Bright colors interweave as part of the fabrics that twist down to the floor and vibrant felt pouches hung pinned to the walls.
The display is of Cal State Long Beach grad student Mimi Haddon’s fiber art exhibit in the Gatov West gallery between Fine Arts 2 and 3.
She is currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts, and will be graduating at the end of the fall 2017 semester. Haddon is truly passionate about the art of fiber and how it allows her to express herself through colors.
“Even though it’s fiber, it’s really a way for me to explore color in a physical and tangible sense,” Haddon said. “It’s not like with paint, you usually don’t touch it, it’s on the brush but this way I can actually touch it with my hands and that makes a big difference in my relationship to color.”
Haddon also explained the origin of fiber art and how it is more than just a craft, it’s a century-old art form.
“It’s probably the oldest art form, really, because you think about fiber as being kind of a practicality tied to garments and wearables and blankets,” Haddon said. “It had a lot of popularity in the ‘60s and it’s always kind of on the fence between craft and art and, you know, I think that conversation is still kind of going on today.”
Haddon received her bachelor’s in 1994 from CSULB in graphic design. She was a black and white photographer and believes that it was the gateway into her love for fiber. She created costumes for her photography and that is when she found that the process of fiber not only lets her work with her hands but also shows her true colors as an artist.
“I basically got into fiber through kind of creating costumes for my photography and also just a love of craft and working with my hands – you know, knitting, crocheting and making quilts and stuff like that,” Haddon said.
Haddon’s fiber art exhibit is on display until Feb. 9 from noon to 5 p.m., with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Wednesday.