Fiber Art as Archaeology

April 2026 NEWS:

I am delighted to report that I have work in three shows this month in venues that are new to me! Titled Expressions of Freedom, The Carnegie Museum of Montgomery Count in downtown Crawfordsville IN (April 4 to July 18, 2026) has mounted a show celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country. The opening is scheduled for April 4 (2 - 4 pm; 222 S Washington Street, Crawfordsville). I hope to see you there!

I also have work in the fiber and wood show at the Madison Area Arts Alliance @ SPOT Gallery (April 10 to May 2, 2026). The opening is scheduled for April 10 (5 to 8 PM; 326 Mulberry Street, Madison IN).

Please also check out Bloom/Hum/Glow at Bank on Art Gallery (101 National Ave, Brazil, IN). The opening reception is scheduled for April 11 (4 to 7 pm) and the show runs until June 6. Elated to be showing in my home town!

Fiber Artist you should know: Rebecca Levine Quigley

Rebecca and Michael at one or our shows!

I would also like to bring to your attention the work of my good friend, Rebecca Levine Quigley. Rebecca and I met when we both lived along the sun coast of Florida. Our mutual interests and objectives resulted in our sharing gallery space and residencies in Sarasota! She taught me a great deal and I miss seeing her on a regular basis. Although we now live miles apart (New Mexico and Indiana, respectively), I continue to admire her fearless dedication to her practice and the depth and tactility of her work.

Flying Fish

Originally trained as a weaver, she currently works primarily with vintage and repurposed linens and cottons. She is drawn to fiber, including wool, silk, bamboo, plant roots and leaves, as well as textile and paper fragments. Her practice combines traditional hand-felting with experimental dye processes, including rust printing, indigo dipping, and tannin staining with walnut hulls. She employs various means to age and distress materials. She once spent several hours in her car driving back and forth across some reclaimed materials she intended to use in her work.

Language is a Virus

Rebecca layers, stitches, and combines textures, color, mark-making, often with found and gifted objects, even animal bones and vintage doll fragments. What emerges is a body of work which could be described as archaeological with weathered, softened, and burnished surfaces that speak to memory, erosion, and resilience. She says her work “speaks to the concept of time and place, and to the ephemeral.”  Her work is truly inspiring! You can learn more at http://www.alienlandscape.net/, on instagram @rebeccalevinequigley, and at https://www.thegalleryabq.com/rebecca-quigley.

Rebecca's Studio in Albuquerque