Common Ground

Valerie Doran Bashaw
Mary Elmusa
Becky Stevens
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May 3 – July 26, 2024
Front Gallery
“The subtle thread that binds us is also a literal thread – fiber binds us.”

We are three friends with a shared history in the fiber arts. Our collective work is best defined as mixed media and includes printmaking, encaustic, collage, and sculpture, among the fiber processes. There is a subtle common thread connecting us and our work, with a devotion to sensitive explorations and careful execution. A shared aesthetic draws us to one another.
We have had an interest and involvement with planning experiences for the fiber community, online and in-person, such as course studies, curating and organizing exhibits, and fiber-related events through Missouri Fiber Artists, Surface Design Association, and other organizations. We are educators, sharing knowledge of art and fiber techniques with the aim of building support for fiber artists.
Our goal is to create a thought-provoking and diverse exhibition, “Common Ground,” which centers around the concept of layered imagery. Layered work shows the history of the making. Past and present may be seen in the same view. What is below the surface is the foundation that the rest is built upon; nothing is left behind. Like a metaphor for our lives, we build upon the layers and produce our creative vision.
The imagery was produced by utilizing layering processes. Techniques used include stitching, painting, encaustic, surface design, sculpting, mark making, printmaking, and collage. We work in 2D and 3D. Each of us will approach and depict the concepts of layering individually, according to our own sensibilities. One layer informs the next. Our work reflects a reference to the layered aspects of our lives.