The Duluth Fiber Guild is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023 with exhibits and activities planned for the entire year. (See an accompanying tab for a listing of activities.) Four exhibits are scheduled during 2023 showcasing members’ fiber artwork and the work of Janet Meany, the Guild’s founder. The juried shows include a wide range of fiber-related art, both contemporary and historical pieces.
Exhibits include:
- The Tweed Museum of Art (University of Minnesota-Duluth)
- The MacRostie Art Center (Grand Rapids)
- The Nordic Center (downtown Duluth)
- The Textile Center (Minneapolis)
Art Submission information:
At this time, art has been juried and selected for the Tweed and MacRostie venues. However, members are encouraged to enter their art for jury consideration for the Nordic Center exhibit with the deadline being June 7, 2023. Entry application forms will be available in the Guild studio this spring. Participants may submit up to 3 pieces of fiber art and will provide a brief bio, an artist statement, and a digital image with one sentence description of each work. (Work will be informally photographed at jury intake day.)
Exhibit Descriptions:
Tweed Museum (January 24-May 21)
contact: Cindy Betzler
The first event of the DFG~50 Years and Beyond (Guild 50th Anniversary) will be held at the Tweed Museum of Art, with an opening on January 24, 2023 from 5:00-7:00 pm. The show runs through May 21, 2023.
The juried exhibit will feature a selection of Janet Meany’s weavings (Guild founder) and a variety of fiber works from over 30 Guild members. Current modern work in weaving, spinning, felting, dyeing, basketry, and other fiberart related fields will be shown along with items created within the past 50 years of the Duluth Fiber Guild.
Special events associated with the exhibit include:
- Gallery Docent Tours: First Saturday of the month from 10:00 am-noon: February 4, March 4, April 1, and May 6
- Family Day: Saturday, March 4, 10:00 am-1:00 pm
- Gallery Talk with the Museum Curator and Guild member: Tuesday, March 21, 5:30 pm
The Tweed is open Tuesdays 10:00 am-7:00 pm, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday 10:00 am-3:30 pm. It is located on the University Minnesota-Duluth campus at 1201 Ordean Court, Duluth, MN 55812. The Tweed website is Duluth Fiber Guild | Tweed Museum of Art | UMN Duluth.
MacRostie Art Center (June 2-July 29)
contact: Beverly Martin
This juried exhibition includes Duluth Fiber Guild members’ art selected from the Tweed exhibition plus several new pieces of fiber art. The MacRostie Art Center is located at 405 NW 1st Ave, Grand Rapids, MN 55744. Visit the MacRostie website here.
Nordic Center (September 2-30)
“Nordic Reflections in Fiber – The 50th Anniversary of the Duluth Fiber Guild”
contact: Donna Forbes and Carol Colburn
The third in a series of juried exhibitions of the work of Duluth Fiber Guild members will be on display in downtown Duluth at the Nordic Center during the month of September. The gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
The works of over 25 Duluth Fiber Guild artists have been selected for this exhibition. The fiber art presented reflects each artist’s personal interpretation of Nordic inspiration, design or technique. This is a perfect opportunity to learn about fiber arts as well as the Duluth Fiber Guild, a vibrant educational and social organization in our community. Art works will be for sale.
Join the celebration at the Public and Artists’ Reception on September 8, 5-7 pm, and come back to the Nordic Center throughout September for a class or possibly for an informal opportunity to try weaving and spinning. Check our event calendar for the most up-to-date times.
If you are unable to see the exhibit in person, please enjoy the virtual show here. A big thank you to Lukas Nilsson Walls for producing the video and the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation for the funding grant.
Textile Center (November-December)
“Janet Meany Retrospective Show”
contact: Katie Chmielewski
The 2023 50th Anniversary celebration of the DFG gives us the opportunity to recognize and celebrate one of our founders, Janet Meany. The final free exhibit of the Anniversary celebration “DFG~ 50 Years and Beyond”, will honor Janet Meany’s fiber art and be hosted by the Textile Center in the Twin Cities (3000 University Ave SE, Minneapolis). The exhibit opening is November 1 from 1-4 p.m. Follow the link below for details on location and open hours of the show which runs through December 23.
The “Janet Meany- A Retrospective” exhibit will have the same pieces of Janet’s work that were shown at the Tweed exhibit along with 3 additional new pieces and the opportunity to see Janet’s collection of loom manual documentation that is permanently housed at the Textile Center’s library.
https://textilecentermn.org/janetmeany-retrospective/
These activities are made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to appropriations from the Minnesota State Legislature general, and arts and cultural heritage funds. We also thank the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation for support, and many private contributors.