A large group attended a fascinating program Saturday, October 21, at the Big Springs Museum. Presenters and accomplished rug hookers Annlouise Gent and Diane Phillips shared an enormous amount of information about the art of rug hooking and brought with them several extraordinary hand hooked pieces of various colors and designs. Vendors offered a wide variety of wool, hooks, and commercial rug hooking kits.

   Annlouise Gent gave a talk and slide presentation on the hooked works of the late Grace Coates of Caledonia. Coates was a local artist who taught rug hooking in this area. Twenty years ago Gent attended an exhibit of her rug hooking at SUNY Geneseo and took slides, a valuable resource which she now uses in her own program, keeping alive the art of rug hooking.

   Diane Phillips operates a full time studio at 250 North Goodman Street in Rochester. She directed the Hooked in the Mountains Rug School at Shelburne Museum in Vermont. She has taught rug hooking workshops in Vermont, New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Ohio, Massachusetts, Texas, New Mexico and Canada. Her work has appeared in several magazines and books. She gave a slide presentation featuring photographs of a variety of hooked pieces from local artists, including her own creations.

   Rug hooking is centuries old but became popular in the mid 19^th century in the New England states by rural women who created the rugs to cover cold, bare floors in their home. Rug hooking became a popular hobby in the U.S. and Canada by the mid 1940’s as a means of personal expression, relaxation, meditation and simply as a pastime. Rug hooking involves a hand-held hook that pulls strips of wool at intervals through a backing, producing a colorful and textured design when complete. Designs can be almost anything the artist can create, from faces to landscapes to abstract designs. It is an art enjoyed by many. There are four guilds in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region that meet regularly to share ideas and to purchase supplies. Rug Hookers of the Finger Lakes meets weekly at All Things Art in Canandaigua.

   Everyone enjoyed lunch at the museum and browsing around to view the many hand hooked pieces on exhibit.

Diane Phillips with one of her own hooked pieces,
a portrait of her granddaughter.

Linda Beaulieu of Bloomfield, a rug hooker for only one year,
exhibited this beautiful rug called "Victory Garden."

   Along with our two presenters there will be approximately 40 rugs will be on display from area hookers. The day will include rug hooking demonstrations and a community project for you to try a few loops yourself. Hooking supplies will be available for purchase from area vendors. A boxed lunch for purchase will also be offered.

   Presenter Annlouise Ghent, 10:00-11:00 am

   Annlouise Ghent has been a resident of Scottsville for over 40 years. She is currently a member of the Embroidery Guild and her main focus is on embroidery. In the past she was an avid rug hooker and a member of the Monroe County Hooked Rug Guild. Her interest in rug hooking led her to a Grace Coates exhibit at SUNY Geneseo in the 1980's. Grace was a local artist who taught rug hooking to many in this area. The slides Annlouise took that day of the exhibit are now a valuable resource, keeping alive the art and history of Grace Coates. She will share the slides and Grace Coates' story at the program.

    Presenter Diane Phillips, 11:30 am -12:30 pm

   "Fabric comprises both my canvas and paint," says Diane, "My paintbrush is a hand-held hook that pulls strips of wool at intervals through a backing. Hand-dyed wool gives my artistic pieces a depth and texture that pleases me. In my mind, I straddle both the world of representational art and that of interpretive art. People viewing my work make comments in the vein of 'those colors reminds me of Van Gogh,' or 'I see a Matisse-like patterning there.' Yes."

   "My current favorite subject is portraits. Eyes, expression, skin tones, wrinkles, highlights, all conspire to tell a story to the viewer. I create the portrait and let the story emerge."

   Eight years ago Diane left corporate America and now pursues her art full time, operating from her studio, 250 N. Goodman St. in Rochester. For six years Diane directed Hooked in the Mountains Rug School at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont (in conjunction with the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild, website: Green-MountainRugHookingGuild.org). She has taught workshops in Vermont, New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Ohio, Massachusetts, Texas, New Mexico, and Canada. Diane's work has appeared in several books and magazines.

A condensed history of hand-hooked rugs

   The art of rug hooking is centuries old, although just how old is debatable. Theories abound regarding when and where the craft actually started. Some rug hooking history books state that descendants of the ancient Egyptians made the first hand-hooked rugs between the third and seventh centuries. Other historians maintain that rug hooking originated in China or Europe. However, many authorities now believe that rug hooking is America's one indigenous folk art, with the first hooked rugs appearing in Atlantic Canada and New England.

   We do know for certain, however, that rug hooking experienced a surge of popularity in the mid-nineteenth century in the New England states and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Born initially out of necessity, hand-hooked rugs were created by rural women to cover the bare floors of their homes. Later, people began selling hand-hooked rugs, and cottage industries eventually sprang up across the continent.

   By the 1940's, rug hooking had become a well-established hobby in the United States and Canada. It has evolved into a popular means of personal expression as well as a practical pastime. Hand-hooked rugs can be found in art galleries and museums in New York City, Washington, DC, Toronto, and London, as well as in local museums, libraries, and community centers across North America.

What is - and isn't - rug hooking?

   Rug hooking uses a hand hook, similar in shape to a crochet hook, to form a looped pile from fabric strips or yarn on an even-weave base fabric. Punch needles and speed hooks are also used to make hooked rugs, although the hooking techniques and rug appearance differ. Rug hooking is not the same as latch-hooking, which uses a hinged hook to form a knotted pile from short pieces of yarn

Call (585) 538-9880 for questions or directions