have works in display. Fiber 2025, Masters of the Medium: CT and Mastery and Materiality: International are up through June 19th. Tom and Rhonda will be speaking about the exhibitions there on June 7, 2025 at 2:30.
Silvermine is a historic landmark on a five-acre campus in New Canaan. It encompasses an award-winning School of Art with over 4,000 annual enrollments; a nationally renowned Guild of over 300 professional artists; and a complex of five galleries, with free admission, presenting exhibitions by emerging and established contemporary artists.
Hope you can see them all!
