Textiles have long been important to the state of Georgia, so it’s no surprise that Georgia artists continue to find inspiration in them. The exhibition “Seams to Be: New Approaches to Textile Techniques,” which will travel to six venues beginning with the Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens on October 2, features 13 Georgia artists who use needle and thread in many different ways. From Adah Bennion’s meticulously beaded chip bags to Cathy Fussell’s “free-motion” quilts inspired by the world around her, each work of art in “Seams to Be” feels imaginative and distinct, reflecting how traditional fiber art techniques can serve as a launch pad for innovation.
Annie Greene’s “yarn paintings” use colorful knitting yarns outlined in black thread to depict narrative scenes based on memories of her life as an African American in the rural South. Victoria Dugger’s multimedia sculptures use elements of body horror, humor and vibrant excess to test the boundary between beauty and the grotesque. Exploring the Black American vernacular experience, Jamele Wright Sr.’s fabric assemblage combines Dutch wax cloth and Georgia red clay to create a conversation about family, tradition and spirituality between Africa and the American South.
“Seams to Be” is the fourth installment of “Highlighting Contemporary Art in Georgia,” a series of traveling exhibitions that happens every three years and aims to discover and cultivate artists from across the state and to make their exciting creations accessible to audiences in metropolitan areas big and small. Organized by the Georgia Museum of Art and independent guest curator Didi Dunphy, “Seams to Be” will travel to six different venues in Georgia.
Dunphy said, “The scale is really varied from minute beadwork to larger dying of fabric, quilting to weaving, rug hooking and broom-making. So, really, the connection is the nature of the studio practice, a manual labor with an attention to endurance and handwork detailing.”
Five of the artists with work in “Seams to Be” have or are pursuing a master of fine arts degree from UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art: Adah Bennion (’26), Eliza Bentz (’25), Jasmine Best (’25), Jaime Bull (’13) and Victoria Dugger (’22). The exhibition also includes work by Trish Andersen, of Savannah; Kate Burke, Sonya Yong James, Kelly Taylor Mitchell, Honey Pierre and Jamele Wright Sr., of Atlanta; Cathy Fussell, of Columbus; and Annie Greene, of LaGrange.
“I am just thrilled that this is the fourth version of the program and that with the support of the Georgia Museum of Art, I am able to accomplish my goals of promoting the profession of the arts through thoughtful and beautiful exhibitions and to advocate for the artist and the value of what art brings to our humanity,” says Dunphy. “It is fantastic to see these shows in the visiting venues. I liken it to going to dinner with your friends at different homes with a new seating arrangement. You know all the people there but in a new setting, there are always new things to see and learn. Each venue installs the show differently from the last and the education departments at these museums and arts centers do a wonderful job creating programs about the show for all ages of visitors.”
The exhibition will travel to the following venues in addition to the Lyndon House Arts Center: the LaGrange Art Museum, the Morris Museum of Art (in Augusta), the Museum of Arts and Sciences (in Macon), the Albany Museum of Art and the Columbus Museum.
Hillary Brown
Michael Lachowski
Authored by:
Hillary Brown
