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Gallery curator previews Fiber Art Now exhibition at William D. Cannon Gallery
Summary
Gallery curator Lisonbee Benford told the Carlsbad Arts Commission the William D. Cannon Gallery will host a juried Fiber Art Now exhibition featuring more than 15 national artists, will open July 20, and will hold a reception Aug. 17; the city drafted loan agreements and will cover return shipping to reduce barriers for emerging artists.
Lisonbee Benford, gallery curator for the William D. Cannon Gallery, told the Carlsbad Arts Commission on June 6 that the gallery will host a juried Fiber Art Now exhibition bringing “over 15 national fiber artists” to Carlsbad with work that includes installations, sculptures, vessels, garments and collaborative pieces.
Benford said the exhibit draws from an open call run by Fiber Art Now magazine and that the gallery invited artists from a national pool of 31 applicants, extending invitations to 28. “We invited everyone that we felt we could accommodate,” she said, noting some large installation proposals were excluded because they would occupy most or all of the gallery space.
Benford described the show as intentionally varied in technique and theme: “There are a lot of wonderful enduring themes that I think are gonna bring our community together around perspectives…and those things that are what it is to be human.” She highlighted work ranging from twill weaving formed into sculpture to pieces that elevate regional and emerging artists; she also named individual contributors, including Dorothy McGinnis (paper and hand-dyed watercolor paper) and Susan Zimmerman, whose work engages family history and immigration.
On logistics, Benford said staff and the city attorney drafted new loan agreements so the city can cover return-shipping costs and better support emerging artists. “Those invitations went out on May 24,” she said, and staff are now sending DocuSign contracts as artists confirm participation. Artwork is expected to arrive in late June and July; the gallery plans a three-day installation window for the many delicate and intricate works.
The exhibit is scheduled to open July 20. Benford asked commissioners to note the opening reception on Aug. 17 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the gallery courtyard. She also said the gallery obtained 100 copies of Fiber Art Now magazine to distribute to visitors, giving each artist a magazine page and an opportunity for an artist statement.
Commissioners welcomed the presentation and asked about artist participation at the reception and about school programming tied to the exhibit; Benford said staff are developing a suite of education programs and expect to return with a proposal at a future meeting. “We are currently working…to develop the suite of programs that will accompany this exhibit,” she said.
Next steps: staff will finalize loan agreements, track arrivals and complete installation plans for the July opening; commissioners will review program proposals when they are ready.
