Hooked Rug Show At Reed School, Saturday

The 5th Annual Newtown Hooked Rug Show will take place on Saturday, October 28, at Reed Intermediate School.

The event will run from 9:30 am until 3 pm. This year’s guest speaker will be Linda Rae Coughlin, and there will be a mini workshop led by Michele Micarelli.

Admission is $8 for adults, and free for children with paying adults. Lunch will be available; parking is free of charge.

The show will be held in the school’s cafetorium, with everything under the same roof: rug displays, 35 vendors, hooking demonstrations, lunch, speaker, workshop and a raffle.

Visitors are being urged to bring their pieces to display.  This is not a juried show and there are no specific categories.

This year there will be a special section where visitors may offer their contemporary hooked rugs for sale.  A small percentage of  proceeds from  sales will benefit Newtown Meeting House.

Also returning this year will be voting for Visitors’ Show Favorite. Each visitor will receive a paper ballot, enabling him or her to vote for their favorite display entry.  At 12:30 pm, votes will be counted and a Show Favorite ribbon will be awarded to the piece with the most votes.

Nationally Known

Guest Speaker

Linda Rae Coughlin will be this year’s guest speaker. She is a nationally-recognized full time textile artist, and curator of the international traveling exhibition “Art Rugs: The ‘Art’ of Playing Cards,” featuring fiber and hooked rugs. She is also a rug restorer and photographer.

Ms Coughlin is the author of Contemporary Hooked Rugs: Themes and Memories,  which she will sell and sign at our show, and is currently working on a companion book, which will be out in 2007.

Ms Coughlin holds a bachelor of fine arts degree and has done postgraduate work in fine arts, as well. She shows her textile art at juried and invitational exhibits, both nationally and internationally, and lectures and teaches on the subject of creativity in art.  Her art and writings have been published in numerous books and magazines.

Ms Coughlin’s presentation is entitled, “Finding a Voice.” She will speak at 1 pm, and will display various examples of her work. For additional information contact show organizer Sherry Paisley at 270-8293.