What a Revelation! Salley Mavor and her Felt Art
As part of EAC/ACB’s Speaker Series, Salley Mavor spoke about her journey as an artist who tells stories with three-dimensional embroidery. The October 14 presentation covered a wide range of creative endeavours, from illustration to doll-making to stop-motion animation, demonstrating that there are no limits to what can be expressed with a needle and thread! It was an opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes peek at Salley’s innovative, creative process, which is unmatched within the fibre art world. Salley sees herself as a needle artist. A needle is her tool, thread is her medium, and stitches are her marks. Salley has been sharing her art and processes on her blog/home page for many years. You can view a recorded presentation, An Afternoon with Salley Mavor. You can find links to all her videos on her website. The videos include a short documentary of Salley creating the illustrations for her most recent children’s book, Making My Bed, the stop-animation video, Liberty and Justice – A Cautionary Tale in the Land of the Free, some of her installations, and so much more. That’s where you’ll also find her “Stitch Minute Videos” – short closeup views of her stitching various elements for her art. Learn more about her books, exhibitions, processes and more on her website Wee Folk Felt. The Speaker Series is just one of the free opportunities for current EAC/ACB members. Find out how you can become a member.
Previously Offered :: Speaker Series :: Salley Mavor
Salley Mavor will talk about her journey as an artist who tells stories with three-dimensional embroidery. The presentation will cover a wide range of creative endeavours, from illustration to doll-making to stop-motion animation, demonstrating that there are no limits to what can be expressed with a needle and thread! This is an opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes peek at Ms. Mavor’s innovative creative process, which is unmatched within the fibre art world. Members, sign in to My EAC/Mon ACB to register for Salley’s informative presentation on Saturday, October 14. 4:30 pm Newfoundland Standard Time 4 pm Atlantic Standard Time 3 pm Eastern Standard Time 2 pm Central Standard Time 1 pm Mountain Standard Time noon Pacific Standard Time Salley Mavor grew up in the village of Woods Hole, Massachusetts in a family who connected with their community through art, music and dance. At home, there were always art supplies close at hand and a sense that time was available for creative pursuit. Drawing with crayons was never enough for Salley. She remembers feeling that her pictures were not finished until something real was glued, stapled or sewn to it. At a young age, she held an open-minded view of what constitutes art, writing in a 1964 school essay at age nine, “Art is everything… records, clocks, blackboards, people, snowflakes and everything. That is why I like art.” As an illustration major at the Rhode Island School of Design in the 1970s, she left traditional mediums behind, preferring to communicate her ideas with sculptural needlework. For most of her 45-year career, she has followed this path, creating narrative scenes in bas-relief, much like miniature, shallow stage sets, with figures and props attached to embellished fabric backgrounds. She has spent decades developing her signature style and working methods, carving out her own niche within the children’s book world and the fibre art community. Ms. Mavor has illustrated 11 picture books using her distinctive blend of materials and hand-stitching techniques, including Pocketful of Posies, which won the 2011 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the 2011 Golden Kite Award. Her popular how-to book, Felt Wee Folk is in its second edition, inspiring creativity in all ages. Her most recent picture book is My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World. She lives and works in her home studio in Falmouth, Massachusetts. You can see more about Salley and her creations on her website at weefolkstudio.com.