Textile artist Sue Helmken to open exhibit at Off Track Art in Westminster Friday evening March 7, 2014

When: Friday, March 7, 2014 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Off Track Art gallery at 11 Liberty Street Side Entrance in historic downtown Westminster:

Sue Helmken is a textile artist with over 30 years’ experience in weaving, dyeing and teaching.

According to information provided by the gallery and the artists, Ms. Helmken earned a B.A. in Design at East Carolina University and has continued learning new techniques by experimenting and by studying with fiber artists such as Madelyn Van der Hoogt, Alice Schlein, Barbara Cooper, Donna Sullivan, Jozef Bajus, and Holly Brackmann.  She also studied at the Penland School of Crafts and the Corcoran College of Art and Design.

Experimenting with new techniques and non-traditional materials is her favorite challenge. Mixing wire and yarn, she weaves narrow bands and shapes them into 3-dimensional forms.

Some are patterned after natural forms while others mimic fashion accessories.  She also weaves clothing and accessories.  

Ms. Helmken uses a variety of yarns and fibers to develop cloth with textures and patterns not found in commercially woven fabric.

Ecclesiastical pieces such as stoles, banners, and altar cloths are another facet of her work. 

Ms. Helmken has been a juried member of Gallery 209 in Savannah, GA, Fiberworks Gallery and The Potomac Fibersrts Gallery in the Torpedo Factory of Alexandria, VA, Studio Fiberarts at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA. 

Her work has been accepted in juried shows throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, most recently at AASU Gallery, The Blackrock Arts Center, Sweetwater Center for the Arts, The Art League of Alexandria, VA, and The Workhouse Center for the Arts. 

She taught weaving and dyework at Armstrong Atlantic State University; she conducts workshops and classes for fiber guilds and offers private lessons as well.

Off Track Art: 11 Liberty Street Side Entrance, Westminster, MD 21157

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View: Off Track Art Cooperative and Gallery in a larger map

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=215239526327018628982.0004eb31f098b83a0723c&msa=0

Friday evening March 7, 2014: “Off Track Art” is an artists’ collective & gallery located in the historic Liberty Building at 11 Liberty St. – next to the railroad tracks, off of the Sentinel parking lot at the corner of W. Main St & MD 27-Liberty St - in historic downtown Westminster, Md.

The inspiration for forming the co-op was spearheaded by local artists Susan Williamson & Pam Zappardino. Off Track had its grand opening on Feb. 13th, 2009.

For the past 4-yrs, the partners in the co-op have changed; however the artist-partners in the co-op have been dedicated to advancing the arts in Westminster as well as the careers, ideas, and artistic visions of its members.

Sue Helmken www.barefootweaver.com