The Timeless Tradition show up at the Unitarian Society looks great.  The textiles look wonderful against the brick walls.  I stopped in to take photos on the first Sunday after the show was hung; several people were around following the morning service.  They were so appreciative!  A man said to me, “I suppose you’re going to try to do that now!” – a friendly comment meant to convey how it would be amazing  that anyone could create such pieces.  “Oh, I have,”  I replied, “A couple of my pieces are here.”  Other people came up to me and thanked me.  Most pieces line two brick walls of the narthex area.  Nancy Ellingson’s “Three Billy Goats Gruff” is at the far end, hanging over the guest book on a podium.  Much of the wool in the piece is from Nancy’s own sheep, including the unspun wool of the charming sheep’s bodies.  (More photos of Nancy’s farm and sheep can be found here.)

If you can’t get to Norway to view or purchase beautiful woven textiles, you have an equal opportunity this month in Minneapolis.   The Scandinavian Weavers Study Group, part of the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, is displaying a selection of woven textiles through Christmas in the gallery of the Unitarian Society of Minneapolis.

The Scandinavian Weavers Study Group has been meeting for more than twenty years, providing a consistent forum for the study of traditional Scandinavian weaving techniques.  The members weave traditional patterns and also use the weaving techniques and pattern elements for modern expression.  The group studies a particular technique each year, most recently concentrating on boundweave techniques, in which the warp threads are covered, or bound, by the weft.  Many of the pieces in this show are woven in krokbragd, a three-shaft technique that yields pieces with an immense range of points, squares, and linear elements.

Most pieces in the current show are woven with wool, primarily Norwegian yarns. They hold the connotations of  traditional textiles – warmth, the multi-generational appeal of folk patterns, and ethnic identity.  On the other hand, the weavers’ personal design and color choices, and high craftsmanship, result in abstract art pieces.

Maybe you can’t get away to a “hytte,” a Norwegian cabin, this Christmas.  But you can admire many weavings that would be perfectly at home in that setting, as well as in our contemporary Minnesota homes.

Timeless Tradition: Selected Weavings

Hours:  9am – 3pm, M-F
(The office entrance is to the right of
the main entrance doors.)
Sunday: 9 am – 1:30 pm
For other times, call: 612-377-6608

Download a flyer for the exhibit.