Fiber Arts Artisan Demonstrations

817ArtsAlliance presents a peek into the past with a link to the present as part of the last weekend of the Happy Holidays Artisan Demonstrations at the Arlington Museum of Art. Have you ever wondered just how a cotton boll or freshly sheared wool became yarn that could be made into clothing before the advent of electrically driven machines in factories?

Come on down to the Arlington Museum of Art in Downtown Arlington this Saturday, December 27 from 10am - 4:30pm to get a glimpse of this process with demos of many of the fiber arts. Artisans will be spinning wool into yarn, crocheting, knitting and doing demo card and heddle weaving. Talk with them to find out more about their craft and perhaps you will even get a chance to try your hand at crocheting or knitting yourself.

In addition to fiber arts demonstrations, there will be a miniature painting demo and the Happy Holidays Gift Store with goods from over a dozen local artisans is open for its final weekend.

Happy Holidays Gift Store

If you haven't made it out to see the Happy Holidays Gift Store at the Arlington Museum of Art, you are missing out on a chance to find some unique presents for those hard to find people on your gift list (and the easy ones too for that matter). The artists featured are offering a plethora of hand crafted items from original artwork and hand drawn signs to ceramics and knitted items and more.

In addition, there are Artist demonstrations on Saturdays. Artist demonstrations will begin in the morning and go until 4:30 pm. This coming weekend's artists are:

Saturday, 12/20/14

Martha Howell
Mixed Media Artist - Encaustic Painting







Brad Foster
Graphic Artist - Pen & Ink Drawing

Festival of Trees at the Arlington Museum of Art (AMA)

In memory of a beloved member of the AMA family, the Arlington Museum of Art is hosting the Mitch Wilson Memorial Festival of Trees from November 1 – December 29, 2013. This ongoing exhibition features:

- trimmed trees and other holiday decorations,
- Santa Claus illustrations and paintings by artist Tom Newsom,
- the Happy Holidays Gift Store with items by local artisans and finds from vintage collectors,
- artist demonstrations every Saturday except the market weekend,
- the Happy Holidays Gift Market December 7-8,
- performances coordinated by Miss Persis Studio on December 7.

Regular Museum hours and admission prices apply to the Festival of Trees. However, when you purchase admission you will be provided with a card allowing you entrance throughout the entire event. The card will expire December 29, 2013. The Arlington Museum of Art is sharing the holiday spirit with a gift to the community of free admission for two days only, Dec. 7-8, during the Festival of Trees Exhibit.