Elegant Threads: Wearable Art and Surface Design

JUPITER, FL – November 13, 2017 – Lighthouse ArtCenter Gallery and School of Art, 373 Tequesta Drive, celebrates the patience, daring and inventiveness of artists who work in textiles, mixed media, metals and non-traditional materials when it presents Elegant Threads: Wearable Art and Surface Design Nov. 2 – Dec. 9, 2017. Today’s modern textile production methods often cultivate uniformity and mediocrity. Taking a step away from our culture of mass production, Elegant Threads showcases the beauty and timelessness of unique handcrafted clothing, jewelry, handbags, quilts, and exquisite textile art pieces for the home. These forty-four award winning contemporary artists master cultural traditions while keeping in mind beauty, process, quality, community, and sustainability, all while honoring innovation and self-expression. And the exhibition is open in time for holiday shopping. 

Elegant Threads was woven together when the Lighthouse ArtCenter invited artists from around the country to submit photos of their wearable art and surface designs. The submissions brought a constellation of contemporary color, texture, and techniques that are certain to impress the most fashion conscious and the most discerning designers. 

During Elegant Threads, patrons and visitors are treated to a relaxing stroll through a timely exhibit that offers ideas for gifts, showcasing luxurious items that are one-of-a-kind. Guests will wrap themselves in exquisite patterns while relishing the softness of silks that are hand-painted and stitched with the greatest of care. They will marvel at the delicate beadwork and fine craftsmanship created by jewelry makers and enjoy studio art quilts and accessories that delight the senses. 

And there’s more… 

The centerpiece of the Lighthouse ArtCenter’s Elegant Threads; Wearable Art and Surface Design exhibition is the Treasures from the Norma Canelas Roth Collection, on display in the Main Gallery. Roth, along with her husband William, has been recognized among the top 100 collectors in America by Art+Auction Magazine. This splendid collection features 48 pieces of traditional textiles and jewelry from around the world, a sliver of the work the Roths have collected over forty years. Visitors will see pieces that have never been exhibited, such as early 20th Century skirts from the Sotho tribe in South Africa, 19th Century amber and silver adornments from North Africa, and headdresses and dancing skirts from the Kuba people. Also included is a robe worn by the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908), the most important woman in Chinese history. She ruled China for decades and brought a medieval empire into the modern age. These treasures reach across the chasm of time, distance, and languages to celebrate master craftsmanship and our human desire to surround ourselves with splendor. 

Nancy Politsch, Executive Director of the Lighthouse ArtCenter said, “Through the generosity of exhibition supporters and philanthropists such as Norma and Bill Roth, Gil Walsh Interiors, and the Meyer Law Firm, we are able to continue our mission as the cultural heartbeat for visual arts in Northern Palm Beach and Southern Martin counties. In our 54th year, we are proud to continue to provide exceptional art and cultural experiences for people of all ages and experience as they explore new ways to learn, grow, create and collect. Now more than ever, where there is art there is hope.”