“Look Both Ways” at the Reflection Gallery December 6 to January 31

HANCOCK, MI – The Finlandia University Reflection Gallery, Hancock, will host an exhibit of past, recent, and new work by Hancock artist Phyllis Fredendall from December 6, 2012, to January 31, 2013.

An opening reception for the artist will be held at the Reflection Gallery on Thursday, December 6, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served.

“Look Both Ways…New and Used Works” is a retrospective exhibit of Fredendall’s work that highlights the many ideas and memories that appear in her work.

“This has been a chance to gather favorite pieces that are in the collections of friends and family and reconsider them in the light of more recent work,” Fredendall says. “Bodies of work document phases in the artist’s life. Family history, political events, maps, the relationship of place to memory, and the mine shafts all have served as inspiration.”

A connection to Finland strengthens Fredendall’s work. In fact, it was there that she discovered her love of felting.

“The unique properties of wool have kept my attention since I learned hands-on felt making techniques 15 years ago in Finland,” Fredendall says. “But it was on Isle Royale when I realized that I could use this great medium to chart the paths of humans and animals that so fascinated me. That was 2002, and I have been working with wool as an art medium ever since.”

Maps, pathways, and waterways; curves, lines, shapes, and color; wool, silk, and beads … and memory. All of these things are incorporated in Fredendall’s body of work, which she describes a “human attempt to reflect the complexity and glory of this precious planet.”

Fredendall is a professor of fiber and fashion design at Finlandia University, where she has taught for almost twenty years.  She has a master of fine arts from Goddard College, Plainfield, Vt. Her work has been exhibited in Finland and nationwide.

The Reflection Gallery is located on the second level of Finlandia’s Jutila Center campus, 200 Michigan Street, Hancock, MI 49930.

For additional information, call 906-487-7500 or e-mail finlandiareflectiongallery@gmail.com.

Photo cutlines:

Photo 1: “Of’ Relics and Remembered Treasures”

Photo 2: “South Face”

Photo 3: “Vaari’s Passage”

Photo 4: The artist Phyllis Fredendall

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