Rug hooking artists communicate in a non-verbal language – often with self – as with every loop pulled comes a thought, a memory, a purpose. Some may say that the art-craft’s purpose is to beautify one’s surroundings – and that is in fact a truth. However, it was not always so in the history of mat-making as is well-documented in the Grenfell records. Those days of purpose to warm the floors of Newfoundland outport homes and put food on the table for families were the stuff of basic human need.
Mat-making, rug hooking, its associated techniques, and cross-pollination with other fibre arts have taken us well beyond basic need or beautification and placed it firmly in the realm of Contemporary Art. This transformation has happened very quickly – within a generation or two – and yet can be argued that it continues to fullfil the hierarchy of needs.
The therapeutic soothing of this productively tactile artform productively shaping, reflecting, and commenting on our surroundings – be they social, political, economic, environmental, health-related – are all reasons to produce, to be seen, and to be celebrated. These artists create from the heart, the mind, and the soul. The Woolly Good Rug Hooking Retreat and Festival is a place to share, renew, and rejuvenate our art practices in the embrace of the sea and land that brought it forth.
