Burlington, VT — The Fleming Museum of Art at ̽̽, in partnership with the Howard Center Arts Collective, presents the exhibition Let the Fabric Speak! on view from September 3, 2024, through May 17, 2025.
“This tapestry holds pieces of fabric and fibers, from my life and from my friends,” reads Eryn Sheehan’s artist statement for her quilt-inspired work Rubber and Ribbons. Repurposed materials and their metaphorical associations are woven throughout Sheehan's work and the exhibition itself. In the early stages of the project, members of the Arts Collective held a community fabric swap during which materials and stories changed hands. Drawing from varied patterns and textures, each artist transformed pieces of pajamas and T-shirts into original works that urge viewers to listen with their eyes.
Let the Fabric Speak! begins with A Symphony of Us: a collaborative, site-specific work featuring repurposed compact discs. The exhibition continues with sixteen additional works, in which artists explore the significance of ephemeral materials, and the memories they evoke in us. Profoundly personal and universal, the exhibit showcases the human desire for our stories to be heard, held, and carried on in community.
This exhibition is the product of an ongoing relationship between members of the Fleming Museum staff and the Howard Center Arts Collective. Prior collaboration includes , an exhibition from 2022 in which members of the Arts Collective created work inspired by a piece from the museum collections.
Generous support for this project was provided by the Kalkin Family Exhibitions Fund and the Burlington City Arts (BCA) Community Fund.
Howard Center Arts Collective
Members of the work together to ensure that there are opportunities for artists who have experience with mental health and/or substance use challenges to connect, create, and exhibit work. We strive to create a supportive, non-hierarchical community that fosters mutuality, creative expression, and empowerment.
The Arts Collective values the transformative power of the creative process on a personal, social, and systemic level, and acknowledges that we are stronger when everyone has a voice.
Fleming Museum of Art
̽̽’s Fleming Museum of Art has brought world-class art to ̽̽ and the heart of Burlington since 1931. With over 24,000 works (and growing) within its collections, the Museum serves as an extension of the classroom that centers interdisciplinary inquiry and study. Each year, thousands of students, faculty, and visitors from across the globe explore the galleries, engage with new exhibitions, and enjoy a range of community events. Learn more at .
For media inquiries, reach out to Rachel Lynne Moreau for the Fleming Museum of Art (802.656.8582 | rachelmoreau@uvm.edu) or Kara Greenblott for the Howard Center Arts Collective (802 598 7420).