Last month, I had the opportunity to participate in an All Member Exhibit put on by the Lawrence Art Guild at the Hobbs-Taylor Lofts in Lawrence, Kansas. This was an unjuried exhibit of recent work by about 100 members of the Lawrence Art Guild, of which I am a member. There was a large variety of mediums represented in this exhibit, from photography to ceramics to oil paint to fiber. For the first time, this annual exhibit was held in a ground floor section of the recently constructed Hobbs-Taylor Lofts building. This was a large space that is awaiting the perfect business to come along and lease it, so it is only roughly finished. The guild used chain link fence panels set up in sections of four to show much of the work. I found that I liked the contrast between the art and the raw concrete and wire. The fence panels were reasonably lightweight to set up, and they hold up to the wear and tear of being stored and moved from site to site. My only criticism of the exhibit is that it was lacking in light. During the stormy day that I exhibit-sat, I began to wish that I had flashlights to hand out to the visitors.
Fiber was represented by a number of works in this exhibit, including a Jacquard weaving by Carla Tilghman, a chenille garment by Marci Blank, a machine lace and fabric scarf by Jill Mickel Zinn and quilts by Marge Banks and Linda Frost.
"Argyle" by Linda Frost
Mixed art exhibits of this type can be jarring, as one goes abruptly from one medium to another. Does this make one more aware of each individual art piece or is it ultimately just too distracting?
Angela Moll
clairan
eileen
gabrielleswain
Jane Davila
june
karenmusgrave2013
kate
kathleenloomis
lindafrost
martinehouse
mcooter3
olganorris
pamdora
sandyw
snicklefritzin43
terrygrant
websandthreads
Ragged Cloth Cafe, serving Art and Textiles 
Hey,
Thanks for the shout out of my work and the link to my website from your comments about the LAG all member show. I really appreciate it.
Carla
I’m reminded of the Impressionists, who refused to (or weren’t offered the chance to) exhibit at the French Salon and so held their own exhibit. “Mixed” exhibits were very much the mainstream at the turn of the 20th century; most of the official academies held huge group exhibits hung “salon” style, stacked one on top of another. The paintings in least good repute with the jurors got put up very high and in dark corners; the impressionists found themselves there a lot.
I think I would have been really pained by the bad lighting, but less so by the mix of media, style, etc. It is harder to run through a mixed exhibit, unless you are really callous and in denial. Having to slow down to change apreciation modes might actually be an advantage. But there isn’t much excuse for a lack of decent lighting in 2008.
Terry Grant and I were recently at a mixed exhibit in downtown Portland at one of the well-known galleries. It wasn’t altogether “stacked” salon style, although there were paintings that were hung one above another, and there was certainly a lot of work to be seen. It was fun to identify individual artists by their styles, even though they were hung in different places in the gallery. The owner of the gallery chatted us up a bit and said he liked to do this kind of exhibit once a year or so because it gave a lot of people a chance to get their work hung in downtown Portland. He didn’t add “at a reputable gallery” but I think he was thinking that. He also had a couple of pieces of his own work hung, one of which was very very big. He might have been thinking of himself as needing a bit of exposure:-)
Personally, I don’t have a problem with a mixed show, even without a theme. I think the different media presented together makes for a more interesting and varied show. A theme would be one way to pull things more together. Our arts council has shows with no theme and various media. I like to have a lot of variation in my own work and this is probably why I enjoy a mixed show. I love the variety.
This show did not have a theme. That would have helped pull the show together, I think. Thank you Marg for making me check again for a website to link to for Marci Blank. I missed it the first time through.
It’s too bad the space was dark. To me the edginess of the space makes for increased focus on the exhibits. I don’t mind a show with lots of media if there is a thenme that pulls them together? Wass that the case here?
Thank you for this review — despite the fact that the poor lighting made photography a challenge! I am excited and inspired by the work of Marci Blank and Carla Tilghman, and am set to explore the websites of the other artists mentioned as well. It is such an encouragement to notice that fibre art is being exhibited more often and in more locations than ever before.