From February 7-26, 2025, New City Arts presents Pattern & Plain Weave, an exhibition of new work by Lauren Williams, the Fall 2024 Artist-in-Residence.
This exhibition will present four new handwoven works by Lauren, alongside various materials related to her process of conception, planning, and production. Lauren spent her residency at New City Arts exploring the history of overshot coverlet weaving and creating her own woven works based on and adapted from historical patterns.
New City Arts' Welcome Gallery
114 3rd St. NE, Charlottesville, VA 22902
First Friday Opening Reception
February 7 from 5-7:30PM; Artist talk at 6PM. Free and open to the public. All ages welcome. Exhibition opening sponsored by William Taylor and the Taylor Group of Truist Investment Services.
Gallery Hours
Wednesday-Saturday from 10AM-5PM
Exhibition Events
Weaving on a Frame Loom | February 15 | 10AM-1PM | RSVP required
Learn to Weave! | February 22 | 10AM-12PM | Kids 8+ | RSVP required
Thank You
This exhibition is supported by the Bama Works Fund of the Dave Matthews Band at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation.
Exhibition Statement
Pattern & Plain Weave refers to the weave structure that is the focus of my exhibition, most commonly known as Overshot. This structure, which from the 19th century was prominently used by handweavers in the Appalachian region to produce coverlets, is characterized by delicate and intricate repeating patterns that are floated over a hearty plain weave ground cloth. The title also captures something of what I have always found so magical about Overshot, a structure that is so strikingly modern in its bold and complex designs yet is constructed on a simple foundation that is as old as weaving itself. While traditional Overshot textiles were often composed of a more limited palette of colors, my own exploration of the structure is driven by my interest in how the intuitive, free play of pattern and color floats over the methodical, durative process of production. By taking the coverlet as canvas I continue to explore the dichotomies that have always animated my weaving practice: the artwork and the utilitarian object, the poetic and the prosaic, the pattern and the plain weave.
About the Artist
Headshot by David Williams
Lauren Williams is a weaver, fiber artist, and art teacher. In her weaving practice, she is interested in the process of finding patterns, textures, and colors out in the world — woodbark and fallen leaves along the trail, worn masonry on the side of an old building, historical designs in the background of a Renaissance painting — and translating these into woven structures and color schemes on the loom. She is particularly interested in exploring the duality inherent in textiles as an artistic medium, creating both woven artwork as well as functional home goods that are used as a part of everyday life.
Located at 114 3rd St. NE on Charlottesville’s downtown pedestrian mall, New City Arts’ Welcome Gallery supports artists who live in the Charlottesville area. Welcome Gallery exhibitions and programs are made possible by generous sponsors, donors, and grants. Interested in sponsoring an exhibition? Connect with us!