A tour of Spindleworks studios in Brunswick

I had the extreme pleasure of visiting Spindleworks in Brunswick, ME to curate artwork for their upcoming exhibition at the Harlow Gallery. Sweetland Retreat will be providing the refreshments at the opening reception for the exhibition, entitled "Mosaic" on February 18th from 5-8pm. Here's a quick tour of their fabulous space that would make me happy to create in any day of the week!

Above is their Spindleworks Store -- this alone would overwhelm you with amazing items to choose from. From paintings to poetry books, sculpture to t-shirts, woven shawls to pottery-- you can find anything here.

But the display doesn't end there...in fact, it's all over their studio! Just about everything on the walls is available for purchase.

The work is so striking and the work of the 40+ artists of Spindleworks blend so nicely together.

My favorite room is the weaving/fiber arts studio above. The amount of looms under that great timber roof makes me want to learn to weave.

There are also a couple of rooms on the 2nd floor with looms for a more private workspace. The artists transform these pieces into vibrant table runners, rugs, shawls, balsam fir sachets, and more.

Brian says that the layout at Spindleworks is as if we took our house and had a studio in every single room-- he's right! (And what a dream that would be!)

We sifted through bins and storage areas filled with inspiring art. It was hard to choose what we did even though we wound up selecting a large amount of work. I just wanted to take them all!
They also have a new wood working shop that I would love to create in-- but that seems to be the theme to every room. I just wanted to create!

Here's what I had put aside at the very beginning of getting there-- the pile grew exponentially. I'll do some sneak peak posts as we get closer to the opening. There are so many exquisite pieces that you'll need to come to the exhibition and see them all (and hopefully take a few pieces home with you!)

Opening Date: Friday, February 18, 5-8 pm – Free and open to the public

Gallery Talk: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 7-8:30pm — $3 suggested donation

Exhibition on View: February 16-26, 2011 – free and open to the public

In February the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell will present Mosaic, an exhibition featuring work by the artists of Spindleworks. Located in Brunswick, Maine, Spindleworks is an art center providing studio and gallery space to 41 artists. The program is one of many arms of Independence Association, an agency whose mission is to assist children and adults with disabilities in achieving full and inclusive lives in their chosen community. Harlow Gallery, 160 Water St, Hallowell, ME

-JRB