Judith Daniels shows off a felted wool shawl, which is displayed in ‘The Fiber of Our Being,’ the felting arts exhibit coming to JCC MetroWest.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — JCC MetroWest presents an exciting and unusual exhibit of felting and other fiber arts by the Northeast Feltmakers Guild. The exhibit takes place in the Gaelen Gallery East at the Leon & Toby Cooperman JCC, Ross Family Campus, 760 Northfield Ave. in West Orange. The exhibit will be on view Nov. 13 through Dec. 26. A reception will be Sunday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Guild members will be on hand to demonstrate felting and nuno techniques from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. during the opening reception.
The Northeast Feltmakers Guild was founded in 2002 as a way of bringing together many talented felt artists. The roster has since grown to include feltmakers from 10 northeastern states. The guild promotes felted fiber art, increases awareness of the feltmaking process, and offers a forum for feltmakers where information can be shared.
Felt dates back 5,000 years to Central Asia, Turkey, Greece, Rome and Scandinavia. Unspun wool is laid in different directions, wet down with soap and water and agitated through direct touch or rolling to felt together. Then it is fulled, or shrunk, so the fibers form a strong, tight bond. Nuno felting, often used for lighter scarves or garments, works the wool fibers into an existing piece of cloth, usually silk or cotton. The current JCC exhibit, “The Fiber of our Being,” illustrates the range of felting arts and how the feltmaker’s touch, from a gentle caress to a strong throw, works the fibers to meet the artist’s vision.
Painter Gail Feingold’s colorful oil and watercolor paintings will fill the Arts/Theater Lobby. She is a retired physician who recently returned to her lifelong love of painting and drawing. A leukemia survivor, painting helps her in her recovery. By using the vast array of colors and shapes of flowers as well as other natural forms as her chosen subjects, she achieves a distinctly soft, fluid and recognizable style.
The Book Arts Roundtable was established to encourage the love of book and paper arts as well as to create a forum for the exchange of ideas and information about books. An exhibit of work by members continues in the Steiner Court and Arts/Theater Lobby Showcases through Dec. 18. The Book Arts Roundtable meets at the Baird Community Center in South Orange. There are many activities for anyone who can’t resist the feel of paper, the wonder of books, and the excitement of creativity, including “Booked,” a special event each March celebrating book and paper art.
The Gaelen Gallery East is open during regular JCC hours: Mondays through Thursdays, 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fridays, 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, contact Lisa Suss at 973-530-3413 or lsuss@jccmetrowest.org.