Magnificent Bugs in Rugs
A collection of 45 hand-hooked art rugs depicting magnificent bugs. An international group of experienced and recognized artists brought these fascinating creatures to life through their unique artistry. Viewers will be amazed at the wide range of techniques and materials used in this collection, as well as the colors and vibrancy.
The subject of bugs was chosen with the intention of engaging a younger audience. A children’s book of the bug rugs accompanies the exhibit with bold, bright images and rhyming phrases of fascinating facts about the insects. The profits from the sale of the book will be used to create programs for children to promote rug making to a new generation. The intention is to preserve the history of rug making while encouraging young minds to push its boundaries with their creativity and the new techniques and materials available today.
Curators: Yvonne Iten-Scott & Leslie Knight
Yvonne & Leslie met each other through a Zoom call during COVID and discovered their farms were only 15 minutes apart. After spending time together hooking, they discovered that many of their fibre-related hopes and plans for the future aligned.
In the few years they have known each other they have joined the board of TIGHR (The International Guild of Handhooking Rugmakers) and are planning the 2024 triennial conference in Niagara Falls, they have co-curated the exhibition and written the book, Magnificent Bugs In Rugs and have opened a studio, The Mill Fibre Art at the Alton Mills Art Centre. In 2024, after the TIGHR conference, Leslie & Yvonne will be immersing themselves in a one-month residency in Iceland at the Icelandic Textile Center.
Leslie Knight - Beginning at an early age with crafts like knitting and cross-stitch, Leslie grew up surrounded by women with an appreciation for craft and the arts. Her love for gardening and the natural world are prevalent subjects in her work. Leslie is currently completing her Studio & Design Certification through the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. Leslie’s work has been juried into several exhibits as well as the Emerging Artist issue of Fibre Art Now magazine.
Leslie is co-curating a global rug exhibition called Magnificent Bugs in Rugs to bring awareness to a new generation of rug hookers.
Leslie lives in Caledon, Ontario and shares a studio called The Mill Fibre Art at the Alton Mill Art Centre.
Yvonne Iten-Scott - is a multi-disciplinary fibre artist whose work explores the combination of materials and processes. A lifelong learner, her work is constantly evolving through medium, form and scale, although her love of wool, in its many forms, often shines through. Her use of texture, colour and dimension seek to draw the viewer in to encourage touch and engagement. Yvonne enjoys the challenges of combining many techniques in one piece which may include rug hooking, braiding, stitching, felting, punch needle and quilting.
Yvonne has a certificate in Fibre Art from the Haliburton School of Art and Design and is now on the teaching faculty. She is the current president of TIGHR and is an Oxford certified Punch Needle Instructor.
Yvonne is co-curating a global rug exhibition called Magnificent Bugs in Rugs to bring awareness to a new generation of rug hookers.
Yvonne lives in Erin, Ontario and shares a studio called The Mill Fibre Art at the Alton Mill Art Centre.
Website: TheMillFibreArt.com
Classes: To accompany this Feature Exhibit, we are offering a Retreat, Workshop and Gallery Talk, for more information see our Retreat and Workshop pages.