Catching Up with Bonnie Meltzer, Artist Extraordinaire

Longtime Portland Oregon artist, Bonnie Meltzer, uses artmaking as a form of activism. With several degrees in art. Bonnie has been an independent artist since 1971! Those of you familiar with Bonnie and her art know that she "creates crochet and fabric artworks about timely issues that use textiles as a metaphor."

Bonnie Meltzer

Her current work is no exception! Entitled Exquisite Gorge II, this exhibit is currently at the Maryhill Museum in Goldendale Washington overlooking the Columbia River. Hurry: it ends September 10, 2022!

Exquisite Gorge II is a freestanding sculpture by eleven fiber artists and is joined together to make a portrait of the river. "The installation consists of crocheted, fabricated, and collaged representations of wind turbines and pylons towering over the river, lined by tumbleweed. The towers command visual attention, directing our focus to power lines feeding our incessant demand for electricity.

It is surely no coincidence that electric power and art have often been metaphorically entwined. Most of us cannot claim to fully understand art and electricity’s unpredictable ways, their danger, their ability to illuminate and, yes, to electrify. Clearly they are about transformation, but the details remain a mystery to most." Friderike Heuer, Oregon Arts Watch

The artists

#exquisitegorgeII

#bonniemeltzer

Another monumental artistic endeavor, originating from Bonnie's heart, Tikkun Olam-Mending the Social Fabric, ran from November 2021 through January 2022 at the Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education in Portland.

Tikkun Olam: Mending the Social Fabric

The Jewish term for "mending" is so appropriate for this interactive exhibition which embodies the Jewish principal-Tikkun Olam-"repair the world."

The exhibit finalized

For months and months, Bonnie collected handkerchiefs with deep sentimental value to the contributors and swatches of fabric from all corners of the world. She taught sewing workshops; and when the difficulty of threading a needle became evident, she prepared them for her volunteers!

Embroidered handkerchiefs and embroidery within hoops

"Central to this site-specific exhibition is a large-scale vintage parachute encircled with text-embroidered handkerchiefs; phrases and quotes like “Unweave Racism Now” speak to Meltzer’s primary themes. On the wall behind the parachute are textiles from across the globe. This interactive exhibition embodies the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam, meaning “repair the world.” The parachute, a metaphor for safety, features rips and tears that are meant to be repaired by visitors who join the artist to mend the damage over the course of the show.

As the artist states, “The very act of gathering together as a community to sew on a giant parachute will help mend the isolation and pain so many have felt in the last year.” Meltzer embraces action, hope and healing in this timely art piece." Preview Sept/Oct 2022

Parachute & Handkerchiefs

#mendingthesocialfabricexhibit

This photo that Bonnie sent to me inspired me to write this blog about here work:

Bonnie's talented hands doing embroidery work on Tikkan Olam and a bead-crochet bracelet I made for her years ago. She told me she "wore the bracelet every day of the progress of the exhibit. Such an honor for me!

To enjoy more of Bonnie's awesome and life-long creations of art: the whimsy, the messages, the inspiration; visit her on Facebook or her website.

#crochetkween

#gocgoa

A History of Crochet, Part 1

The word crochet is derived from the French word, croche , meaning hook. Early on it was almost entirely a convent art, classified as nun’s work. The exact origin and date of crochet is in great doubt. Some believe it goes back to before the time of Christ, but there is no record of this form of needle art before the 1800’s and it was not until the 1840’s that written instructions were published. Hand-turned hook from author’s collection Archeologists believe the Israelites were familiar with crochet during the time of Solomon, before the first millennium BC when they left Egypt. Heinz Edgar Kiewe, in his book titled The Sacred History of Knitting , concluded that crochet hooks were probably implements of that time. He refers to the story of one of Jesus’ followers, Akida Ben Joseph who was said to have used a crochet hook so that he might spend his time as a shepherd more usefully. Crochet has been handed down from generation to generation through family and frien

Craft vs. Fine Art: How is Crochet Blurring the Lines

I was awakening to the world of crochet in 1972,a time of immense artistic expression through fiber arts; and crochet was not the “ugly stepchild” at the time. In fact, Ferne Cone Gellar who I admire as a successful fiber artist said in “Knitting: The Stepchild of the Fiber Arts?” ( Fibercraft Newsletter 1978), “Has knitting been slighted among the areas of the fiber arts? The very word ‘knitting’ evokes images of the little old lady in tennis shoes. Over the years, I’ve learned to ignore all those jokes.” Cone Gellar went on to publish Crazy Crocheting in 1981 and encouraged her readers to create more than bedspreads, providing ideas such as “things to play with or to display on a shelf or hang on a wall.” A photo of single crochet from bread wrappers served as inspiration. In 1972 in her book, Creating Art from Fibers & Fabrics , Dona Meilach wrote: “Why are fibers and fabrics becoming increasingly appealing to artists? Most artists agree

What is Free Form Crochet?

Monday, January 6, 2014 This topic came about from the title of my article recently in Fiber Art Now magazine. "Crochet As Art: A Conversation with 5 Free-Form Crochet Artists." Yes, the 5 artists I wrote about, all of which are in my book The Fine Art of Crochet , are free-thinking when it comes to their creativity. They are free-wheeling with the hook and use unique fibers in many cases. Once you read the article, tell me what you think? Are these artists doing free-form crochet? In order to define free-form crochet, we must look way, way back to it's origins: Irish crochet. A brief history of crochet, including the Irish method, written by Ruthie Marks is available through The Crochet Guild of America . Unfortunately, there are no images on the site. On her blog, Nancy Nehring has a beautiful montage of Irish Crochet in reference to a class she taught in 2013 at Lacis . I wrote an article in Old Time Crochet Magazine (Spring 1998), "History of Irish Croc

Crochet Queen: Royal Ramblings

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