The Village Theater at Cherry Hill is pleased to exhibit "Loose Threads," a combination of work showing the dynamics and processes of three fiber artists, now through April 30, 2017. A special artist’s reception and meet & greet will be held on Thursday, April 13 from 7-9 p.m. at The Village Theater that is free and open to the public.
Featured artists include: Jan Waller, Leann Meixner and Joan Potter Thomas, who combined have over 50 years of fiber art experience. Artwork includes, but is not exclusive to, quilting, felting, stitchery, printmaking and assemblage.
British fiber artist Jan Waller currently resides in Plymouth, MI and works predominately with felt making. She studied Fine Art (Sculpture) at Loughborough College of Art and Design. After Art College and a variety of “interesting” jobs she became an art teacher and taught art at secondary level (Middle and High School) for 10 years. Her passion for felting began at a day course with Gillian “GladRags” Harris. After moving to Australia she was given access to some of the world’s foremost felters and the Victorian Feltmakers Institute. Since moving to Michigan she has become a member of the Ann Arbor Fiber Arts Guild and has exhibited around Michigan, including ArtPrize 2012.
Artist Leann Meixner received a Bachelor’s of Fine Art with a concentration in fiber from the College of Art and Design in Detroit and has branched out into printmaking, collage, and assemblage. Meixner has been known to choose her media by the people who work in that medium and by the way that medium feels in her hands. She enjoys process, and the give and take of working with other artists in an open environment. Meixner’s artwork is influenced by her travel. Not only the trips where she has been able to gaze upon the Sarsens and bluestones of Stonehenge, but even a quick trip to a neighboring subdivision where she might see the Holy family; Jesus, Mary and Joseph, cast in plastic.
Artist Joan Potter Thomas is a mixed media and fiber artist from Northville, MI. Thomas received her BA from the University of Michigan and her MA from the College of William and Mary. Her work has been exhibited across the country and featured in several national publications. She has also received several awards for her art, including “Best of Show” and “Juror’s Choice” in three exhibits. Thomas stated, “I think of both my life and my art as a continuous struggle for balance. The creative process versus the necessity of business; hours in my studio versus hours at home; the freedom of a messy workspace versus knowing where to find things. I juggle various mediums in my art as well, frequently shifting between two and three dimensions. Upon reflection, I realize these daily walks across the tightropes define and enrich me – I’m a better person and artist because I’ve chosen not to focus. This juxtaposition of extremes is a common component in my art.”
Topics include friendship, womanhood, motherhood, relationships, siblings, travel, aging, the artist place in the world, belief/non-belief, the past, present and future (the Big Three), sisterhood, death and coffee. This current art exhibit at the Gallery@VT is free and open to the public: Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., one hour prior to and during public performances at the theater, as well as by appointment. The Gallery@VT is closed on holidays. The gallery is located at 50400 Cherry Hill Rd., Canton, MI, 48187. For more information about this latest exhibit, please call 734/394-5300 or visit www.cantonvillagetheater.org