PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBBIE ROBERTS AND FRIEDA PERRY
Wall of mats celebrating community in Nova Scotia
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia, members were encouraged to mount shows to mark this significant occasion. In our area, four groups from Yarmouth, Weymouth, and Shelburne were invited to participate.
The rug-hooking community in the Yarmouth and surrounding areas is vibrant, engaged, collaborative, and talented. Of the 70+ rug hookers actively participating in hooking groups in our region, 40 people contributed pieces for the exhibit which ran from April 11 to July 24 [2019] at the Yarmouth Museum. It was an immense privilege to display the incredible work of six lifetime Guild members who live in the Yarmouth district: Shirley Bradshaw, Barb Jess, Mary Anne Mehaffey, Eileen Nickerson, Iris Richards, and Vera Sollows. Without the dedication, skill, and contributions of these women and others for more than 40 years, the Guild would not be the creative force that it is today. All new rug hookers owe a debt of gratitude to those who forged the path and continue to teach and inspire us all.
The coordinators of our special exhibit, Rugg Bees members Frieda Perry and Faith Stoll, organized a wonderful collection with the theme “Celebrating Community.” The exhibit room is large and bright with natural light, a perfect space to show off our fiber art. A small committee of Rug Bee volunteers (and one husband who may or may not have actually volunteered) spent hours with hammers and nails, measuring tapes, and ladders, to mount the 40 mats in just the right groupings and locations. Some mats were hooked specifically for this show’s theme and others were chosen from treasured private collections to lovingly represent personal stories of what community means. The diverse exhibit included landscapes, seascapes, beaches, people, florals, animals, story mats, Maud Lewis mats, and more. Each mat was labelled with a brief description of how the piece represents the idea of community.
Place Jones Family Mat, 28″ x 44″, #4-cut hand-dyed wool on burlap. Adapted by Ann Jones from an original Charco pattern by Jane McGown Flynn and Pearl McGown. Hooked by Ann Jones, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, 2007.
The Yarmouth Museum continues to be an extraordinary partner in promoting and supporting our beloved art form. The museum staff went the extra mile for us, generously hosting the opening reception on April 11. During the exhibit, viewers had the opportunity to vote for “People’s Choice,” with the winner of this vote being announced after the exhibit closed on July 24. It will be a difficult decision for any visitor, faced with such an impressive display of artistry!
The exhibit features members of the Rugg Bees and the Carpetbaggers, Yarmouth; the Rustic Crafters, Weymouth; and the Shelburne Rug Hooking Group, all from southwest Nova Scotia. We share our love of the sea, sense of community, and our way of life, which is reflected in our rug hooking. Meredith Burton is the regional director of the rug hooking groups for the Yarmouth area of the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia and has been hooking for two years.
Memories of Beach Days, 17″ x 13″, #4- and 5-cut wool, wool yarn, and craft rope on burlap. Designed by Deanne Fitzpatrick and hooked by Faith Stoll, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, 2014.
Midnight and Dawn, 41″ x 21″, Briggs and Little yarn and cotton ribbing on burlap. Designed and hooked by Shirley Crockett, Port LaTour, Nova Scotia, 2016.
A Winter’s Night, 28″ x 18″, #5- cut wool on burlap. Designed and hooked by Vera Sollows, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, 1999.
The Knitters, 21″ x 13″, wool yarn, acrylic, chunky wool, silk hankies, jewelry accessories, and 2mm knitting needles (shortened and capped with painted wooden beads) on rug warp. Designed by Deanne Fitzpatrick and hooked by Frieda Perry, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, 2019.