NEWS RELEASES
ELORA CENTRE FOR THE ARTS
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Themes of tradition and nostalgia intersect in this collaborative exhibition featuring the work of Toronto artist Pam Lobb and Guelph artist Tammy Ratcliff. In Fabric of Memory, both artists are using print and textiles to explore narratives of memory that develop through the deconstructing, editing and reconstructing of materials. The women investigate the notion of trading in the functional value of “things” for the more sentimental vale of nostalgia.
Pam Lobb works from a regional perspective, collecting handmade textiles from Huron and Perth counties. She uses both handmade papers and a process of pouring paper pulp to encapsulate the textiles.
An effect that references porcelain is created by layering a series of monoprints on the surface. The imagery is drawn from Victorian ceramic patterns and in combination with the patterns of the lace, a non-representational portrait of her hometown emerges.
Tammy is inspired by the botanical world and its many examples of imperfection and impermanence. From this viewpoint she uses traditional textile techniques to manipulate her etchings and monoprints on handmade paper, creating renditions of functional textile pieces. Items whose utilitarian value might be lessened as they become threadbare and fragile through use are thus transformed into artifacts of shared memories and the passage of time.
This exhibition was made possible through the generosity of the Elora Mill. Their commitment to supporting the arts community is invaluable.
The opening reception for this exhibition will take place on Thursday, June 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission is free, everyone is welcome to attend and meet the artists.
About the artists:
Pam Lobb is a Toronto based artist, working in printmaking and fibre arts. She is co-founder of Graven Feather Studio. This artist space began as a gallery and studio space on Queen St West in Toronto. Eight years later, it has evolved into her own solo project and it now operates as a home- based print studio where she teaches and assists artists.
As Graven Feather she continues to organize group exhibitions, like the annual In the Round show, throughout Toronto. She is an active member of the Toronto arts community with teaching experience at Open Studio, ARTiculations and Humber College. She has participated on juries for various Artscape committees and as an organizer for SURFACE Art Fair 2015 and ’16.
Tammy Ratcliff studied printmaking at BealArt in London, Ont. and has been printing since her first class there in 1990. She lives in Guelph with her husband, artist Chris Ahlers, and works at her printmaking practice in her studio in the Trafalgar Building downtown. Sometimes her time is spent at Wyndham Art Supplies in downtown Guelph, which she runs with her husband.
Her work has shown extensively in group and solo shows, including: SHIFTEnvironmentally Responsible Print Practice exhibition at McMaster Museum of Art in Hamilton; Print City: Detroit; Art Toronto with Open Studio; World Washi Summit, and Printopolis, Toronto, and most recently Memento, works from a month-long residency in the Norwegian arctic at Renann Isaacs Contemporary Art.
Tammy has received provincial grants and various awards for her artwork and was awarded third prize in Open Studio’s National Printmaking Awards in 2010. Her work is included in numerous private, public and corporate collections.
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Frances Hahn doesn’t attempt to paint a clear representation of a given landscape but takes from both reality and her best wondering about the place. She assembles these much like a puzzle into a simplified interpretation of beauty.
While her visual work is either figurative or abstract landscape, the common subject is imagined memory. Future, past and fantasy have equal weight. In this vision, figures are simplified or distorted in order to emphasize gesture as if in a memory.
Frances Hahn is perhaps best known for her figurative collection of work featuring people blowing large bubbles out of bubblegum. Recently Frances has been exploring abstract landscape and this exhibition primarily celebrates her new work. “All my dreams fall and form a bridge of memory where I can get back.” – Frances Hahn.
Special thank you to the women in our community who attended the Black Dress Event this past winter for their generous donation to help present this exhibition and support local female artists.
The opening reception for this exhibition will take place on Thursday, June 27 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free, everyone is welcome to attend and meet the artist.
About the artist:
Frances studied English Literature and Art History before teaching for a year in Italy where she fell in love with design. A graduate of Environmental Design at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, Frances worked in architectural offices since from 2003-2012. Currently, she is faculty at OCADU in Environmental Design.
Frances is a partner in Necessary Arts Company, a creative co-working space in downtown Guelph, where she paints and creates. While figurative art has been a mainstay, Frances is currently exploring landscapes and abstraction in both paint and collage. Her work is collected widely across Canada, the US and UK and is part of the public collection of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
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