San Diego County is alive with fiber art this fall. Three exhibitions—ARTwear at Visions Museum of Textile Art, Fabulous Fiber at Oceanside Museum of Art, and West Coast Textile Arts at Escondido Arts Partnership Gallery—are bringing textiles front and center. Each one offers a unique take on the power of fiber—from wearable design to sculptural innovation. If you’re in Southern California, this is the perfect season to plan a fiber art tour.
Selections from Fiber Art Now’s juried ARTwear exhibition step off the page and into the gallery at VMOTA. This show highlights garments and wearable works that blur the line between fashion and fine art. Each piece celebrates creativity in motion—clothing as identity, expression, and story.
VMOTA, internationally recognized for its dedication to textiles as fine art, is the ideal setting for this showcase. The Fall 2024 issue of Fiber Art Now features all of the participating artists, making the gallery visit an inspiring extension of the magazine.
ARTwear Exhibition
Fabulous Fiber dazzles with texture, color, and innovation. Curator Kate Stern has brought together artists working across quilting, tufting, felting, embroidery, weaving, beading, crochet, basketry, and more. The result is an exhibition that celebrates tradition while pushing fiber in new directions.
This exhibition is rich in scope and dimension—from delicate handwork to bold sculptural forms. Stern, a seasoned curator with two decades of experience, has designed the exhibition as both approachable and thought-provoking. In an age of smooth digital screens, Fabulous Fiber reminds us of the sensory pleasure and storytelling power embedded in every stitch.
For a closer look at regional talent, the West Coast Textile Arts exhibition is not to be missed. Juried by Beth Smith, managing editor and exhibitions director at Fiber Art Now, this exhibit features works by artists from across the West Coast.
Submissions range from functional clothing and basketry to sculptural installations and vessel forms. Materials include everything from paper and felt to yarn and organic fibers, underscoring the diversity and vitality of textile practice in the region. This annual exhibition provides an important platform for artists exploring both traditional and experimental approaches to fiber.
A Fiber-Filled Fall
Together, these three exhibitions create a fiber art circuit stretching across San Diego County. Whether you’re drawn to innovative wearables, large-scale sculpture, or the dynamic voices of regional artists, this season offers it all. Out and about in Southern California, fiber art is flourishing—and it’s well worth the trip.
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Our Out and About blogs are curated by mixed-media artist Cami Smith, Fiber Art Now’s media manager and community engagement coordinator.
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