Art Cloth Network: June 2026

Monday, June 8, 2026

Explorations in Fiber Art Exhibit at Columbia College of Art and Design Barbara Schneider

I am a member of a Chicago area fiber group of about 25 people that have been working together for over 20 years. On June 2 we hung our latest exhibit It's A Wrap, in the Michigan Avenue Gallery windows at Columbia College which is located a few blocks south of the Art Institute of Chicago. This was the culmination of an almost 2 year long project. It started when I went to Columbia to visit with the head of the Textile and Fashion Department about donating some of my Chinese and Japanese textile garments to for their collection. Kathleen Cunningham came with me and we ended talking with the department chair about how this group of people has developed over the past 20 years by working on an exhibit theme every year. It's normal cycle is to be shown at the Fine Art of Fiber held every year at the Chicago Botanic Garden, moves to Anderson Arts Center in Kenosha, WI, and then often goes on to other venues. One of the great things about the group is that we meet every few months to look at where people are with their work and often help one another move past difficult problems by putting our heads together. This theme started out a bit differently because we had to have a connection to a garment in some way, shape or form.

One of the things I like best about this group is to watch the development everyone has made over the years, how work has deepened, how people have dealt with life issues through their work. For example, one of the artists addressed finding out about her husband's coming out after 40 years of marriage and how they have survived it. Another piece uses the wool blankets that her parents had during their escape from Germany during World War II to construct a cape. Kathleen created a jacket to honor her mother. One used a line from a poem - we all bleed red to create a large cape about diversity and inclusion.

There were many logistical problems we had to plan for, and different ways the exhibit had to be displayed in its various galleries. One of the issues I dreaded and then it turned out to be a non-issue was unloading artwork and mannequins and other equipment while parked with hazard lights on one of the busiest streets in Chicago!

It feels quite wonderful to have our work be recognized in this way, to have it be so visible to anyone and everyone walking by. If you are in Chicago any time before June 29, take a look!

Boro - Hidden and Visible Mended Textiles Barbara Schneider

About 2 weeks ago a friend and I took a 500 mile trip each way to go from Woodstock IL to Lincoln, NE in 2 days :-) to see this special exhibit at the International Quilt Museum. I had seen information about it earlier this spring and watched some of the videos and interviews with Yoshiko Wada about creating the exhibit and wanted very much to actually SEE the pieces. It was well worth it.

In addition , I made arrangements with Jamie Swartz, Exhibitions Director to bring some of my own boro collection to show them and also for them to show my friend and I our art quilts that are in their permanent collection.

Both parts of the visit were wonderful. Being able to look at both the fronts and backs of many boro pieces and to read about their history and purpose and creation was a remarkable opportunity. A couple of my favorite pieces ere the birthing boro - much thicker and more textured. A lovely detail about them is that after a birth the child is wrapped in a garment from one of his ancestors (usually grandparent) to anchor him to his ancestry. The exhibit ends soon but a catalog will be coming out later in the year.

We met early the next morning to have a behind the scenes tour of various areas of the museum - how intake of art is done, how it is stored, how it is cared for on a regular basis. There are over 8000 pieces in their collection and all pieces are refolded on a regular basis to keep creases and wear to a minimum. Many volunteers help with that process. We got to go into the storage area and see our work. Both of our art quilts were in a very large (at least an 8 x 8 foot) equivalent of a flat file that is temperature controlled and secure. The large sliding "drawers" held a variety of quilts. Because mine was flat it was on the bottom with 2 or 3 other pieces that had more dimension laid on top with tissue between. It was nice to be reacquainted with work I have not see since the early 2000's! As we looked around the shelves that held hundreds of other pieces in archival boxes we saw many names we recognized.

Below are some pictures from our adventure!