You might do a double-take looking at one of the first pieces in the West Tisbury library’s new textile exhibition. In this rug, the words “Island Hookers” are boldly emblazoned over a purple silhouette of the Vineyard against a bright yellow background. Before your mind leaps to anything racy, the images of two small rug hooks floating above both tips of the island immediately signal that we are in the midst of a stunning show of bold textiles. The rug, designed by Barbara Silk and hooked by Becky Flanders-Clements, shows the name of an ever-expanding group of Islanders who come together regularly to fashion hooked rugs.
Some of the participants recall learning from Island native Rosalie Powell, a nationally certified master rug-hooking instructor who began teaching the craft in the 1940s. The traditional art has roots that go back centuries, originating in Scandinavia and in 18th-century Britain and Scotland. From Europe, rug-hooking spread to Nova Scotia and New England. During the Colonial period, women made strips for hooking from worn-out clothes, blankets, and other fabrics to create decorative floor rugs and bed coverings. By 1850, the art form had expanded to the Mid-Atlantic States and beyond.
There is a dazzling array of colors and images that adorn the conference room walls. The largest piece, by Lynn Marquedant, is “Glimmerglass Neighborhood.” The arresting three-by-six-foot rug is a detailed iconographic journey, filled with recognizable geographic landmarks, houses, ponds, and lanes through the neighborhood off Middle Road, which has been populated for generations by the artist’s extended family.
While Marquedant flattens the sense of depth in her intricate image, Dena Porter uses single-point perspective to create the impression of a long receding road in her snowy “Winter Landscape.” She further enhances the illusion of distance by making the three trees in the background smaller than the large one just in front of us.
Patty Kirwin depicts the five iconic structures in “Vineyard Lighthouses” at different times of day, including a gorgeous sunset behind the Edgartown Lighthouse and the red, orange, beige, and yellow clay cliffs beneath the one at Gay Head. The beacons fly out of them all, knitting the disparate scenes together.
Hope O’Brien gives us a magical patch of pumpkins, with subtle shifts of color that evoke different textures, from smooth to rough-skinned. Stars and leaves pattern the background, evoking a twinkly night sky.
Mother Nature’s creatures also make an appearance. A lounging lion and cub, set amid trees and plants, dominate Sandy Broyard’s impressive rug. The scene evokes a long line of folk images, drawing on a pastoral storytelling tradition in early American hooked rugs.
Cindy Grant offers us an adorable, literally woolly small sheep. Both Carol Arrowsmith and Sue Hruby portray endearing felines. Hruby remarks, “Hooking is easy. I love it. It’s very forgiving. If you don’t like something, you pull it out and change it.”
The rugs are created by meticulously pulling a strand of fine wool through a small opening in the backing, reminiscent of needlepoint. As with needlepoint, too, the artist can use a kit or create their own design and choose their own color combinations.
Nancy Weaver originated her piece, “Leaves and Color.” She worked intuitively, creating slim lines of color that switch hues every few inches or less. They seem to pour down behind an abstract composition of leaves of various shapes and sizes. “I took leaves from my yard and drew all around them. They even have defects like bug holes.”
Most of the rugs feature hooked, “framed” edges that accentuate their status as works of art. Laurie David populates her arresting broad rectangular frame in “Posies” with the same colors she uses in her central floral pattern, encouraging our gaze to continually roam over the entire piece. Floral petals burst beyond the rectangular frame in Sue Silk’s “Flowers,” creating a dynamic composition.
Sophia-Millicent Peirce-Cabral gives us a figurative piece in “Wayne on the Water,” in which a man pulls either away from or toward as he rows a small boat. Children of all colors hold hands, completely encircling an image of Earth in Debbie Grant’s “Perfect Harmony.” The rug reflects the sensibility of the group’s members, who revel in sharing their passion for the art form with others. “I really love the community,” Grant shares. “It’s camaraderie. It’s exploration. And everybody is helping each other. It’s a really positive atmosphere among artists.”
If you are interested, you can try your hand at workshops and open studio at Featherstone Center for the Arts, whether you are a total beginner or experienced at the craft.
For more information about open studio days and hours, as well as workshops, visit