”As you view these pixelated portraits in this exhibit, allow yourself to sit with the image for a few moments before scrolling on,” states the preamble to the Ann Foxworthy Gallery’s current virtual exhibition.
The formal intro goes on to recommend that viewers slightly squint their eyes a bit, “to reveal the persona woven into each tapestry.”
Described as a curated collection of contemporary tapestry art by Westlake Village-based weaver Michael F. Rohde, Woven Narratives is available to view online for free on the gallery’s website through the month of May.
Laura-Susan Thomas, director of the Ann Foxworthy Gallery (located at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria), was introduced to Rohde’s art a couple of years ago, while attending an exhibition at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA).
“I was really taken with his work. I found the pixelated portraits fascinating,” Thomas told the Sun. “I found it so interesting how he is working with a centuries-old art form but brings a new, abstract, contemporary approach to his pieces.”
Thomas later got in touch with Rohde about the possibility of bringing his tapestry works to the Santa Maria Valley. A solo in-person show at the Ann Foxworthy Gallery was originally slated for the fall of 2020, as its organizers hoped COVID-19 complications would surely have abated by then.
“As it got closer to the holidays and the pandemic was playing out, we were pleased Michael was willing to take a leap with us into the virtual exhibit,” Thomas said.
Woven Narratives marks the Ann Foxworthy Gallery’s second virtual exhibit to date. The gallery first pivoted to the virtual realm last year with artist and photographer Marcos Dorado’s solo show. Next up for the gallery is Hancock’s annual student showcase, Making Marks in Creative Spaces, which is set to premiere online on March 29.
Although Thomas is excited for the day when the gallery is able to host in-person shows again, she did enjoy the challenges and rewards of tackling the virtual route for the gallery’s three most recent exhibits, which she described as “an interesting art journey.”
“We have had art patrons view the shows from across the globe,” said Thomas, who also described the virtual format as a way for the Ann Foxworthy Gallery to expand its outreach to viewers “beyond the campus and our local community.”
“Just in the first week of Michael’s show, we have had almost 800 viewers,” she added. “Going forward, some form of virtual art outreach will become an integral part of in-person shows.”
Aside from local venues like the Ann Foxworthy Gallery and SLOMA, Rohde’s tapestry artworks have been displayed in exhibits across the country, including at the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., the American Craft Museum in New York, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
One specific aspect of Rohde’s art that initially caught Thomas’ eye and encouraged her to pursue exhibiting the artist is his relationship between color and texture, which Rohde expands upon in his artist statement on the Ann Foxworthy Gallery’s website.
“The medium in which I choose to work is fiber, primarily flat, woven pieces. I’ve picked this less-than-common medium having been drawn to the possibilities of relationships between subliminal texture and the interaction of light and color,” Rohde stated. “Having taken this route, the weavings can become an embodiment of the freedom to explore how colors relate to each other and to the surface properties of the fibers used.
“Pure color and specific color combinations of color have the power to speak to each of us,” the artist statement continues, “often producing differing responses in each person.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is squinting his eyes. Send your interpretations of Rohde’s exhibit to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 18-25, 2021.