Creativity on display in Sisters

Guerrilla art and found-item upcycle fashion were features of the creativity - and spirit of fun - that were on display in Sisters last weekend. It was April 1, but the artists in town weren't fooling around - at least not entirely.

They were here for the 2nd annual High Fiber Arts Symposium at FivePine Lodge & Conference Center, hosted by the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.

The symposium speakers - through workshops, art roundtables, and a wearable art fashion show - explored how the expressive needs of the artist have caused the use of fiber to transcend its humble origins of "hand-crafted."

"Pat Clark and I have long envisioned bringing together fiber artists to share ideas and discuss the evolution of their work as they grow and learn," said Jean Wells, founder of the Sister Outdoor Quilt Show. "Hosting this event in Sisters allows us the opportunity to learn, explore, and network with the vast array of fiber artists who are creatively influenced by environment, technology, aging, and evolving."

Trisha Hassler, the keynote speaker of the event, explored her approach to evolution and growth and how she keeps her creative work from going stagnant. Hassler, a life-long artist, incorporates textiles and found objects in a wide variety of work. Her keynote talk focuses on the importance of inspiration, how to know where to go next, and how life-challenges present opportunities for new ways of working

Since childhood, Trisha has stitched, cut, and reassembled everything that would hold still: clothing, baby quilts, costumes, scenery, a sofa and steel from the fender of an old car. After many traditional quilts, she became fascinated with construction techniques, improvisational quilting, and incorporating alternative materials into her artwork. Many of the materials she incorporates are recycled or reclaimed, adding history and texture to her work. The evolution of Hassler's mixed-media pieces continues through personal experimentation.

Since 2000, Trisha's artwork has been exhibited in juried shows, galleries, and museums worldwide. She has also served on committees and boards with the commitment to raising appreciation of original artwork in her community. Her diagnosis of Parkinson's in 2012 also presents some new challenges to the evolution of her lifestyle and art continues.

The spirit of incorporating found objects was on further display in a lunchtime wearable-art fashion show, featuring Sisters youth and their creations. Annie Painter had several students creating dresses out of Nugget newspapers, while Allison Murphy created a dress from recycled cat food bags as part of the series called Utilitarian Upcycling.

The symposium featured a full slate of roundtable discussions and workshops. One of the roundtables was titled Fiber Anarchy - Stirring up trouble delight with yarn with Elise Jones. In that spirit, a group of art students who work with artist Kit Stafford "yarn-bombed" the stallion statue along Cascade Avenue. That bit of guerrilla art stayed up through Saturday (see photo page 1).