New Shows at Blue Spiral 1, Opening Sept. 6

Penland fiber artist Vicki Essig is a shepherd of sorts, but you won’t find her traipsing through rolling pastures with her flock. That’s because Essig raises silkworms — not sheep. According to Essig, these caterpillars spend seven weeks voraciously feasting upon mulberry leaves. Once properly fed, they spin silk. She then uses the gossamer fiber to weave fragile scenes that often incorporate natural materials, such as mulberry branches, dried pods, and flower petals. What results is “intricate” and “tactile,” reads a gallery statement from Blue Spiral 1. This September, the downtown venue will host a solo showcase of Essig’s work in the Small Format Gallery. In keeping with the fiber focus, Blue Spiral will present Common Thread in the Main Level Gallery. Featuring curated works from 20 fiber artists, the exhibition “aims to highlight how textiles can be reimagined to address both personal and cultural narrative, underscoring the material’s role as a common thread that links craft and fine art.” Meanwhile, in the Lower Level Gallery, more than a dozen artists will riff on the “venerable tradition” of portraiture. Lastly, in the Showcase Gallery, ceramist Andréa Keys Connell and painter Duy Huynh will “explore the ways in which stories and meanings can resonate collectively.”