First Friday Art Walk - October

MacRostie Art Center (MAC) and Reif Arts Council are pleased to announce receptions for two exhibitions that will be held during the First Friday Art Walk on Oct. 4. The Reif Center will host a reception for Loon Country Quilters from 4 – 5:30 pm. From 4 – 7 p.m., MacRostie Art Center will host the opening of Wisdom in Wool, a retrospective exhibition of textile designs by Laurie Jacobi. Both receptions are free and open to the public.

REIF GALLERY | LOON COUNTRY QUILTERS | Group Exhibition

Loon Country Quilters was formed in 1983 by a group of women whose legacy lives on in the current group of enthusiastic quilters. This exhibition includes works by over 20 quilters and demonstrates the artistry of quilting by showcasing a remarkable variety of styles and techniques.

The members of Loon Country Quilters make quilts and other items to donate to community causes and organizations including Quilts for Vets, Linus Quilts for kids in the emergency room at local hospitals, Cancer Quilts for infusion patients, Pediatric Pillowcases for St. Mary’s in Duluth, and Hug a Bears distributed to kids through the Sheriff and Fire Departments and the Department of Human Services.

MACROSTIE GALLERY | WISDOM IN WOOL| Laurie Jacobi

A retrospective of the work of textile designer Laurie Jacobi (Minneapolis, MN), this exhibition features a curated selection of her wool blankets and the legends and folk wisdom which inspired them. Imaginative clothing, made from the blankets by her creative partner, Mary Jane Miller, represents a collaboration between the two who have worked together in the design profession for over forty years.

“I design wool blankets, distilling the stories that move me and what I see around me into simple forms which capture essence rather than life-like representations,” says Jacobi. “Mary Jane takes the custom woven fabrics, designs the pieces’ shapes, and cuts and sews them into classic timeless garments.”

Together, their work has been exhibited at Textile Center in Minneapolis, the American Swedish Institute, the Swedish American Museum in Chicago, the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, Mångkulturellt Centrumin Stockholm, Sweden, the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the Finnish Craft Museum in Jyväskylä, Finland.

This exhibition will be on view from Friday, October 4 through Friday, November 22 and is sponsored by Bill Rutherford and Mary MacGregor with Susan Hawkinson and Stan Cronister.

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK | October 4

The First Friday Art Walk is a monthly celebration of art and community that takes place in downtown Grand Rapids. The MAC will host an opening reception for its new exhibit from 4 – 7 pm with artist talks at 6 pm. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the other art walk activities throughout downtown in addition to visiting the MAC exhibitions. A full schedule of First Friday events can be found at GrandRapidsArts.org.