SOUTHWEST HARBOR — The annual exhibit of Mount Desert Island rug hooking group Hook ‘n’ I will hang at the Southwest Harbor Public Library during the month of May.
Members of Hook ‘n’ I have created original designs and also have worked from traditional and current hooking patterns. This year’s exhibit also includes examples of Scandinavian rya rugs.
Hook ‘n’ I was formed more than 12 years ago, and the group meets during the winter months at the library.
Rug hooking is a traditional Maine craft. Years ago, rugs were hooked by local women both to produce needed articles for their homes and to sell for “pin money.” The Hook ‘n I members carry on this tradition, creating rugs, pillows, purses and other articles.
The exhibit also will include several posters from the Maine Folklife Center’s project “Threads of Our Lives: Maine Folk Fiber Art.” In 2016, the center launched this special exhibit to highlight the diversity of folk fiber arts in Maine. The exhibit was made possible through a National Endowment for the Arts grant. The exhibit features four 3-by-7-foot free-standing panels: “Wabanaki,” “Settlers,” “New Mainers,” and “Community,” which illustrate how Mainers from various backgrounds are carrying on their fiber art traditions.
Visit umaine.edu/folklife.
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