Community Calendar

Maine Fiberarts will host a Reception and Gallery Talk on Sunday, March 4, (snow date March 18) from 2-5 p.m. for its current show "The Art of the Needle," an exhibition of innovative needlepoint tapestries by West Newfield artist Jill Vendituoli.  The artist will speak about her work from 2:30-3 p.m. and will be available for questions informally afterward. The reception is free and open to the public and the exhibition will remain on view at 13 Main Street in Topsham through April 28.

 For nearly twenty-five years, Vendituoli has been hand stitching tapestries that have spanned the ages from Byzantine mosaics to Medieval stained glass and Renaissance paintings to 21st century nature pieces. The medium of needlepoint, according to the artist, "feels alive with its vibrant color blending potential, its physical flexibility, and the endless possibilities of needlepoint interpretation."

 Jill works full time in her studio/gallery—Sunnyfield Studio—on the very western border of Maine, where she maintains an 18th century farmhouse, perennial flower gardens, heritage geese, a gallery which often shows work by other artists, and her studio. She claims to have "fallen in love" with needlepoint from her very first stitch and ended her job of offering piano lessons years ago to devote herself to her artwork full time. With the exception of her adaptation of Breton's "The Gleaners," the artist only stitches her own original designs, and she completed a new work, "The Thread that Connects," just for this exhibition. With this piece, she is also pushing the medium of needlepoint by taking work off the flat plane of a wall and to add dimensionality.

In her self-portrait, "A Tapiter's Life," Vendituoli collaged components of her life, including images of music, trees, a Celtic cross, a goose, books, and a dragonfly—the symbol of transformation. Vendituoli writes, " I have ceased to view my art as limited to a two-dimensional plane and now envision it overhead, incorporating found objects from nature and in shapes and forms that re-define needlepoint as we know it." 

Come to the artist's gallery talk to learn more about her unique point of view. Maine Fiberarts is a statewide nonprofit housing galleries, artists' studio space, and a networking center in Midcoast Maine. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10-4 and Saturdays, 11-2. To learn more, visit www.mainefiberarts.org or phone 207-721-0678.

GALLERY TALK & RECEPTION for "The Art of the Needle," March 4, 2-5 p.m. at Maine Fiberarts, 13 Main Street in Topsham, ME 04086.  Innovative needlepoint by West Newfield artist Jill Vendituoli are on view now through April 28, 2012. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10-4; Saturdays, 11-2. FMI: 207-721-0678; www.mainefiberarts.org

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