OHCG 50th Anniversary / In The News
MuskokaRegion.com
News
Fibre arts fill Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville for 50th OHCG conference
Sun., May 01, 2016 | By Alison Brownlee
HUNTSVILLE SHINES AT HOOKED RUG CONFERENCE |
Alison Brownlee
HUNTSVILLE – The room was buzzing with
visitors admiring the intricate works of fibre art displayed at Deerhurst
Resort on Sunday.
The Ontario Hooking Craft Guild hosted its 50th anniversary conference with 400 members representing
the 60 guild branches at the Huntsville resort from April 29 to May 1. The
event included an open house for the public featuring hundreds of wall hangings
and rugs woven in every colour and depicting innumerable scenes based on the
artists’ individual styles and designs.
Wanda Wallace, conference co-chair, said
the anniversary celebration marked a milestone for the guild, while also
preserving a heritage craft.
There is a significance in not losing our
history,” said Wallace.
Dianne Algera, fellow conference co-chair,
agreed.
“It has a very rich Canadian history coming
from the Maritimes and Quebec,” said Algera.
How does it work?
The craft starts with a design drawn on a
piece of linen or burlap. A tool reminiscent of a crochet hook pushes ribbons
of wool or other material through the backing, giving the design colour and
texture. The works on display included landscapes, portraits, animals, mosaics,
floral patterns and whimsical interpretations of the conference’s theme, Going
for Gold.
Algera said the craft is seeing a
resurgence as fibre arts, such as knitting, crocheting and quilting, climb in
popularity.
“I think part of the reason is because the
baby boomers are starting to retire and they are looking for crafts. Knitting
has enjoyed a real resurgence and it’s a great opportunity for us,” she said.
“Part of the mandate of the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild is to promote
traditional rug hooking and keep it alive as one of our heritage crafts.”
Evolution of a craft
She noted, though, that the heritage art
has seen an evolution over the years with some crafters shying away from
traditional wool fibres and leaning more toward mixed media such as buttons.
“It’s evolved and the rules around rug
hooking are now very relaxed,” she said.
And Wallace noted rug hooking is easy to
learn.
“We have someone from Beaconsfield, Que., who had an interesting story last night. She slipped into the dollar store, bought some frames, stapled them with burlap and wrote the initials of each (student in an elementary class) on the burlap, supplied them with the hooks and wool, and in two hours they went home with a wrapped gift,” she said. “We love it when the youth are involved.”
Muskoka artist featured
The conference also highlighted
Huntsville artist Diane Ayles, who was named one of two Rug Hooking Artists of
the Year by the Hooked Rug Museum on North America in the Maritimes.
There were also vendors alongside
the artists, including Jen Manuell and Sandra Stetler of Fish Eye Sisters Fibre
Art and Design from the Township of Perry north of Huntsville. The sisters said
they have registered as vendors for 11 upcoming outdoor shows in the next six
months, a testament to the popularity of fibre arts and crafts.
