The Fabric of the Community

A Culture on Cloth Exhibit

Exhibit dates: June 3 - 30, 2010

Reception, Thursday, June 17th at 6:30pm

In the Morin Gallery at The Arts Center In Orange -

an exhibit of twenty tapestries created by Inuit women in the Nunavut hamlet of Baker Lake, Canada. Crafted of wool duffle and incorporating appliqué and embroidery techniques, the tapestries use strong blocks and lines of color to depict traditional Inuit hunting scenes and enigmatic symbols of significance to Inuit culture. With no written tradition, the Inuit used tapestries such as these to convey their history and beliefs.In the Arts Center Classroom - felted wall hangings created by the children of Gordon-Barbour Elementary and The Boys and Girls Club of Orange.Culture on Cloth is an international initiative connecting artists, children, and communities around the world. Learn more at www.arcticinuitart.comCurator Judith Varney Burch fell in love with Inuit art more than two decades ago. Motivated to educate people about Inuit art because it represents a fragile and disappearing way of life, Burch organized “Culture on Cloth,” a traveling exhibit that began in Washington, then headed to locations in Mongolia, China, India, Mexico, Latvia, Russia, Japan, Korea, France and Mexico, and will continue to locations throughout Central and South America. In addition to giving lectures, Burch also conducts workshops with local children, who craft their own culturally specific art after viewing and learning about the Nunavut artists. Creating direct connections through art, and preserving and sharing living symbols of the Inuit people is what matters to her most, she says. Burch serves as a research collaborator for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and her collections have been used for university core curricula. Her hope is to inspire others to preserve works of art as educational resources.The Arts Center In Orange is grateful to sponsors Flossie Fowlkes and Bridget Bryant for making this exhibit and community outreach possible.Exhibit catalogue: FabricofCommunity_____________________________