The Stardust Exhibition

Scientist/philosopher Carl Sagan said that we are made of star stuff, meaning that the raw materials of our physical bodies were originally forged in distant, long-extinguished stars.  He said:  "The cosmos is within us.  We are made of star-stuff.  We are a way for the universe to know itself."

 

"We are stardust, we are golden, and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden".  (Joni Mitchell) 

Included in the Stardust exhibition are domestic linens, women's hankies and hand made doilies, most of which have been given to me with the hope that they would be used in artwork.  The exhibit has an intimate and generous quality because of these gifts, thank you. 

I also hope that visitors will feel a connection to nature in most of the pieces.  Sometimes it is an obvious link, while other times the connection is abstract.

The use of the same techniques, colours, or shapes throughout the exhibition mimics what happens in the natural world.  Grasses, trees, ripples on a lake, every one is unique.  It is the repetition that counts.    

Hand stitched work takes a long time to make and the pieces in this exhibition have been with me over a lengthy period, supporting me like friends or journals do.  The time in them is another gift, from me to you.

There are several quilts in the exhibition.  Quilts read as comfort, safety, warmth, and time; the time it takes to make them but also the time that allows the body to become vulnerable and give way to sleep and dream. 

When we pull a quilt over us, it touches our whole body.  Time and touch are what this exhibition is about. Textiles are tactile. They relate to the body.  

Thank you to Nicole Weppler and to the Gore Bay Museum for the invitation to exhibit in this beautiful gallery.  

Each of us lives an original life.  In nature, there is no sameness.  No two rocks are alike.  No two people are alike.  No moment is like another moment.  We are born to do certain things.  We are born to fill a certain need.  We are born as verbs, not nouns.                                                                                       (Agnes Martin)

The museum has been closed to the public for five years because of the pandemic and then because of repairs for water damage.   This exhibition celebrates the re-opening of a much loved museum and art gallery.  

The stardust exhibition is a collection of domestic artworks.  Exhibited throughout the two gallery spaces and corridor are six quilts, four ironing pads, three tablecloths, two pillow cases, two books, eight framed embroideries and over one hundred bundles.  Two pieces are presented on well crafted stands made by my husband, Ned.  The stands blend well with the gallery's large wooden bench, as well as the several vintage chairs, small tables, and grand piano.  The addition of furniture within the space also blends domestic with fine art.  The artwork here is intimate, even personal, and was created over a period of several years.  

 The work is quiet but it is a companionable silence.  There is a sacredness to what feels familiar.  Every single object in this exhibition is about the passing of time and the repetition of touch.    We are stardust. 

We are golden. 

Exhibition continues until September 15, 2023.  

Gore Bay Museum, 12 Dawson Street, Gore Bay Manitoulin Island