The Seventh Annual Fiber Arts Festival returns to Oxford this weekend with a three-day event that offers fun for the whole family. The festival will kick off Thursday night with an annual welcoming reception at the Powerhouse where attendees can meet festival artists, teachers and vendors.
Fiber arts refers to fine art pieces that are made from materials such as yarn or fabric. The work and time that an artist devotes to the project is part of what makes the finished product unique.
“The fiber arts include quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving and anything else that has to do with fibers,” said Andi Bedsworth, festival coordinator.
The Fiber Arts Festival was created through a partnership with Knit 1 Oxford, a local fiber retailer, and the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council. The festival was established to celebrate the artists who devote their work to this craft and who keep the tradition of this artwork alive.
“The festival started when the University Museum brought in the Gees Bend Quilts in 2011 and wanted to add related activities and an exhibit at the Powerhouse,” Bedworth said. “Wayne Andrews, Yoknapatawpha Arts Council director, contacted Knit 1 Oxford and asked them to help put on a festival that celebrated fiber arts of all types.”
This year the festival will feature 17 vendors from nine states, 28 classes, two receptions, two lectures, multiple demonstrations, children’s activities and classes hosted by Knit 1 Oxford. The event will also showcase an exhibit of fiber related works, which over the previous six years of the festival has ranged from historic quilts, handmade crafts works and contemporary works.
The festival will also partner with several local organizations in Oxford to offer even more fiber arts related events. Some of these will be a film screening at the University Museum, children’s activities at the Oxford-Lafayette Regional Public Library, a reception at Oxford Treehouse Gallery and a special show by Thacker Mountain Radio at Off Square Books.
Amy Goodin is a writer for HottyToddy.com. She can be reached at argoodin12
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