This is a special message to my Minnesota handweaver friends. I’ve always been a proponent of entering your work in the State Fair. You can tell your friends and family to find your pieces — give them a scavenger hunt in the Fine Arts Building. I can pretty much guarantee that you will get a text from your cousin saying, “I saw your weaving at the Fair!” In 2011 I entered a tapestry portrait of my daughter (a la Andy Warhol), and she was able to tell all her friends, “Find me at the Fair!”
And I know you’ve noticed how many quilts and knitted items are entered each year. That should get your competitive juices flowing: GO WEAVING! Let’s share the beauty of handwoven items with the thousands of visitors taking time out from sampling the newest State Fair foods. Also, let’s make sure we keep all of our categories of woven items. Categories that don’t attract enough entrants are in danger of being discontinued.
You never know who will see your work and take notice. In my case, it was a curator from the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian, who just happened to be planning an exhibit of fine craft from State Fairs over the past century. It was very exciting to have a curator from the Smithsonian write to ask if my piece might be available. And beginning August 22, my tapestry, “The Farmer’s Daughter’s Yggdrasil“ will be hanging in a stunning museum in Washington DC in the “State Fairs: Growing American Craft” exhibit!
So my advice is to get together your weavings to enter in Minnesota’s Great Get-Together. Winning a ribbon is such lovely recognition. I see mine each time I need a Band-aid.