Fiber art on display at the Society of the Four Arts
The Society of the Four Arts is displaying the debut of “A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard” through Jan. 30. The fiber art exhibit is from the Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California. After its debut at the Society of the Four Arts, the exhibition will tour the nation through the middle of 2024.
The Society of the Four Arts was founded in 1936 to inspire people with outstanding
artistic programs. The nonprofit is on a 10-acre campus on the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Beach. It offers a 700-seat auditorium featuring live broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera, an art gallery, a library and an education center for lifelong learning. The Four Arts Botanical Gardens and the Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden welcome guests free of charge.
“A Beautiful Mess” features wall hangings and installations along with monumental pieces located in the Esther B. O'Keeffe building. The fiber works were created by female conceptual artists using materials like yarn and rope that they twisted, tied and braided. These artists elevated weaving and knotting from simple crafts to fine art.
The exhibit intertwines their work with personal stories and social and political concerns.
The Society of the Four Arts is working with the Fiber Artists Miami Association to showcase local fiber artists in “Talking Threads: Dialogues with Weavers and Knotters of South Florida.” Some FAMA artists use the same textile processes as the artists in “A Beautiful Mess,” while others use traditional or creative practices.
FAMA’s mission is to educate the public and advance fiber arts as a contemporary art form. FAMA contributed displays to the Four Arts that explain the weaving and knotting techniques visitors see in the visiting exhibition, including images, text, video and hands-on textile creations.
Other exhibits at the Society of the Four Arts include “An Eye on Michelangelo and Bernini: Photographs by Aurelio Amendola” and “In a New Light: American Impressionism 1870-1940.” The 30 black-and-white Michelangelo and Bernini photographs are on display through Jan. 30. The American Impressionism exhibit will feature 130 pieces by more than 75 artists. Exhibitions at the Esther B. O’Keeffe Building North, Main and South Galleries, are open to the public Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Society of the Four Arts is at 100 Four Arts Plaza in Palm Beach. For further information and tickets, click here or call 561-655-7226.
