Hook Rugs on Display at Pryor Gallery in December and January; Artist Reception December 6

CAPTION: (From left to right) "Wool Sisters" Sue McClure, Penny Ward, Virginia Baker, Barbara Sanders, and Shelia Beasley pose surrounded by some of their work in Columbia State Community College's Pryor Art Gallery. The "Wool Sisters" consist of more than 20 members spread out over eight states including Tennessee. Their hook rugs will be on display throughout December and January on the Columbia Campus.

Columbia State Community College's Pryor Art Gallery will feature the work of the "Wool Sisters" during December and January. The exhibit, which features hook rugs in a variety of different forms, is open to the public through January 30, 2010.

"This is an art form you see primarily in New England and in the Midwest- it is a folk art form," said Penny Ward, a member of The "Wool Sisters" group and Franklin resident. "You used to see them primarily in a very fine cut, very shaded and with lots of flowers, but now you see them with animals and they can be all different colors. They're not work-intensive like they used to be. They used to be painfully detailed and it would take years to do one."

The exhibit contains footstools, purses, table runners and toppers, dolls, pillows and even a book cover and of course rugs-all created by hooking. "Hooked rugs are not something you see in the south-I guess that's why it was just so intriguing to me," said Virginia Baker, member of the "Wool Sisters" group and Columbia resident. "Basically you take flannel weight wool and you wash it and shrink it and then cut it into little bitty strips and then you pretty much paint with the wool- you basically draw with the hook," said Baker.

The "Wool Sisters" are of a group of more than 20 members spread out over eight states with the majority of them living in Columbia, Tennessee. "We have members in Illinois, Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Indiana, and Michigan," said Baker.

"One of the things that we really want to try to do is introduce this craft and art form to other people who may have never seen it before so they can maybe venture into the possibility of trying it out themselves, because it's really fun," said Baker.

"The Wool Sisters and I have been planning this exhibit for a year and a half," said Lucy Kuykendall, curator and director of Columbia State's Pryor Art Gallery. "It meets all my expectations and then some. Wool and warmth bring to mind each other; add color, talent, and time, and you will have this exhibit. It is an exquisite show of high quality craftsmanship by ladies who enjoy each other and have truly found their calling."

An artist reception will take place on Sunday, December 6 at from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. in Pryor Art Gallery. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. Pryor Art Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., and on Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. The gallery is also open on weekends during special events.

Pryor Art Gallery is located in the Waymon L. Hickman building on Columbia State's Columbia Campus at 1665 Hampshire Pike.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.