The Riffe Gallery exhibition “A Common Thread” is a textile exhibition featuring the works of 16 Ohio artists who worked with the late Sue Cavanaugh (Sept. 6, 1948-March 19, 2022) or were inspired by her work. It is woven together with respect and admiration for Cavanaugh and her fabric art. She was a widely admired fiber artist who created a legacy as large as “Last Dance,” her final massive tapestry. The Ohio Arts Council celebrates Cavanaugh’s legacy with this show.
“Jellyfish” by Linda Leviton, featured at the Riffe Gallery exhibition “A Common Thread.”
Riffe Gallery Director Cat Sheridan described Cavanaugh in glowing terms, “beloved by her community and super talented. Sue was an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award winner,” and a Greater Columbus Arts Council Individual Art award winner, among other honors. She grew up on a farm in McCutchenville, Ohio, and developed a love of travel, taking her to Mexico and to Dresden, Germany, Columbus’s sister city, to study art.
After earning two degrees and a career at The Ohio State University, Cavanaugh retired in 2000 to become an artist. Her textiles career blossomed. Cavanaugh’s last show before succumbing to pancreatic cancer was a massive installation in Mansfield titled “Last Dance,” celebrating life. The works in this exhibition demonstrate an outpouring of love and devotion to Cavanaugh’s art.
Survey of the Visual Arts: Find the next top artist at Franklinton Fridays
On my visit, Sheridan drew my attention to the intricacy of the Japanese Sashiko technique, sewing with loose stitches which are visible and part of the design, used by many of the fabric artists in the show. According to Alexandra Churchill in her article, “Sashiko: The Art of Mending Fabric with Beautiful Stitches” (Martha Stewart, March 10, 2020), Sashiko means “little stabs,” and was intended to extend the life of a garment by adorning it with loose, contrasting visible stitches. The additional layers of fabric strengthen and reinvent the garment.
A piece from the Riffe Gallery exhibition: “A Common Thread.”
Curators Caren Petersen and Char Norman carefully selected artists who had worked with Cavanaugh or whose work blended seamlessly with her own. Highlights of “A Common Thread” feature whimsical “Jellyfish,” by Linda Leviton; “At Last,” a fashion design piece by Celeste Malvar-Stewart who embellished a parachute hand stitched by Cavanaugh; David Senecal’s “Unless,” a digital projection of Earth overshadowed by debris; and Joyce Morrow Jones’ “Dreaming of Transformation,” a quilt pattern with flowers, butterflies and a female figure. Jones’ “Spirit Tree” invites us to look closer at nature. Molly Jo Burke and Nathan Gorgen collaborated on a series of small sandcasting objects and on the large sculpture “Fauna Revisited,” an intriguing piece incorporating “Hydrostone, wood, glass, metal, resin, polystyrene and vinyl.” If you see something that really speaks to you, you can take it home, as most of the artwork is for sale.
Some of the artists repurposed fabric which had been used in Sue’s work in their own art. The range of media included painting, print making, digital video projection, sculpture, a fabric child-sized doll and clothing design. The material used in an overwhelming number of pieces was fabric; however, a surprising array of found objects were incorporated into designs and sculpture, including work gloves, seashells, bicycle training wheels, remnants of a highchair, items traditionally associated with child raising and homemaking, a round mirror, a long pipe cleaner, an animal skull, bones, wood fragments and a pendulum placed throughout the exhibition.
A piece from the Riffe Gallery exhibition: “A Common Thread.”
Many of the subjects are taken from nature. Images of birds, rabbits, flowers and bones, which evoke the brevity of life, and environmental concerns highlight the art. Fabric is used to recreate the underwater world of sea creatures. “A Common Thread” also takes the homemade garment to a new and majestic level. Garments which were once made at home for the family. These repurposed fabrics have been reimagined into fantastic gowns.
Survey of the Visual Arts: Decorative Arts Center of Ohio turns into ‘Star Trek’ universe
Artist Talks accompanying the exhibition are presented by Linda Leviton on Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 11 a.m. to noon; Joyce Morrow Jones on Tuesday, Sept. 16, from 11 a.m. to noon; and Gwen Waight on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 11 a.m. to noon. Artists Talks are free and held live on Zoom. To register, visit riffegallery.eventbrite.com.
Amy Drake
The Ohio Arts Council was formed in 1965 to “foster and encourage the development of the arts and assist the preservation of Ohio’s cultural heritage.” With this exhibition, OAC is furthering their commitment to preserving Ohio’s cultural heritage. Art is sometimes a reflection of the lifestyles, ideals and concerns of a community.
“A Common Thread” is up through Oct. 3 at the Riffe Gallery, located in the first floor lobby of the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, 77 S. High St., in downtown Columbus. Nearby on-street and garage parking is available. The exhibition is free to attend. The gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 614-644-9624, write riffegallery@oac.ohio.gov, or visit riffegallery.org.
Amy Drake, M.A., M.S. MCM, is a Telly Award-winning filmmaker, playwright and actor. She can be reached at draketheatrical@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Survey of the Visual Arts: ‘A Common Thread’ connects textile artists
