Library Exhibition Fills A Number Of Purposes

By Shannon Hicks

Eight hand-hooked rugs by the Sandy Hook resident Liz Alpert Fay were quietly put on display in the exhibition space on the main floor of C.H. Booth Library last weekend. The rugs are the work of an award-winning traditional rug hooker who has taught classes, led workshops, and raises her children along with husband Stephen. Mrs Fay is also, along with Newtown resident Sherry Paisley, the co-coordinator of the Newtown Hooked Rug Show.

Mrs Fay’s rugs are use hand dyed and recycled wool, which is woven into cotton, burlap, or linen. Pieces also incorporate rayon, novelty yarn, antique buttons, and other ornamentation.

Welcoming visitors to the exhibition at Booth Library is a 25-by-47-inch piece appropriately titled “Welcome Mat.”

Also included are “Sing To Me,” featuring stars and a pattern that was created, says Mrs Fay, while the artist was listening to various pieces of music; “High in Saturated Color,” with swirls and soft-edged stars; “Pebble Pattern,” a framed oval work featuring small stones; and “Beloved Friend,” one of two rugs that pay homage to a dear friend of the artist’s. “Beloved Friend” shows an angel within an antique frame that has also been decorated by the artist.

“Pure Joy,” at 43 by 56 inches with a scalloped edge, features birds and flowers and celebrates the artist’s move back to Connecticut after living in “the big city” for a few years; and “Salvation’s Trousers,” with seven-point stars and multitudes of triangles, was fashioned from a pair of Mrs Fay’s favorite jeans and 20 pairs of men’s dress slacks.

The largest piece in the show, measuring 47 by 58 inches, is “Ruth in Her Garden.” It shows an elderly woman sitting in a well-worn easy chair, a tree branch curving overhead and some vegetables on her lap. Ruth is wearing knee-high socks and Birkenstocks, a shirt, skirt and cardigan sweater, her glasses, and a slight smile.

Mrs Fay created art quilts for 17 years; her interest turned to traditional rug hooking in 1998. Her rugs can now be found in private and corporate collections, and many have been selected for juried exhibitions.

In 2000 Mrs Fay was among the 36 rug hookers honored by the publishers of Rug Hooking magazine as creating the most original or commercial designs or adaptations produced in the world. Photos of a selection of Mrs Fay’s rugs were published in the special publication A Celebration of Hand-Hooked Rugs X.

Her work was featured in the October 2002 issue of Country Living magazine, and in a number of books including The Complete Guide to Collecting Hooked Rugs by Jessie Turbayne.

Mrs Fay is a co-president of the Goodwives chapter of The Association of Traditional Hooking Artists (ATHA), a national organization, which meets monthly in Darien to hook, listen to guest speakers, and network.

“It’s important that people who enjoy rug hooking know that there are groups of us who meet regularly,” Mrs Fay said this week. “Rug hooking can be an insular hobby sometimes.”

The collection at the library not only introduces (or reintroduces) visitors to the talent by one of Sandy Hook’s citizens, it also serves as a reminder that the 4th Annual Newtown Hooked Rug Show will be here in just a few months.

Mrs Fay will also be featured in an upcoming episode of The Carol Duvall Show on HGTV. On Monday, August 22, at 9 am (Charter Channel 49), a segment will look at the hooked artwork by Mrs Fay that can be used for rugs, wall art, or pillows.

This fall Mrs Fay will teach a traditional rug hooking class at Guilford Art Center, October 1–2; she will be at  Westchester Crafts Show in White Plains, N.Y., October 21–23; and then at the 4th Annual Newtown Hooked Rug Show at Reed Intermediate School on Saturday, November 5.

To contact Mrs Fay call 426-1845 or visit www.LizAlpertFay.com.