Woven art captivates at Eccles Gallery 

Each square of “Tumbling” jumps out at the audience, Made of simple fibers, each color in this piece was handcrafted and dyed. (Jake Zaugg)

The Eccles Gallery at Salt Lake Community College’s South City Campus has a new exhibit titled Structural Language, by Idaho-based artist Naomi Adams.

Structural Language is a large body of artwork, with over 10 textile reconstruction pieces. Adams uses quilting-like techniques to construct vivid 3D surface designs, with hand-dyed batting. Each individual piece took Adams around 130 hours to create.

Adams is an award winning contemporary textile artist whose work is shown nationally and internationally. She currently resides in Pocatello, Idaho, where she is an associate professor of art at Idaho State University. Before teaching at ISU, Adams taught at the University of North Texas for two and a half years.

Art inspired by interpersonal relationships

Visitors should come prepared to alter their perspective. All pieces can be viewed from multiple angles, and “Cercle” takes on an interesting shape when angle of viewing is titled. (Jake Zaugg)

“I am intrigued by the way that we constantly adapt to change and are continually reconfigured by our experiences and influences from the world around us. Our relationships are expected to respond to good and bad times, growth, challenges and change,” says Adams. “As we mature, our relationships become complex, altered versions that have more layers, depth, and meaning.”

When examined in depth, the subject of all art is the ever-changing nature of life. But Adams has a unique perspective, saying that how humans mask themselves is the key to her inspiration.

“We may want to cover up experiences or parts of our lives, but remnants of those parts of ourselves are always there, in some manifestation, often peeking out from behind a front we have created,” says Adams. “Exploring these guarded parts of ourselves and others invites intimacy, empathy, and understanding in relationships.”

Intimate art, intimate exhibit

The exhibition also includes the option to touch a portion of the art, a rarity. Like most exhibitions, none of the large pieces are available to touch but Adams does provide a small sample of the sewn work for viewers to touch and experience a different way of viewing.

Structural Language will leave SLCC on September 7th, traveling to Portland, Oregon for a stay at Portland Community College. Visit Adams’ website for more information on the artist, or to purchase her work.

Some pieces, such as “Envy,” pictured here, seem to both defy and demand explanation. (Jake Zaugg)