Detail, Alexander Calder Tapestry, Western Washington University Art Gallery.
When you think of artist Alexander Calder, you picture
his colorful mobiles and giant stabiles. But he also worked in other media. In 1974-1975 he designed a series of 13 colorful
tapestries made of dyed and braided maguey-fibers. They were manufactured in
Nicaragua. A set of the tapestries, conserved in 2012 to their original brilliance by a group of students and
volunteers at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, under
the direction of Geoffrey I. Brown, is currently on display in the gallery
of the Performing Arts Center on campus.
On a visit to Bellingham last summer I had the opportunity to see the tapestries. In each, bold colors and shapes create striking patterns and designs. The tightly woven fibers create a subtle surface texture. Here are a few of my favorites:
The Calder tapestries are a gift of Niels H. Lauersen to the Collection of Western Gallery, Western Washington University. For more about other art on exhibit at Western Washington University, click HERE.
