The world of weaving, handpspinning, felting and basket weaving will come alive on Thursday when Coquitlam's Place des Arts opens a new exhibit.
And the display will be the first time the Coquitlam Weavers' and Spinners' Guild, the Greater Vancouver Weavers' and Spinners' Guild and the PdA Dye Pot Club have teamed up.
Titled Dreamweavers: From the Practical to the Fantastical, the show pays special tribute to the past 40 years of the Maillardville facility, which was especially strong in fibre arts when it opened.
New Westminster resident Trudi Salt, who is a member of the three organizations, said the Coquitlam guild started in 1969 and, when Place des Arts launched in 1972, it rented out space.
Now, the guild has about 20 members that meet on the second Thursday of each month at Place des Arts to talk about techniques and other business; they also exhibit once or twice a year as a group.
Meanwhile, the Greater Vancouver guild has 90 members - some hailing as far afield as the Cariboo - while the Dye Pot Club at Place des Arts is more of an informal, hands-on gathering, she said.
Salt, who has been weaving and spinning since the early 1970s, said the 71 pieces from the 30 participating artists were created within the last two year and most are being shown publicly for the first time.
Dreamweavers will run in the Atrium Gallery while, in the Mezzanine Gallery, there will be abstract paintings from Jane Appleby in her collection, Unwavering.
The opening reception for the two exhibits is on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Place des Arts (1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam).
