The opening reception is scheduled for Friday, May 30 at 6 p.m., preceded by informal gallery talks with the artists, beginning at 5 p.m.
T³: Textile · Text · Texture investigates the value of communication, linking literacy with visual imagery. Through large-scale fiber and mixed media installations, two North Carolina artists present an array of artwork, unveiling personal stories through their work.
Each piece is a unique exploration of techniques — some are layered and stitched while others are sculpted and collaged to create multi-dimensional art forms. Each represents the diversity of fibers and repurposed materials, and imparts narrative messages.
Leslie Pearson of Leland is a multimedia artist who utilizes many fiber-based materials, processes and techniques to create sculptures, installations, encaustic paintings and handmade books, in which she explores themes of memory and identity.
“My work is an investigation into memory, identity and the transformative value of communication. I use narrative therapy approaches such as letter writing, journaling, and storytelling as a starting point to visually express both lived and imagined experiences. I create pieces in response to new challenges, environments and relationships. As a multimedia artist my material choices and processes vary with each new body of work.
“Visually I’m inspired by objects that have layers of history, be it handwritten letters, books, rusty hinges, old stamps, buttons, teeth, animal bones, or bits of fabric. My studio is filled with little things that I’ve collected or unearthed. Conceptually I’m inspired by relationships and in people’s stories and the stories behind the stories.”
Pearson loves to experiment in her work. She is constantly pushing to learn how to use new materials and create something thatw didn’t exist before. One material she utilizes is hog intestine. “It is a beautiful membrane that is translucent when stretched over wire. Many interesting things can be done with it – you can print on it, paint on it, and even stitch it. Over the years my style has evolved and will probably continue to evolve as I grow as a person and encounter new experiences in life.”
Pearson earned her BA in Fine Art from Southeast Missouri State University and her MFA in Textile Design at East Carolina University where she taught textile classes and worked as a studio assistant in the textile department. She also earned her Master’s Degree in Museum Studies at Newcastle University in England. She has won numerous awards for her work and is widely exhibited. Her work is held in numerous private and public collections including the Joyner Library, East Carolina University; Savannah College of Art and Design; Women’s Health Center, Brooklyn, New York; and Grace Café, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Leslie’s body of work, The Visible Word, is on view in the Osborne and Woodson galleries.
Peg Gignoux is a textile artist based in Carrboro. Gignoux creates vibrant mixed media works and hand made books. An active community-based artist and educator, Gignoux has facilitated projects with a variety of schools, museums, and health care centers throughout North Carolina. She enjoys teaching textile arts to all ages and has led dynamic collaborative projects with Elon University, NC Girl Scouts, Artspace, Meredith College, at-risk teens, hospitalized youth, cancer survivors, and Penland School of Crafts.
Gignoux has the remarkable ability to transform simple pieces of fabric into cohesive and meaningful works of art. Her compositions are layered, full of stories, complex textures and color. She builds narratives in cloth by listening to the memories held therein and celebrating them anew. Her expressive and colorful works often combine text with textile. Materials include hand-dyed silks, linen, vintage papers, textile inks and an endless stream of machine and hand stitches. She is often inspired by stories, poems, and memory that speak of personal loss, growth, and wonder.
She states, “Somebody asked me once to define art in ten words. I decided on this recipe: Art is color, light, story and passion urgently requesting exercise. I grew up decoding my world through cloth. Long ago, I learned to cut, attach, pierce, color, glue, and repeat. I love cloth because it consistently offers me a highly sensual and sensitive field on which to play. Fabric is strong. Strong enough to hold metal, quiet enough to remember a whisper, loud enough to carry a shout, and wise enough to answer in a metaphor. I make art because it is a way to locate episodes of deep enduring beauty. It is also a way to confront loss and disrepair. And it requires going inside out.”
Gignoux received her BA in English from Kenyon College and her Masters of Industrial Design in Fibers from North Carolina State University, College of Design. She leads a yearly summer art retreat at Chateau du Pin, Loire Valley, France, the birthplace of her father.
Her work has been nationally exhibited, winning numerous awards, and is held in private and public collections including Fidelity Investments, Research Triangle Park; SAS, Cary; Duke Medical Center, Durham; UNC Hospitals and Chapel Hill Public Library, Chapel Hill; Duke Children’s Hospital, Durham; and Levine Children’s Hospital, Charlotte.
Peg’s work will be exhibited in the Stanback Gallery Hall and the Norvell Gallery.
