From the clothes that keep us warm in frigid Inland Northwest winters to ornate tapestries that adorn living room walls and bring simple joy to our daily lives, fiber art surrounds us with its intricate beauty.
Textile is among the most ancient human endeavors — we've always found ways to stay warm using materials provided by the Earth. Over millennia, fiber art has transformed from the creation of functional items to pieces of art that showcase the beauty of the material itself and tell diverse stories.
From the more pragmatic crafts of knitting and quilting that many of us associate with our grandmothers to the lesser-known techniques of wet felting and eco-printing, the world of fiber arts is vast, familiar and yet full of surprises.
Fiber art has long existed in a limbo between "art" and "craft," never quite neatly fitting into one category or the other. Fiber artists spend hours creating stunning textiles with complex patterns and becoming masters at their craft, so why shouldn't their creations be considered at the same level as a painting or sculpture?
Meet a selection of artists making fantastical fiber creations here in the Inland Northwest, and keep an eye out for their work at local galleries and art markets across the region as the fiber arts scene continues to grow.
— MADISON PEARSON
