Tufting, punching yarn through stretched fabric to build up a plush pile, is mostly known for rugs. A show in Walnut Creek makes the case that it belongs in a gallery.
The show
High Pile: Concepts in Tufting is at the Bedford Gallery inside the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, through Dec. 13. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., according to the gallery's announcement on BroadwayWorld. It brings together 20 contemporary artists, including Trish Andersen & Michael Porten, Vanessa Barragão, Mychaelyn Michalec, Melissa Monroe and Nakiesha White.
Why tufting, why now
The East Bay Express traces the craft's hobby boom to 2018, when Tim Eads and Tiernan Alexander launched "Tuft the World" and made tufting guns affordable. It took off further during the pandemic. Curator Emilee Enders told the Express that the show took nine years to come together, starting when she saw Trish Andersen's work on Instagram in 2017. "Part of my vision is to explore the merging of fine art and craft," she said. Eighteen of the artists are women.
Highlights described by the Express include Michalec's All my geese are swans 2 and Monroe's large, whimsical sculpture Cape of Faces.
Go deeper
The gallery's Cocktails & Conversation series returns on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with an after-hours tour led by curators Emilee Enders and Erica Schulz.